The Last Civil War Veteran

In The Last Civil War Veteran, Rivers interprets a portrait, which he created from a photograph that appeared in Life magazine on May 11, 1959. The image is not of a living man, but rather the shell of a man whose fifteen minutes of fame have arrived, through a post-mortem photo opportunity. Rivers' painting challenges the tradition of historical wartime epic paintings, such as Washington Crossing the Delaware by chronicling the closing of a chapter of history as opposed to a nationalistic propaganda of strength and youth. On the contrary, the vision of the heroic soldier, while respectful, is as banal as an old man lying in his deathbed.

The man's body is rendered with minimal strokes and swatches of color. Both the Confederate flag and the United States flag float above him. The muted colors echo the life that has faded away. Rivers' Last Civil War Veteran subverts the practice of expressionist painting to emphasize rather than to diminish his subject.

The artist Ray Parker sent the clipping to Rivers with a note simply reading "Go!" Rivers was quick witted and well-versed in the subversion of image and technique and found this image suited him well. It became the subject for one of his best-known series, including several large scale paintings, one of which is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Larry Rivers' strength as a painter rests with his ability to add gravitas to historic moments and images as well as to scenes of contemporary life.