On this day in 1665, classical French painter, Nicolas Poussin, died in Rome at the age of 71. Perhaps the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. He worked in Rome for a circle of leading collectors there and elsewhere, except for a short period when Cardinal Richelieu ordered him back to France to serve as First Painter to the King. Most of his works are history paintings of religious or mythological subjects that often have a large landscape element. He served as inspiration for classically-oriented artists, notably Paul Cézanne.
The Final Footprint – Poussin is interred at Basilica di San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome. The French writer, politician, diplomat and founder of Romanticism in French literature, François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, donated the marble memorial in honour of Poussin in 1820. It reads; POUR LA GLORIE DES ARTS ET LHONNEUR DE LA FRANCE.
Gallery
 Venus and Adonis – Nicolas Poussin – 1624 – Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. |
 Cephalus and Aurora – Nicolas Poussin – 1627 – National Gallery, London. |
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 Adoration of the Golden Calf – Nicolas Poussin – 1633-34 – National Gallery, London. |
 A dance to the music of time – Nicolas Poussin – 1640 – The Wallace Collection. |
On this day in 1692, English poet and playwright who was appointed poet laureate in 1689, Thomas Shadwell died from an overdose of opium at Chelsea on 19 November 1692. Born ca. 1642 at Stanton Hall, Norfolk, England.
The Final Footprint – Shadwell was interred at Chelsea Old Church which was destroyed during World War II bombing. He has a memorial in Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey. Other notable Final Footprints at Westminster include; Robert Browning, Lord Byron, Geoffrey Chaucer, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Edward The Confessor, Elizabeth I, George II, George Friederic Handel, James I (James VI of Scotland), Samuel Johnson, Ben Jonson, Charles II, Edward III, Edward VI, Stephen Hawking, Henry III, Henry V, Henry VII, Richard II, Rudyard Kipling, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Laurence Olivier, Henry Purcell, Mary I, Mary II, Mary Queen of Scots, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Dylan Thomas, and William III.
On this day in 1887 author of poetry, prose, and translations, activist Emma Lazarus died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in New York City, age 38. Born in New York City on July 22, 1849.
Perhaps best known for writing the sonnet “The New Colossus”, which was inspired by the Statue of Liberty, in 1883. Its lines appear inscribed on a bronze plaque, installed in 1903, on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The last lines of the sonnet were set to music by Irving Berlin as the song “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor” for the 1949 musical Miss Liberty, which was based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). The latter part of the sonnet was also set by Lee Hoiby in his song “The Lady of the Harbor” written in 1985 as part of his song cycle “Three Women”.
The Final Footprint
Lazarus was buried in Beth Olam Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Queens. The Poems of Emma Lazarus (2 vols., Boston and New York, 1889) was published after her death, comprising most of her poetic work from previous collections, periodical publications, and some of the literary heritage which her executors deemed appropriate to preserve for posterity.[24] Her papers are kept by the American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, and her letters are collected at Columbia University.
On this day in 2014 film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian, Mike Nichols died of a heart attack at his apartment in Manhattan, thirteen days after his 83rd birthday. Born Michael Igor Peschkowsky on November 6, 1931 in Berlin.
He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. He is one of 17 people to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). His other honors included three BAFTA Awards, the Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001,[1] the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010. His films received a total of 42 Academy Award nominations, and 7 wins.
Nichols began his career in the 1950s with the comedy improvisational troupe The Compass Players, predecessor of The Second City, in Chicago. He then teamed up with his improv partner, Elaine May, to form the comedy duo Nichols and May. Their live improv act was a hit on Broadway, and each of their three albums was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album; their second album, An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May, won the award in 1962. After Nichols and May disbanded in 1961, he began directing plays, and quickly became known for his innovative productions and ability to elicit polished performances. His Broadway directing debut was Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park in 1963, with Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. He continued to direct plays on Broadway, including Luv (1964), and The Odd Couple (1965) for each of which he received Tony Awards. In 2012, he won his sixth Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play with a revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nichols directed and/or produced more than 25 Broadway plays throughout his prolific career.
In 1966, Warner Brothers invited Nichols to direct his first film, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It won five Academy Awards and was the top-grossing film of 1966. His next film, The Graduate (1967), starred then unknown actor Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It was another critical and financial success and received seven Academy Award nominations, winning Nichols the Academy Award for Best Director. Among the other films Nichols directed were Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Silkwood (1983), Working Girl (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Primary Colors (1998), Closer (2004), and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). Nichols also was known for work on television, directing HBO’s Wit (2001) with Emma Thompson and Angels in America (2003) starring Meryl Streep.
The Final Footprint
During the 87th annual Academy Awards on 22 February 2015, Nichols was featured in the In Memoriam segment, in anchor position.
On November 8, 2015, stars and artists gathered at New York’s IAC Building to pay tribute to Nichols. Hosts for the private event included Elaine May and Lorne Michaels. Eric Idle and John Cleese performed. Guests included Streep, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Natalie Portman, Carly Simon, Nathan Lane and Christine Baranski.
In 2017, during an Oscars Actress Roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, Amy Adams, Natalie Portman, and Annette Bening spoke about the impact Nichols had on their lives. In 2020 Woody Allen described Nichols as “maybe the best comedy director ever on the stage.”
On this day in 2017 professional tennis player, Wimbledon Champion Jana Novotná died from cancer with her friends and family in the Czech Republic, age 49. Born on 2 October 1968 in Brno, in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.
She played a serve and volley game, an increasingly rare style of play among women during her career. Novotná won the women’s singles title at Wimbledon in 1998, and was runner-up in three other majors. Novotná also won 12 major women’s doubles titles (completing a double career Grand Slam), four major mixed doubles titles, and three Olympic medals. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 in 1997, and held the No. 1 ranking in doubles for 67 weeks.
The Final Footprint
Zidlochovice Cemetery, Zidlochovice, Czech Republic
On this day in 2017, singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades Della Reese died at her home in Encino, Los Angeles, age 86. Born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, in the historic Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.
She began her long career as a singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single “Don’t You Know?”. In the late 1960s she hosted her own talk show, Della, which ran for 197 episodes. From 1975 she also starred in films, playing opposite Redd Foxx in Harlem Nights (1989), Martin Lawrence in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) and Elliott Gould in Expecting Mary (2010). Reese achieved continued success in the religious television drama Touched by an Angel (1994–2003), in which she played the leading role of Tess.
The Final Footprint – Reese was cremated.
And on this day in 2017, singer and songwriter Mel Tillis died of respiratory failure in Ocala, Florida, at the age of 85. Born Lonnie Melvin Tillis on August 8, 1932 in Tampa, Florida. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 songs.
Tillis’ biggest hits include “I Ain’t Never”, “Good Woman Blues”, and “Coca-Cola Cowboy”. On February 13, 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Tillis the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to country music. He also won the Country Music Association Awards’ most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year. Additionally, he was known for his speech impediment, which did not affect his singing voice. His daughter is 1990s country hitmaker Pam Tillis.
The Final Footprint
Tillis is interred in Woodall Cemetery in Clarksville, Tennessee.
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