When most people do research, it ends up in a paper.
Mort Kunstler‘s research, however, is poured into his artwork, and the artist known for his paintings of the Civil War will be showing that work and speaking in Ogden next month.
Held every year since 2000, the Lampros Lectures offer a way for the community and students to come together and learn about the Civil War era.
Kunstler’s works have been used for magazines, books, campaigns, movie posters and documentaries, including the movie “Gods and Generals.” He will have an exhibition up in the Ogden Eccles Conference Center Oct. 14 through 17.
The lecture that Kunstler will deliver will be on October 16 at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Conference Center.
Susan Matt, Weber State history department chair, referred to Kunstler as a well respected historical painter whose works are historically faithful in their detail.
He goes to the sites of the battlefields, looks at the historic structures and captures it. While Kunstler primarily focuses on the Civil War, he has pieces that show a wide array of historical events, such as the American Revolution through World War II.
In the last 14 years, the Lampros Lectures, sponsored by Jack Lampros and the history department, have featured top scholars on the Civil War.
“It’s great for our students to hear these speakers from far and wide,” said Matt. “There are so many people interested in the subject who come in from the community.”
“The Civil War continues to fascinate Americans, so it’s an event where we have a lot of community interest,” she said. “One of the great things about Weber is that we have open doors, so people can come up and visit to enrich intellectual life for community members.”
According to the chair of the Lampros Lecture Committee, Branden Little, Weber has had some of the finest historians on the Civil War come over the years.
The role of the university is to reach out to the community to facilitate an educated public, he said.
“Having scholars who are engaged in cutting edge research and publication concerning different subjects offer an opportunity for people who might not ordinarily be reading, as well as those who are,” he said.
The idea of having Kunstler come for this year’s lecture came about because there are many different ways to discuss the Civil War.
“Doing it pictorially was something new for us,” Matt said.
Little added that having Kunstler in this year’s lecture is interesting because it’s not a traditional type of speaker, like those from past events. He can show the Civil War through a different medium than what most people are used to.
According to Kunstler’s website, he began his emphasis on the Civil War in 1982 with a painting for the TV mini-series “The Blue and the Gray.”
Kunstler has won many awards and has been praised for his work involving charitable causes.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James McPherson stated that “Of all the artists working in the Civil War field, none captures the human element quite like Mort Kunstler. He has that enviable talent of being able to re-create history on canvas and to translate events into art.
