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"The End of Camelot" oil painting by Tansill Stough-Anthony
"The End of Camelot" oil painting by Tansill Stough-Anthony

"The End of Camelot" oil painting by Tansill Stough-Anthony

Object number2018.063.0007
Datecirca 2010
ClassificationsArt
Artist Tansill Stough-Anthony
ObjectArtwork
Credit LineThe "Fading Memories: In Honor of JFK" Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsUnframed: 35 1/2 × 48 × 1 1/2 in. (90.2 × 121.9 × 3.8 cm)
Description"The End of Camelot" is an oil painting by Tansill Stough-Anthony in a series titled “Fading Memories: In Honor of JFK”. The painting depicts the funeral procession for President Kennedy in Washington, D.C. on November 24, 1963. One corner of the caisson carrying the flag-draped casket of President Kennedy is visible in the lower left corner. The painting was primarily done in black and white, however the red stripes of the U.S. flag and the blue of the presidential flag along the left edge of the composition stand out. There are also subtle accents of brown around the shadows of the figures on the ground. None of the figures in the painting are well defined. The artist signed the painting in the lower right corner.
Curatorial Commentary
After depicting the famous coconut from President Kennedy's desk and the Abraham Zapruder film in her "Fading Memories" series, artist Tansill Stough-Anthony returned to the subject of her first four paintings - the Kennedy funeral - with this seventh work in the series. Stough-Anthony recalled that working on "The End of Camelot," the largest painting in her series, "was completing something that I had put together." Her sparing use of color on the flags in this painting is significant. "They signify the United States... and it brings out our flag and our freedom..." The visible drips were included because, to Stough-Anthony, they seemed "heavy and sad." She also deliberately worked quickly: "I wanted my emotions to stay in it rather than try and be real detailed." This painting took four to five days to complete. Upon completion of this seventh work, Stough-Anthony felt that the "Fading Memories: In Honor of JFK" series was complete. More than a year later, after being inspired by a visit to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, she added two more paintings to the series. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator