John Watson

John Watson always painted his sitters with a straight face, even when the sitter was a wigged colonial governor who’d just lost a fight with his own teeth. He loved a good brass button and a plain background, no fluff, just a face that stares back like it knows you’ve been caught daydreaming. Hunt down his 1726 portrait of Governor Lewis Morris in a quiet corner of the Met and you’ll see what he meant: power doesn’t need lace to announce itself.