Burned soldier portrait to show at Smithsonian

Matthew Mitchell via AP Matthew Mitchell's life-sized oil portrait of Sgt. Richard Yarosh will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington later this month.

Burned soldier portrait to show at Smithsonian

By Michelle Roberts - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 19, 2009 17:43:52 EDT

SAN ANTONIO — Retired Army Sgt. Richard Yarosh has gotten used to the stares. His face is blanketed in knotty scar tissue. His nose tip is missing. His ears are gone, as is part of his right leg. His fingers are permanently bent and rigid.

All is the result of an explosion in Iraq that doused him in fuel and fire three years ago.

“I know people are curious,” he said. “They’ll stop in their tracks and look. I guess I can understand. I probably would have stared, too.”

Soon, a lot more people will be staring at Yarosh’s face but in a very different way: A life-sized oil painting of him will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington later this month. The portrait, by Matthew Mitchell, is a finalist in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, which recognizes modern portraiture at the gallery known for its collection of notable Americans.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_yarosh_smithsonian_portrait_101909/

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Portrait Does Justice to a Soldier's Sacrifice
Andrea Stone

WASHINGTON (Oct. 23) – Arlene Coffman stared at the man in the painting. He had no ears, no nose, no eyebrows. Instead of smile lines by his eyes there was scar tissue. Tears welled in her eyes.

"It's incredible. It's hard to describe because it's so moving," said Coffman, 64, visiting here from Pebble Beach, Calif. "Most portraits bring emotions. This one is emotional in a different way."
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Portrait Does Justice to a Soldier's Sacrifice