Mr. Gnatek received his art training at Yale University and in the Marine Corps, where he was a combat artist and portraitist for the weekly Sunset Parade at Washington's Marine Barracks.

He worked in advertising for many years, first with department stores and later at his agency while polishing a talent for painting portraits of historical figures. Long interested in history, Mr. Gnatek began to accept commissions on historical subjects and in 1975 did four murals for the National Air and Space Museum. He painted a mural on the history of the telephone for Disney World in Florida.

He became a specialist in portraits of military figures and American Indians and found his work in demand by historical societies, private collectors and commercial galleries nationwide. In the early 1990s, he closed his advertising agency, Gnatek Associates, to concentrate on painting.

The family of Gen. George S. Patton commissioned a portrait of the general, and Mr. Gnatek's other subjects included Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull and buffalo soldiers of the 19th century.

Each oil portrait took Mr. Gnatek four to six months to finish, as he immersed himself in documents and visual records to give each brush stroke historical authenticity. His studio was filled with antique rifles, clothing and saddles, and he sometimes took part in Civil War reenactments.

Mr. Gnatek was born in Hadley, Mass., and had an early interest in art. He studied painting at Yale with abstract artist Josef Albers, served in the Marine Corps from 1955 to 1958 and then settled in Washington. He was an advertising artist for Hecht's and Raleigh's department stores and for advertising agencies before opening Gnatek Associates in the early 1970s. His clients included the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and the D.C. Lottery.

Mr. Gnatek's experience in the Marines, where he often made on-the-spot sketches of officers, was useful in executing freelance jobs on deadline.

This fine offering is an original 24” x 24” oil on canvas of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in full uniform with his beloved war horse “Little Sorrel”. Also visible in the background is the VMI barracks and the place of his death, the farm office of the Thomas C. Chandler plantation “Fairfield” at Guinea Station, VA. Signed and dated by the artist (1994).

Nicely framed. It is interesting to note that this painting, while not reproduced as a print, was used on  collector plates titled THOMAS "STONEWALL" JACKSON from HAMILTON. THOMAS "STONEWALL" JACKSON is one of eight plates in THE CIVIL WAR GENERALS collection by Michael Gnatek. The plate number is 1459A.  [ss]