History Art / TheApotheosisOfWashington

A fresco depicting President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington ascending to godhood. The fresco is painted on the interior of a hollow hemisphere suspended inside the outer dome of the United States Capitol in UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and only mostly visible from the Capitol Rotunda through the oculus of the inner dome.

The focus of the {{painting|s}} is on two circles. In the first inner circle, George Washington sits at the bottom robed in purple with [[Art/StatueOfLiberty Lady Liberty]] and Lady Victory at his sides. The rest of the circle is taken up by thirteen girls each representing one of the thirteen original states. The second, outer circle is below the clouds and is made up of six scenes each detailing an American lifestyle: War, Commerce, Science, Mechanics, Marine, and Agriculture.

* OurGodsAreDifferent: Apparently, really good [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfTheUnitedStates Presidents]] become gods when they die. In this {{painting}}, an ascended Washington sits beside Victory and Liberty in a FluffyCloudHeaven looking down upon an {{Anthropomorphic Personification}} of Freedom and the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek gods]], who now seem to serve the Celestial-In-Chief.

It was completed in 1863, during the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar.

It was painted in 1865, during the UsefulNotes/AntebellumAmerica.

The focus of the painting is on two circles. In the first inner circle, George Washington sits at the bottom robed in purple with [[Art/StatueOfLiberty Lady Liberty]] and Lady Victory at his sides. The rest of the circle is taken up by thirteen girls each representing one of the thirteen original states. The second, outer circle is below the clouds and is made up of six scenes each detailing an American lifestyle: War, Commerce, Science, Mechanics, Marine, and Agriculture.

* WouldHurtAChild: The soldiers Freedom battles are seen holding torches facing the direction of a small child who recoils away. While it seems like Freedom will stop them, the implication is that they are fully willing to burn a child alive if Freedom wasn't there to restrain them.

** The two ladies on Washington's side represent virtues. The one on his left represents Victory (demonstrated by her war trumpet and Olympic wreaths) and Liberty (demonstrated by her tomb open to all and Roman cap of freedom).

An 1865 fresco depicting President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington ascending to godhood. The fresco is painted on the interior of a hollow hemisphere suspended inside the outer dome of the United States Capitol in UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and only mostly visible from the Capitol Rotunda through the oculus of the inner dome.

** The two ladies to Washington's side represent virtues. The one on his left represents Victory (demonstrated by her war trumpet and Olympic wreaths) and Liberty (demonstrated her tomb open to all and Roman cap of freedom).

* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: The palette of the sky here is divided yellow-ish clouds in the center and the outer white clouds which the states and the ladies sit on.

* OurGodsAreDifferent: Apparently, really good Presidents become gods when they die. They also seem to have a higher place in this cosmology than {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s or even the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek gods]].

* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: An ExaggeratedTrope of President 'Nice Guy'; the President is put on a pedestal that it sits right next to {{God}}'s throne.

* AmericanEagle: Just below George Washington there's a mighty eagle nearly the size of the goddess Athena attacking a kingly knight, representing America's rebellion against Britain. It even holds arrows and a thunderbolt in hand, just like on the seal of the USA.