According to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon rule, any actor or actress can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. As far as connections are concerned, however, this spring's Montgomery Fellow, Everett Raymond Kinstler, is the man to beat. Having painted over 1,200 portraits in his illustrious and incomparable career, Kinstler's little black book is filled with names ranging from famous actors to United States presidents, illustrious authors to Supreme Court justices. More fascinating, however, is Kinstler's unlikely beginning: At age 16, after dropping out of high school, he became a comic book artist.
In the early stages of his career, Kinstler made valuable contributions to pop art through his comics, which depict The Shadow and Doc Savage in the "golden age" of comic books. He worked on numerous projects in partnership with Avon comics and attended the Art Students League, where he taught before pursuing a career in portraiture.
Today, Kinstler is known as the premier portrait artist in America, an incredible distinction in a field that normally lends artists little more than anonymity. He has received the most prestigious award, the Copley Medal, from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. A star in his genre, his career raises a question: How can the work of one man appeal to the aesthetic values of the 1,200 people he has painted? Yet the sweeping charisma of his work is utterly undeniable.
"He brings out the best in people. He brings out the presence they would like to have in the world," said studio art professor Louise Hamlin, who will be holding a conversation for students with Kinstler during his visit to the College. "It's a subject matter that everyone has access to, if they have a mirror," she continued.
Susan Wright, executive director of the Montgomery Endowment, also acknowledged the universality and appeal of his work, noting, "Before I knew who he was, I was long admiring his painting of the Montgomerys." Wright was referring to Kinstler's portrait of Kenneth Montgomery '25 and his wife, Harle, which hangs in the Montgomery House on Rope Ferry Road.
Looking at the five Kinstler portraits on campus -- depictions of Theodor S. Geisel '25, College President John Kemeny and Lucretia Martin, who served as special assistant to four Dartmouth Presidents and director of development, in addition to the two portaits in the Montgomery House -- it's impossible to ignore the charm of the paintings. The portraits are realistic and impressive, but they also possess a personality that makes the subjects appear personable. This extra magnetism in the paintings draws the eyes of a disengaged viewer and involves the mind in an analysis of not only the paint on the canvas but also the person depicted. Each of his portraits is a unique ode to its subject, and no two are alike. His lounging Katharine Hepburn contrasts his posed President Gerald R. Ford, as the grin of Bob Dole stands in opposition to the furrowed brow of James Montgomery Flagg.
The variety in Kinstler's work, however, can only be attributed to Kinstler's attitude toward himself as an artist.
"I'm an artist who enjoys painting people," Kinstler has said, distinguishing himself as more than merely a portrait artist. He loves art in the broad sense, and it would be a great disservice to ignore his work with landscapes and watercolor. Despite having painted over 50 cabinet officers, five Presidents, six U.S. governors, four U.S. secretaries and countless famous personalities, Kinstler's devotion to art keeps his work alive and fresh.
Now, with the Montgomery Endowment reaching its 30th Anniversary, Kinstler visits Dartmouth as a fellow to commemorate his work painting the Montgomerys. He will participate in a staged discussion that will be moderated by professor Hamlin and will cover all aspects of his evolving career.
"It should be interesting for students of a liberal arts background," said Susan Wright, and, indeed, the Six Degrees of Everett Raymond Kinstler make finding an area of interest to which he has no exposure almost impossibe.
"A Conversation with Everett Raymond Kinstler" will take place in Filene Auditorium on Tuesday, April 15 at 4:30 p.m.
