Today we are mixing:
- The Painting: “George Washington” (1797) by Gilbert Stuart
- The Soundtrack: “Main titles” by Danny Elfman (“Black Beauty” Soundtrack)
About the Painting
The Lansdowne portrait is an iconic life-size portrait of George Washington painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796. It depicts the 64-year-old President of the United States during his final year in office. The original portrait was a gift to former British Prime Minister William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne.
Stuart painted three copies of the Lansdowne portrait, and five portraits that were closely related to it. The most famous copy is in the East Room of the White House. Numerous other artists have also painted copies.
About the Soundtrack
“Main titles” by Danny Elfman (“Black Beauty” Soundtrack)
Black Beauty is a 1994 American film adaptation of Anna Sewell‘s novel by the same name directed by Caroline Thompson in her directorial debut. The film stars Andrew Knott, Sean Bean and David Thewlis. The film is also treated as an autobiography of the horse Black Beauty as in the original novel, and is narrated by Alan Cumming as the voice of the ‘Black Beauty’. It is the fifth feature film adaptation of the 1877 classic novel by Anna Sewell.
Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American composer, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and voice actor. He first became well known as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s, and has since garnered international recognition for writing over 100 feature film scores, as well as compositions for television, stage productions, and the concert hall.
Elfman has frequently worked with directors Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant, with notable achievements the scores for 16 Burton-directed films including Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland, and Dumbo; Raimi’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Oz the Great and Powerful; and Van Sant’s Academy Award-nominated films Good Will Hunting and Milk. He wrote music for all of the Men in Black and Fifty Shades of Grey franchise films, the songs and score for the Burton-produced animated musical The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the themes for the popular television series Desperate Housewives and The Simpsons