Last updated: June 15, 2023
Person
Ezra Winter
Quick Facts
Significance:
Painter of Murals at George Rogers Clark
Place of Birth:
Manistee, Michigan
Date of Birth:
1886
Place of Death:
Canaan, Connecticut
Date of Death:
1949
"Fairly hear Clark shout to his men to come on, as he sweeps his gun aloft."
-D. Frank Culbertson
The Clark Memorial rotunda is a pristine example of artistic genius and design. The focal point of the rotunda is the Hermon MacNeil statue of George Rogers Clark. However, the rotunda also houses seven murals that depict the Clark expedition story. Priceless pieces of art, they took almost 2 and a half years to complete at the hands of artist Ezra Winter.
Ezra Augustus Winter was born in Manistee, Michigan on March 10, 1886. Not much is known about the early life of the artist, save that he had an exceptional ability to draw and design. This led him to eventually enroll as a student at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1908. He later pursued fellowship in visual arts at the American Academy in Rome in 1914. Winter was a prolific and skilled artist, and his academic studies propelled him to the front of the national art scene. Winter completed work for the Library of Congress, Radio City Music Hall, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Cornell University, and the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park.
Having wrought for himself a great reputation, Winter was invited to teach at numerous art schools, and to join many commissions and art societies. Most notably, Winter was associated with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and the National Society of Mural Painters. Winter’s art career came to an abrupt end, however, when he fell while painting one of his murals. Winter was at a steep height, mistakenly stepped backwards, and fell, from which he sustained injuries to his tailbone. This would cause him great pain for the rest of his life and an unsteady hand, which rendered him unable to complete his artistic tasks. Winter never recovered, and eventually killed himself at the age of 63.