Even when he slipped on his painting platform, the day of his almost fatal accident, and hung by his bare hands 58 feet above the stone floor of the Rotunda, until workmen could reach him from the top of the Dome and from the floor below—even then it must have been sheer will power that closed those old artist hands tight enough to hold his body weight from the floor below.
But he never came back to finish his frieze. He died “at his parlor studio with his work about him,” amid the loneliness and poverty which he feared. He was buried by a few friends and forgotten.
That burial place was lost to our National Government for a period of seventy years but the 81st Congress of the United States, without debate, has voted to erect a monument, a simple marker, at the recently found burial site of the Capitol artist. This National recognition, though belated, is sincere appreciation for the Brumidi frescoes in the Capitol Building of the United States that proclaim for all time the artist’s genius, his love of liberty, and his reverence for America.
There is continually being uncovered other evidence of appreciation for the artist Brumidi—recognition that has lain buried in the hearts and homes of numerous American families and churches since the year 1880. Many Brumidi canvases outside the Capitol Building of the United States have been found: portraits of friends; working sketches in color for the artist’s huge frescoes; and magnificent murals for church altars. Some of these treasures are being offered to the Government of the United States with the thought that a collection of Brumidiana may ultimately be on exhibit at some central spot accessible to the American people.
What the critics termed “gaudy colored plaster” ninety years ago can, by the miracle of modern printing, be reproduced for us today with all the original color preserved. Could the artist have foreseen the exquisite Brumidi reproductions in this book the burden of his last lonely years would have been lightened.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Vital research, extending over a period of years, necessarily touches many people. At the culmination of any valued study an author suddenly finds himself indebted to countless individuals. Fashioning a mosaic from the life of Constantino Brumidi in spite of many missing pieces has been no exception. I find myself humble before my corps of helpers.
After a dozen years of assembling the Brumidi life story it suddenly became urgent that the material should be in printed form. At the same time it also became apparent that publishing a Brumidi volume featuring the artist’s Capital frescoes in color might never be realized, due to the initial cost of such a book. At a crucial moment, two Foundations, who wish to remain anonymous, became interested in the Capitol artist and were anxious to help the project. Their timely grants influenced beyond measure the final decision that such a publication could be attempted. I acknowledge this valued assistance with deepest gratitude.
Years before this publication was conceived I began collecting reproductions of the Brumidi Capitol frescoes. The book itself makes use of this collection together with many color reproductions by the same nationally known photographer, Theodor Horydczak. The Brumidi frontispiece by Brady was made by Mary Evans of the L. C. Handy Studios.