Title: The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775

Artist: John Trumbull

Date: after 1815–before 1831

Location: Boston

The Americans won their freedom from the tyranny of Britain and this was portrayed in the art created at the time during the 18th century.  Many artists during this time included John Trumbull, Gilbert Stuart, and John Singleton Copley.  These artists incorporated Classical style into their work ranging from Rococo to Neoclassicism.  The artists practiced realism in their portraits and re-creations of battle scenes.  The above painting, “The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, 17 June 1775” by artist John Trumbull is in the Neoclassical style. This painting is of the actual battle scene that Trumbull witnessed looking through field glasses.  A lot of the artists during this time used their art to express the history taking place during this time but, also expressed their political views and opinions. In this painting, the focus is on Warren’s body in white and British Major John Small and there are several soldiers from both sides of the battle holding onto several flags. One detail that I noticed in this painting is how the dark clouds in the upper right of the painting seem to overshadow the British while there is more of a light that shines down on the colonists. I don’t think I would own a copy of this painting at home. I love the backstory behind it, but it’s not a painting that I would have hanging on my wall.

Title: The Lansdowne Portrait

Artist: Gilbert Stuart

Year: 1796

Created: Philidelphia

Gilbert Stuart was a Portraitist whose dream commission was the opportunity to paint George Washington.  He painted several portraits of George Washington focusing on the “differing image, quality, and purpose” each time. “The Lansdowne Portrait” is an oil on canvas that was commissioned by Senator William Bingham of Pennsylvania 1796.  In the painting, George Washington is surrounded by the symbolism of both American and Ancient Rome in design.  George Washington is dressed plainly in a black velvet suit with his hand outstretched. There are Doric columns in the background, and instead of holding a battle sword, George Washington is holding a decorative sword that symbolizes, “a democratic form of government, rather than a monarchy or military dictatorship.” If you focus on the top circular section of the chair the colors, stars and stripes of the American flag are depicted.  The clouds on the left side of the painting and the rainbow on the right symbolize the American Revolutionary War changing to peace in the United States after the signing of the 1783 Treaty of Paris. I like how this picture is depicted but I don’t think I would own this painting in my house.

John Singleton Copley was a famous American born artist known for his portraits.  He was particularly fond of painting portraits of the middle-class in Colonial New England.  Copley was known for incorporating the Rococo style. This can be seen in one of his paintings of, “Mrs. Daniel Denison Rogers” with the pastel colors in the sky and in the shimmering of her dress.  He did such an amazing job with this painting. Looking at it the painting makes me feel like I can feel the silkiness of the dress. The details in the lace of her hat, her facial features, and the use of flesh tones are all traits that Copley was known for. I feel that I would own this art picture in my house if I had a theme going on. I just love how real this picture is depicted and I love the sunset in the background. I feel that the colors of the sky make her dress standout.

Resources:

“The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775 .” The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775. 18 October 2018. Retrieved from http://www.wikiart.org/en/john-trumbull/the-death-of-general-warren-at-the-battle-of-bunker-s-hill-june-17-1775-1786

“Early American Paintings.” Early American Paintings. 18 October 2018. Retrieved from  http://www.worcesterart.org/collection/Early_American/Artists/copley/biography/

“Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828). 18 October 2018.  http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/stua/hd_stua.htm

“John Singleton Copley Biography.” John Singleton Copley Biography. 18 October 2018.  Retrieved from http://www.johnsingletoncopley.org/biography.html

Harvard. (n.d.). Harvard Art Museums / Fogg Museum | Bush-Reisinger Museum | Arthur M. Sackler Museum. 18 October 2018. Retrieved from https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/227926

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 18 October 2018. Retrieved from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdowne_portrait