PROVIDENCE
8-11-10
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Carcieri selects portrait artist

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts announced Wednesday that Governor Carcieri has selected Rhode Island artist Harley W. Bartlett to paint his portrait.

Bartlett, of Hope, was chosen from among 79 artists who applied late last year as part of a national search. State law requires that an official portrait be commissioned for each governor before he or she leaves office. The fee for this commission is $15,000, the same fee paid for the official portrait of former Gov. Lincoln Almond.

"Commissioning a portrait of a governor is an important event in the life of Rhode Island," said Randall Rosenbaum, director of the State Council on the Arts. "… Great art tells a great story, and walking through the halls of the State House, you experience the history of Rhode Island."

Bartlett was educated at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the University of Pennsylvania. A long admirer of the American Beaux Arts school of Art and Architecture in the late 19th and early 20th century, Bartlett started his gallery career as an apprentice in studios such as Evergreene Painting Studios and American Illusion. Bartlett was soon restoring, reviving and re-creating murals in statehouses, theaters and casinos throughout the United States.

The New York artist Richard Haas took note of Bartlett's abilities and soon had him execute his designs for large-scale trompe l'oeil murals. His fine art paintings may be found in many area and regional galleries.

The portrait is scheduled to be completed before the end of the year, and will be ready for an official unveiling just after Carcieri leaves office.
TATIANA PINA

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