Barbara Johns Portrait Unveiled at Virginia Capitol

by Anita Kumar, the Washington Post

A portrait of a civil rights pioneer Barbara Johns was unveiled at a crowded ceremony at the state Capitol Friday afternoon.
Johns, then 16, led a 1951 student strike in Prince Edward County that led to the inclusion of Virginia in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing school segregation.

The portrait depicts Johns on April 23, 1951, the day of the student strike. It was painted by Richmond native Louis Briel.
"It is my pleasure to unveil this portrait of a young woman who simply and gracefully formulated a dream of equality from her personal experience with inequality," Gov. Bob McDonnell said. "It will inspire a new generation of students."

The portrait will hang in the Capitol until the spring when it will be moved to the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville, which tells the story of the civil rights movement in Prince Edward County.

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Brushes With Fame is meant to serve as a supplement to my web site
http://www.louisbriel.com

Click on images for a larger version. Larger versions are scaled for the screen and lose some clarity. Please email me at loubriel@mac.com for a high resolution image of any painting. I will be glad to send it.

Bill Youngblood Photo

To find out more about my close encounters with...

Carol Burnett

Keanu Reeves

Elton John

Jack Larson

Arthur Ashe

Robert Kennedy

Please check out older posts!

Looking Back

Some of my favorite women's portraits...click on the image for a larger version and the identity of the sitter.

DECADE WRAP-UP

Brushes With Fame is meant to serve as a supplement to my web site
http://www.louisbriel.com

As we enter a new decade I thought I should include work from the last decade that has not been seen on either site. Please click on any image to see a larger version.

A detail of my portrait of Carrie Hamilton (Carol Burnett's daughter) shows her exuberant spirit and lasting legacy of love and laughter.

A portrait of my friend, NY Times best-selling writer Christopher Rice, captures the intensity he brings to his novels.

A portrait of actor/ singer Jay Brannan portrays his soulful nature.

A double portrait of Alexander Christenson captures his complexity as a photographer, cinematographer and designer.

Mark and David are life partners.

Actor Rich Delia posed for me in 2006.

Commissioned portraits of professionals, socialites, and children comprise a major part of my work. Here are few from recent years that have not been posted before.

Dr. Jesse Cumbia