{{Short description|American portrait painter (born 1951)}} {{Infobox person | name = Ned Bittinger | image = Ned Bittinger in 2002.jpg | caption = Bittinger in 2002 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|07|04}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ronwhitmorelive.com/art-fusion-radio.html |date=May 18, 2017 |title=Art Fusion Radio |access-date=March 1, 2023}}</ref> | birth_place = Washington, D.C., United States | alma_mater = {{Plainlist| *Denison University (BFA) * Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University (MFA) }} | notable_works = {{Plainlist| *''Abraham Lincoln'' *''Corinne Claiborne (Lindy) Boggs'' *''Rocking Horse Christmas'' *''The Matzah That Papa Brought Home'' *''The Blue and the Gray'' }} | children = 1 }}
'''Edmund Stuart Bittinger''' (born July 4, 1951), better known by '''Ned Bittinger,'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Ned Bittinger |url=https://portraitcollection.jhmi.edu/artists/ned-bittinger |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=portraitcollection.jhmi.edu}}</ref> is an American portrait painter and illustrator who is known for his paintings of prominent American figures. His notable works include the congressional portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Lindy Boggs for the United States Capitol, as well as Secretaries of State James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger's official State Department portraits. He has also painted official portraits of Henry Kissinger, John Mica, and Jon Corzine, among others.
Bittinger made his debut as an illustrator in 1995 with the Passover Sedar fiction children's book ''The Matzah That Papa Brought Home,'' which was met with critical acclaim and became an American Library Association Notable Children's Book and a Notable Book for Younger Readers from the Sydney Taylor Book Award. He later illustrated ''The Blue and the Gray'' (1996) ''and Rocking Horse Christmas'' (1997)'','' both of which received positive reviews from critics. In 2002, he illustrated his latest book, ''When the Root Children Wake Up,'' which is a retelling of Sibylle Von Olfers' book, ''The Root Children,'' originally published in 1906.
== Early life and education == Ned Bittinger was born in 1951 in Washington, D.C. He started painting and drawing in the third grade. When he was age thirteen, his parents sent him to the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design of Washington, D.C.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Bell |first=Julia |date=January 14, 2004 |title=Eldorado artist finds life's calling in third grade |work=The Santa Fe New Mexican |url=https://archive.org/details/apache-canyon |access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref> He attended Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland.
He left to attend Denison University in Ohio, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Grand Valley State University Art Gallery |url=https://artgallery.gvsu.edu/Detail/entities/1466 |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=artgallery.gvsu.edu}}</ref> In an interview in 2017, Bittinger stated that he originally got an F grade in painting at Denison University.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Art Fusion Radio |url=https://www.ronwhitmorelive.com/art-fusion-radio.html |access-date=2023-07-24 |website=Ron Whitmore Live |language=en}}</ref>
After graduating, Bittinger briefly got a job at a commercial arts studio.<ref name=":14" /> He also began to practice Transcendental Meditation and would become a teacher of the technique.<ref name=":10" /> At age 28, he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni Notes - 2019 {{!}} Corcoran School of the Arts & Design {{!}} The George Washington University |url=https://corcoran.gwu.edu/alumni-notes-2019 |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Corcoran School of the Arts & Design |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":14" />
== Career == Bittinger has received awards and participated in many exhibitions, including an exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow from 1990 to 1991.<ref name=":6" /> Bittinger painted two portraits for the 1994 movie ''Guarding Tess'', one of Shirley Maclaine and the other of her husband in the movie. In 2017 Bittinger estimated that he had painted between 400 and 500 portraits.<ref name=":14" />
=== Portrait of Abraham Lincoln === [[File:Abraham Lincoln in the United States Congress by.jpg|left|thumb|''Abraham Lincoln'', U.S. House of Representatives, US Capitol]] In 2004, the US House of Representatives commissioned Bittinger to paint the official portrait of Abraham Lincoln. The painting depicts Lincoln at a young age from when he served in the House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. Ned Bittinger worked from photographs of Lincoln's time in Congress as well as historic images of the House Chamber. The setting includes the John Vanderlyn portrait of George Washington, furniture designed by Thomas Constantine, and many details of the House Chamber's appearance in the 1840s, including the red drapery. Lincoln is depicted sitting at his desk in the old Hall of the House, now called National Statuary Hall. The painting is part of a series of 21st-century portraits depicting noteworthy former members of Congress commissioned by the House of Representatives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=21st-Century Portrait Commissions {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Portraits/Commissions/21st-Century/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}</ref>
The painting has been featured in many articles including on Cracked.com and ''The Imaginative Conservative''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diplotti |first=Andres |date=2023-03-06 |title=12 Consequential Things Decided by An Extremely Thin Margin |url=https://www.cracked.com/image-pictofact-9758-12-consequential-things-decided-by-an-extremely-thin-margin |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Cracked.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Miles |date=2016-07-27 |title=The Problem of a "Conservative" Lincoln |url=https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2016/07/problem-conservative-lincoln-miles-smith.html |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=The Imaginative Conservative |language=en-US}}</ref>[[File:Lawrence Eagleburger Official Oil Portrait by Ned Bittinger.jpg|thumb|''Lawrence Eagleburger'', Sec. of State, U.S. State Department]]
=== Portrait of Lindy Boggs === {{Main|Corinne Claiborne (Lindy) Boggs}} On September 27, 2004, the portrait of Lindy Boggs was unveiled at the Capitol. The portrait includes a small replica of the Car of History clock which has been present in the Old House Chamber since 1819. This clock was included to show Bogg's love for history and commemorate the Commission of the United States House of Representatives Bicentenary, which she chaired.<ref name=":3" /> The portrait hangs in the Lindy Claiborne Boggs Congressional Women's Reading Room in the US Capitol adjacent to Statuary Hall.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=2004-09-24 |title=Boggs on Display |url=https://www.rollcall.com/2004/09/24/boggs-on-display/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=Roll Call |language=en}}</ref>[[File:James Baker III, State Department Portrait by Ned Bittinger.jpg|thumb|''James Baker'', Sec. of State, US State Department]] === Henry Kissinger === In 2005, Bittinger was commissioned the paint a portrait of Henry Kissinger as Chancellor for the College of William and Mary. "They usher me in, and he looks at me 'who are you' and I say I'm here to paint your portrait, and then I had to pull out this midlevel garb." The portrait Depicts Kissinger with his Chancellor robes and chain. Kissinger reportedly objected to using the hat and asked Bittinger to not include it. Bittinger spent the day in Kissinger's office sketching him from life.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":8" />
In a 2017 interview, Bittinger stated that he had also painted Kissinger's dogs at Kissinger's home in Connecticut.<ref name=":14" />
=== Ohio Speakers' Portraits === In 2017, the Ohio Statehouse commissioned seven speakers' portraits with three painted by Bittinger, three by Daniel Greene, and one by Leslie Adams. The portraits were unveiled in a ceremony in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda on May 23, 2017. “The seven portraits broaden the scope and artistic diversity of the Ohio Statehouse’s art collection instantly. These works of art will inspire and educate future leaders of Ohio for generations to come,” said The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board executive director, Laura Battocletti.<ref name=":5" />
=== Books === Bittinger first became interested in illustrating children's books after reading an article about Chris Van Allsburg. He then wrote and illustrated a children's book and sent it to two publishers. Both of the publishers liked his illustrations but did not like the story. It took a year before Bittinger got a call from Scholastic to illustrate ''The Matzah that Papa Brought Home'' written by Fran Manushkin.<ref name=":15">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/hearth-combined/page/n23/mode/2up?q=Ned+Bittinger |title=Albemarle Magazine, December 1997 - January 1998 |publisher=Albemarle |year=1997 |pages=45–47}}</ref> The book was well received by critics and received a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Matzah That Papa Brought Home by Fran Manushkin |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780590471466 |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=www.publishersweekly.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://hclib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S109C324548/reviews |title=The Matzah That Papa Brought Home |isbn=978-0-590-47146-6 |last1=Manushkin |first1=Fran |date=1995 |publisher=Scholastic Incorporated }}</ref> The book ended up selling over 50 thousand copies<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manushkin |first=Fran |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q_hAAAAMAAJ |title=The Matzah that Papa Brought Home |date=1995 |publisher=Scholastic Incorporated |isbn=978-0-590-47146-6 |language=en}}</ref> and became an American Library Association Notable Children's Book and Notable Book for Younger Readers from the Sydney Taylor Book Award.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://jewishlibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023stbaallawardwinnersever.pdf |access-date=2023-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306182249/https://jewishlibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023stbaallawardwinnersever.pdf |archive-date=2023-03-06 }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=1998-06-01 |title=Shelton Hosts Workshop By Award-Winning Artist |pages=1–2 |work=Shelton Chronicle |url=https://archive.org/details/SheltonChronicleJun11998/mode/2up?q=Ned+Bittinger |access-date=}}</ref> An article in Albemarle Magazine stated that Manushkin was at first unhappy with his first set of paintings Bittinger created because of his lack of originality. Bittinger painted a second set of paintings for the book spending months on the project, and making a plaster cast of the father in the story so he could make a more accurate profile.<ref name=":15" />
In 1997 Bittinger illustrated ''Rocking Horse Christmas'' written by Mary Pope Osborne, which had a positive reaction from the critics.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://hclib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S109C452386/reviews |title=The Rocking Horse Christmas |isbn=978-0-590-92955-4 |last1=Osborne |first1=Mary Pope |date=1997 |publisher=Scholastic Press }}</ref> He spent six months on preliminary drawings and then the paintings for the book.<ref name=":15" /> He has also illustrated ''When the Root Children Wake Up'', a retelling of Sibylle Von Olfers' book, ''The Root Children,'' originally published in 1906;<ref name=":16">{{Cite web |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/audrey-wood/when-the-root-children-wake-up/ |title=When the Root Children Wake Up |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}</ref> and ''The Blue and the Gray'' written by Eve Bunting which received the "Hoosier Young Readers' Award" from the children of Indiana and the "Teachers' Choice Award" from The International Readers Association.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/eve-bunting/the-blue-and-the-gray/ |title=The Blue and the Gray |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}</ref>
Upon release, ''When the Root Children Wake Up'' (2002)'','' written by Audrey Wood, received mixed reviews with ''Publishers Weekly'' criticizing Wood's words calling them "slightly forced" while also calling Bittinger's illustrations "a laudable effort, but one that's ultimately less than the sum of its parts."<ref>{{Cite web |title=When the Root Children Wake Up by Audrey Wood |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780590425179 |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=www.publishersweekly.com}}</ref> ''Kirkus Reviews'' called both the words and images "quite charming", while also pointing out the difference between Wood's story and the original by Olfers, "Wood’s tale changes the Root Children’s activities from work to play—not a bad thing, but a definite difference."<ref name=":16" />
== Personal life == Bittinger and his wife at the time, Mary, moved out of D.C. to Rappahannock County, Virginia.<ref name=":2" /> They later divorced and Bittinger moved out west. In a 2017 interview, he explained "It was a neighbor across the street who said, 'Why don't you move to Taos' and I said what the hell is Taos." Bittinger instead decided to move to Santa Fe where he has remained. In the same interview, he stated he has an 11-year-old son.<ref name=":14" />
== Bibliography ==
* ''The Matzah That Papa Brought Home'' by Fran Manushkin. Scholastic, 1995.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manushkin |first=Fran |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q_hAAAAMAAJ |title=The Matzah that Papa Brought Home |date=1995 |publisher=Scholastic Incorporated |isbn=978-0-590-47146-6 |language=en}}</ref> * ''The Blue and the Gray'' by Eve Bunting. Scholastic, 1996.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bunting |first=Eve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kX8CHQAACAAJ |title=The Blue and the Gray |publisher=Scholastic |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-590-60200-6 |language=en}}</ref> * ''Rocking Horse Christmas'' by Mary Pope Osborne. Scholastic, 1997.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Osborne |first=Mary Pope |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XRDNAAAACAAJ |title=Rocking Horse Christmas |date=1997 |publisher=Scholastic Press |isbn=978-0-590-92955-4 |language=en}}</ref> * ''When the Root Children Wake Up'' by Audrey Wood. Scholastic, 2002.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DmbbAAAACAAJ |title=When the Root Children Wake Up |date=2002 |publisher=Scholastic |isbn=978-0-590-42517-9 |language=en}}</ref>
== Notable commissions ==
* Lloyd Elliott, President of The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, 1988<ref>{{Citation |last=Affairs |first=Elliott School of International |title=Lloyd portrait |date=2013-01-25 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/elliottschool/8655175861/ |access-date=2022-11-07}}</ref> * Gen. Carl Vuono, Chief of Staff of the Army 1991<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Bell |first=William |url=https://archive.org/details/commandinggenera00wash_0/page/154/mode/2up?q=Ned+Bittinger |title=Commanding generals and chiefs of staff, 1775-1995 |publisher=Center of Military History, U.S. Army |year=1999 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=154–157|isbn=9780160497698 }}</ref> * James Baker, Secretary of State, US State Department, Washington, D.C., 1994<ref name=":11">{{Citation |last=Rooms |first=Diplomatic Reception |title=Portrait of James A. Baker III, 61st Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush |date=2010-08-26 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/diplomaticreceptionrooms/40359311190/ |access-date=2022-07-25}}</ref> * Gen. Gordon Sullivan, Chief of Staff of the Army 1994<ref name=":6" /> * Carol Joyce Gray, First Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 1994<ref name=":1" /> * Lawrence Eagleburger, Secretary of State, US State Department, Washington, D.C., 1995<ref name=":12">{{Citation |last=Rooms |first=Diplomatic Reception |title=Portrait of Lawrence S. Eagleburger, 62nd Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush |date=2010-08-27 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/diplomaticreceptionrooms/41445535174/ |access-date=2022-07-25}}</ref> * ''Abraham Lincoln'', Official portrait for the US House of Representatives, 2004<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Abraham Lincoln {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-099-000/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}</ref> * ''Lindy Boggs'', Congresswoman, Louisiana, 1973–1991, the portrait hangs in the Lindy Claiborne Boggs Congressional Women's Reading Room, US Capitol, Wash., D.C. 2004<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Corinne Claiborne (Lindy) Boggs {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2004/2004-058-000/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":9" /> * Henry Kissinger, Former Sec. of State, College of William & Mary, 2005<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Portrait of Dr. Henry Kissinger |url=https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_2005.006 |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=npg.si.edu |language=en}}</ref> * Jack S. Griswold, President, Maryland Historical Society, 2005<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Maryland Historical Magazine |url=http://archive.org/details/msa_sc_5881_1_406 |title=Maryland Historical Magazine Spring 2007 |publisher=Maryland Historical Magazine |year=2007 |pages=6 |language=english |access-date=September 30, 2022}}</ref> * Stanard T. Klinefelter, President, Maryland Historical Society, 2005<ref name=":13" /> * Jon Corzine, former Governor of New Jersey<ref name=":1" /> * Chief Justice Barker, Hamilton County Courthouse, Chattanooga, TN, 2010<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Chief Justice Barker Honored in Chattanooga {{!}} Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts |url=https://www.tncourts.gov/press/2010/01/07/former-chief-justice-barker-honored-chattanooga |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=www.tncourts.gov}}</ref> * John Mica, US Congressman from Florida, US House of Representatives, 2012<ref>{{Cite web |title=John L. Mica {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2012/2012-070-000/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Laing |first=Keith |date=2012-12-05 |title=Mica portrait to be unveiled Wednesday |url=https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/270957-mica-portrait-to-be-unveiled-wednesday/ |access-date=2022-08-11 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref> * Judge Roger W. Titus, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 2014<ref>{{Cite web |title=Judge Titus Hung with Three Others |url=http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2014/may/29/judge-titus-hung-three-others/ |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=www.connectionnewspapers.com}}</ref> * Lee Yeakel, United States District Judge, 2017<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-02-28 |title=Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen, Prevention and Reversal of Alzheimer's |url=https://www.rotary-austin.org/dr-sharon-hausman-cohen-prevention-reversal-alzheimers/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Rotary Club of Austin |language=en-US}}</ref> * Jon A. Husted, House Speaker of Ohio, Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, OH, 2017<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Ohio Statehouse unveils seven speakers' portraits {{!}} Ohio Statehouse |url=https://www.ohiostatehouse.org/news/ohio-statehouse-unveils-seven-speakers-portraits |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=www.ohiostatehouse.org}}</ref> * Charles Kurfess, House Speaker of Ohio, Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, OH, 2017<ref name=":5" /> * A. G. Lancione, House Speaker of Ohio, Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, OH, 2017<ref name=":5" /> * Kim Schatzel, President, Towson University, 2017<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-12-05 |title=Alumni unveil Schatzel's presidential portrait |url=https://thetowerlight.com/alumni-unveil-schatzels-presidential-portrait/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |publisher=The Towerlight |language=en-US}}</ref> * Gregory Swanson, First African American to attend the University of Virginia, 2018<ref>{{Citation |title=Commemorating Gregory H. Swanson and the Integration of UVA | date=8 February 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip26YUSgUNc |access-date=2023-09-19 |language=en}}</ref>
== Awards == * 2003 Honors Award for Portraiture, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":1" /> * 2004 Honors Award for Portraiture, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":1" /> * 2006 The Certificate of Merit, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":1" /> * 2007 Certificate of Excellence, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":1" /> * 2022 1st Place Commissioned Portrait, Members Only Competition, Portrait Society of America<ref>{{Cite web |title=MOC 2022 Winners |url=https://www.portraitsociety.org/members-only-competition-2022 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=portrait-society-new |language=en}}</ref> * 2023 Signature Status, Portrait Society of America<ref>{{Cite web |title=Signature Status |url=https://www.portraitsociety.org/signature-status-2 |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=portrait-society-new |language=en |archive-date=2023-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207225918/https://www.portraitsociety.org/signature-status-2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * 2023 Finalist Commissioned Portrait, Members Only Competition, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |title=MOC 2023 Winners |url=https://www.portraitsociety.org/moc2023winners |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=portrait-society-new |language=en}}</ref> * 2023 Finalist Non-Commissioned Portrait, Members Only Competition, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":17" /> * 2023 Finalist Outside the Box, Members Only Competition, Portrait Society of America<ref name=":17" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * https://archive.org/details/RG0044_s013_c024_f008/page/n37/mode/2up * https://www.ronwhitmorelive.com/art-fusion-radio.html * https://archive.org/details/directoryofameri0000unse_v7d5/page/683/mode/2up?q=Ned+Bittinger
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bittinger, Ned}} Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:American children's book illustrators Category:George Washington University alumni Category:Denison University alumni Category:Painters from Washington, D.C. Category:American portrait painters Category:American male painters Category:21st-century American painters Category:20th-century American painters Category:21st-century American male artists Category:20th-century American male artists Category:Corcoran School of the Arts and Design alumni Category:Painters from Santa Fe, New Mexico Category:Artists from Washington, D.C. Category:21st-century American illustrators Category:20th-century American illustrators