Professor Zeggert recently completed an oil portrait of Dr. Dukes for the H. Carl McCall SUNY Building portrait competition. Zeggert’s painting made the final four but wasn’t selected. Regardless, Zeggert noted that painting the portrait was an excellent experience.
Dr. Dukes is a past member of the SUNY Board of Trustees, a member of the NAACP Board of Directors, and President of the NAACP New York State Conference. She is an unwavering champion of human rights and is dedicated to improving the quality of life in New York State. Also, while serving with the NYCOTB, she was charged with a felony for attempted Grand Larceny, an example that reminds us that humans make mistakes.
Professor Zeggert selected a slightly elevated pose of Dr. Dukes to portray her strength and leadership. The palette is warmer overall, layered with violet living between a warm mulberry color and a pearly phase of paint, a combination of the Cox and Bardwell palettes. The overall warmth represents Dr. Dukes’s compassion and simultaneously suggests leadership traits and strong characteristics. It also provides a nice, harmonious feel throughout the canvas. The vignette illustrates the 1963 March on Washington, which she was a part of. The secondary portrait shows Dr. Dukes in Nassau County; both provide visual notes representing significant points in time. The flag visually ties the painting together but, more importantly, represents the United States, providing a platform to protest.
Submitted by: David Zeggert
Tags: Performing and Fine Arts
