Lou Posner: The Interface Between Life and Art
Part of Posner's series of 19 portraits depicting people in bib overalls, this painting portrays Abraham Lincoln not as the familiar statesman in formal attire, but as a working man whose early life was shaped by rural America. Lincoln spent his formative years, from ages eight to twenty-two, in Spencer County, Indiana, not far from Posner's studio in neighboring Perry County. That geographical connection gave the subject particular significance for the artist. Posner had previously painted Lincoln against a simple gray background but was dissatisfied with the result. He returned to the subject, creating a second portrait with a more elaborate composition incorporating decorative and symbolic elements. This was the version with which he was especially pleased. Lincoln's familiar features and thoughtful expression remain central to the painting. His bib overalls recall his humble beginnings, while the collar and tie in the background represent a later period of his life. In this way, Posner brings together the young Lincoln of rural Indiana and the statesman he would become.