Louis I Kahn

[Sharon Knettell]

Alex,

I had seen this portrait and was waiting to write something appropriate. The first thought that struck me, that even portrayed at an older age you have captured the essence of a irresistable charmer. He has that certain 'je ne sais quoi' that as a lady I have always found more than appealing.

I just came across an interesting, perhaps fictional account of him in one of Dominick Dunne's novels "A Season in Purgatory", a rather thinly veiled account of the Kennedy dynasty. Your father, in the novel, was brought in as the architect of the school library in the Milton Academy. The wealthy donor's arrogant daughter insisted on an unfortunate change in the building that your father fought and lost.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Sharon! I am sorry, I just saw this. Your opinion of him as a charmer was shared by many women--though I always laugh when I think of the Maine woman in My Architect saying (in her Yankee accent), "I don't know, I just didn't get his numbah!" I guess that, and his architectural adventures, made fodder for some good stories.

[Jean Kelly]

This is my favorite of yours so far, Alex. It is reeking with personality, and it's very obvious that you had an excellent "feel" for your father. I'd like to see the two portraits of your parents posted together----what a surge of creativity that would be!

Jean

[Thomasin Dewhurst]

Dear Alex

I am sorry I haven't replied until now. This is very moving for me. I haven't been able to paint my father at all since he died, so I imagine it must have been quite an emotional feat for you. It is a wonderful piece of what must have been a marvelous man. What an important work this is - a valuable document of and by members of a legendary family.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Thank you, Thomasin. It was an emotional experience to paint this, but not overwhelmingly so. He died in 1974 and the passage of time made a huge difference and brought some new perspective (at least in my case) on how to portray him. One of my excuses is that I had to wait till I started looking like my father so I could get a good reference .

Maybe sometime in the future you will decide it is time to paint your father. I would love to see that portrait when and if it ever gets painted.

[Thomasin Dewhurst]

It's funny you mention that you had to wait until you started looking like your father, Alex, before you could paint him properly. Some of my self-portraits do actually look (unintentionally) a lot more like my father than me.