Mr. Rossin’s “A Meeting in Time” depicts 18 U.S. presidents of the 20th century gathered at the While House. The 13- by 20-foot painting is currently at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville.
The Bulgarian-born American portrait artist’s recently completed 4-foot high portrait of King George VI was presented to Queen Elizabethin honor of her Diamond Jubilee this year marking her 60-year reign.
The queen responded positively saying that she liked the portrait of her father and asked that it be displayed in a public place somewhere in
That’s how it got to be on view at the residence of British Consul General Annabelle Malinsduring her annual holiday reception on Dec. 5.
Why paint King George VI now? “Well, I saw the movie,” was Mr. Rossin’s quick response to
“He is the first modern monarch. You can see in his human face his compassion for those less fortunate experiencing the difficulty of the time,” he said referring to King George’s struggle to overcoming a speech impediment so that he could play an important leadership role during World War II.
“That compassion came from his own struggle… that is what is in his eyes as well as his unconditional love for family and country. And that’s why his daughter has become one of the greatest monarchs of all time.”
Mr. Rossin makes his living as a portrait painter, but many of his portraits of historical figures – and there are many – he does without a commission.
“I like the big questions,” he said. “Why are we here? What motivates my subjects?”
Corporate CEOs, partners in Atlanta’s major law firms, and esteemed judges have all commissioned Mr. Rossin to paint their portraits.
Like all of his subjects, he seeks to capture their interiors as much as their exteriors. And it puts them in exalted company, indeed.
An eclectic array of portraits hang in is studio including those of the 19th century Russian novelist
These are just some of the large (often 4-foot high) portraits that keep him company, starring down from the walls of his studio.
He also is known for painting U.S. presidents. What is promoted as his masterpiece, “A Meeting in Time,” depicts the eighteen U.S. presidents of the 20th century gathered in theWhite House. The 13- by 20-foot work took four years to complete and currently is on view at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville.
He has a fascination with U.S. presidents. Portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan,Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter hang in his studio.
When asked if he had seen the actor
He said that he had studied Mr. Lincoln so hard and had such an acute vision of him, he feared seeing an actor’s interpretation, no matter how skillful. That’s not to say he wouldn’t go eventually.
Now that his reputation seems based on his abilities as a large-scale realist portrait painter of modern and historical figures who provides glimpses into the souls of his subjects, who else might turn up in his portfolio?
You have been warned; he’ll fool you. Yes, there she is in all her splendor, a plastic
There also are landscapes including Atlanta businessman
Mr. Rossin took to painting as a child growing up in
Although now an American citizen, he remains a loyal Bulgarian in the sense that he has a deep appreciation for the “great resilience, stubbornness and spiritual hunger” of his people.
His portrait of Vasil Levski, a national hero who sought to free the country from Ottomanrule, hangs in the presidency in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital.
He also is proud that after many years of suffering under communism Bulgaria is a member of the
He originally was granted an O-visa for his outstanding ability in the arts and a chance encounter in
Having become a U.S. citizen in 2010, he considers himself a proud Georgian and is so taken with the state that he named his daughter Savannah after Georgia’s main port city.