Oh Say, Can You See...
Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star-Spangled Banner," was born on this day in 1779.
Key made his career as an attorney, social worker, and poet. During the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, Key witnessed the battle from a ship in the Baltimore harbor. When he saw that the American flag had survived the night, he was inspired to write the nationalistic poem "The Star-Spangled Banner." Set to the tune "To Anacreon in Heaven," the song became very popular and was played at patriotic events, although it did not officially become the National Anthem until 1931.
Artist William Zorach was also inspired by a vivid seascape. Zorach greatly admired the Cubists and Fauvists, whose work he saw in 1910 when he was studying in Paris. He said that such works made him "drunk with the possibilities of color and form." The rich, expressive colors and rhythmic composition of Fantastical Sea Scene show these influences.
Pictured: William Zorach, 1889 Lithuania–1966 USA, Fantastical Sea Scene, 1916, color linoleum cut on paper, 9 11/16 x 13 1/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase.
Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star-Spangled Banner," was born on this day in 1779.
Key made his career as an attorney, social worker, and poet. During the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, Key witnessed the battle from a ship in the Baltimore harbor. When he saw that the American flag had survived the night, he was inspired to write the nationalistic poem "The Star-Spangled Banner." Set to the tune "To Anacreon in Heaven," the song became very popular and was played at patriotic events, although it did not officially become the National Anthem until 1931.