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Lincoln's Sword, 2010
Rich Thompson
Rich Thompson is a self-taught artist, who has been a fan of Abraham Lincoln since the first time he visited Ford's Theatre as an eight year old. Rich has never forgotten the overwhelming presence and sense of awe he felt as he walked into the theatre.
As the Civil War raged on, Lincoln stood tall, confident in his ideals and convinced that the course he had taken was necessary to preserve the young nation. Yet he also remained compassionate towards his foes and the great losses they suffered. His aspiration and determination to shape and reunify the nation would come at the highest cost to him and the families of over 600,000 men who lost their lives in the war. Here, near the end of his tenure, Lincoln stands haggard, hallowed and besieged by the carnage. For the artist, the ink from Lincoln's "sword" represents not only how Lincoln's words would help reshape the nation, but also attests to the bloodshed that made reunification possible. |