Portraits
Portraits were for William Soare a joyous avocation . Although the examples shown here attest that he could well have made a living by them, he did not pursue that as a commercial venture. Consequently, his portraits are few in number, and of members of his own family, or more frequently, his wife and her relatives, both old and young.
December 30, 1931 |
Valdora Joyce Seissinger, 1932 |
"Thousands in the mellow glow of home, warmed by loving companionship, lifted up and sustained by mutual interests, admiration. Clearheaded joyous zest for life, learned discussion out of a deep and rich experience. Noble heads grown gray and gentle, bent with cameo clarity over the shoulder of young endeavor. The soft voice, the reminiscent smile, the strong rich laughter of appreciation." April 28, 1931
Irving Walker Soare, brother |
"Irving is still staying out very late with a girl - will that boy ever grow up!" May10, 1932 "I have a most tender and conscientious mother, who is still (even at our age) quite wrapped up in her children. It seems at this moment that this great love cannot be lost, that it is timeless, and that somehow, in a finer, fuller life, it will go on eternally." January 20, 1931 |
Mary Walker Soare, mother |
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Troy Tribble Seissinger, artist's mother-in-law |
While only two portraits of the artist's own family are known to exist, after he married Valdora, my mother, in 1935, he seemed to develop a great interest in painting her family, with two portraits of of my maternal grandmother, Troy. "I feel sure that many of Valdora's lovely qualities are glorified and matured in her mother..." January 28, 1932 |
Troy again, aka "Bubba," for reasons known only to her grandchildren..... |
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Ella Tribble Love, Troy's sister |
Not one to be quibbling over a Tribble sibling, he also did two fine renditions of her sister, my great aunt Ella. |
Also Ella, whom we called "Mama Love" |
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Arthur Seeger, Jr, son of Valdora's cousin, Janie |
As a child, my cousin, Sarah Jane, could have given Shirley Temple lessons in being cute, and so, was a natural subject. And who could resist my cousin Arthur, noted as an infant for his "perfectly shaped head?" My father never painted me as an infant --unless you count the time he painted my nose red! |
Sarah Jane Seissinger, Valdora's niece |
Sometimes the artist's portraits in words were as vivid as those in paint, as in this tribute to his dear friend and renowned fellow artist, Cecilia Beaux, who had painted the First Lady during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt:
"An
elderly person of peculiarly noble mien, her once feminine figure
now returned to original angularity,sits amid the memories of an
amazing career. Recipient of every honor from both Europe
and America in the realm of art, human and sympathetic toward all
phases of life, hearty and keen with a swift and subtle humor,
this old soldier still regrets her physical handicap, which
hampers her from going on. When I was a little boy, she was
down in the White House, painting a portrait of Mrs.
Roosevelt. Sacrificing the insistent birthrights of
love and family, she absorbed her whole being in her art, and
went from one remarkable success to another. She painted some of
the world's leaders during the War, and though a woman, her
personality challenged the greatest.
I sometimes wonder by just what divining of the gods brought
about my acquaintance with Cecilia Beaux. And I even wonder
how I can measure up to such providential circumstance and glean
from it the help and inspiration that is, by an unseen hand, my
destiny."
April 28,1931
