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Summary
Summary
A vibrant and original perspective on the American Revolution through the stories of the five great artists whose paintings animated the new American republic. The images accompanying the founding of the United States--of honored Founders, dramatic battle scenes, and seminal moments--gave visual shape to Revolutionary events and symbolized an entirely new concept of leadership and government. Since then they have endured as indispensable icons, serving as historical documents and timeless reminders of the nation's unprecedented beginnings. As Paul Staiti reveals in Of Arms and Artists , the lives of the five great American artists of the Revolutionary period--Charles Willson Peale, John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull, Benjamin West, and Gilbert Stuart--were every bit as eventful as those of the Founders with whom they continually interacted, and their works contributed mightily to America's founding spirit. Living in a time of breathtaking change, each in his own way came to grips with the history being made by turning to brushes and canvases, the results often eliciting awe and praise, and sometimes scorn. Ever since the passing of the last eyewitnesses to the Revolution, their imagery has connected Americans to 1776, allowing us to interpret and reinterpret the nation's beginning generation after generation. The collective stories of these five artists open a fresh window on the Revolutionary era, making more human the figures we have long honored as our Founders, and deepening our understanding of the whirlwind out of which the United States emerged.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Staiti, a professor of Fine Arts at Mount Holyoke College, intertwines art criticism and history in this account of five American artists from the Revolutionary period and the role their paintings played in constructing the narrative of the nation's founding. The artists-Charles Willson Peale, John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull, Benjamin West, and Gilbert Stuart-created the images that have helped to define the Founding Fathers for generations. Staiti skillfully shows how the Founding Fathers were attuned to the importance of visual art in constructing a public image and how they collaborated with artists to, ultimately, shape history. The public was so enamored with Gilbert Stuart's portrait of Washington that one critic wryly commented, "[Washington] would be treated like an imposter when compared to Stuart's likeness of him." Adams stage-managed his portrait by John Singleton Copley, projecting his own symbolism into the painting with his deliberate choice of suit and positioning (he is depicted pointing to a map) to show a diplomatic mastermind. Staiti pays special attention to the way economic necessity drove the artists. Benjamin West's desire to retain his lucrative position in George III's court kept him from displaying patriotic sympathies until the war's conclusion, while Peale travelled through British-occupied areas to paint portraits of American officers. Staiti shines when recounting the antics of the feckless Stuart, who often took payments for paintings he never finished. History buffs and art lovers will enjoy Staiti's refreshing perspective. Two 16-page color inserts along with black-and-white images throughout are included. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In his rousing overture to this altogether exciting and innovative history of the American Revolution, professor of fine arts Staiti reminds us that patriotism requires a shared identity and shared values, and that this conceptual unity is created, in part, by powerful and heroic images. He calls out five largely self-taught artists whose paintings helped forge the new American ethos in the midst of war, civic unrest, and vicious partisanship. Charles Willson Peale took up arms and the paintbrush to fight for independence. Benjamin West, an American in London, created epic historical paintings. John Trumbull fought in the war, was imprisoned as a spy in London, and was encouraged by Thomas Jefferson to paint The Declaration of Independence, which still graces the U.S Capitol Rotunda. John Singleton Copley painted exceptionally affecting portraits of both British and American notables. Remembered as reckless and untrustworthy as well as gifted and garrulous, Gilbert Stuart painted more than 100 portraits of George Washington, including the image gracing the dollar bill. Staiti zestfully chronicles the complex lives of each talented and ambitious artist, revealing how each negotiated the dangerous politics of the time, how they interacted, how their work evolved, and how each contributed to the birth of a new nation and a new art world. He also performs illuminating close readings of their epoch-defining work and keenly explores the popularity of their portraits, which were reproduced as prints and avidly collected, the celebrity trading cards or memes of the day. As he interprets a vast amount of material with vigor and pleasure, Staiti brings new vibrancy and meaning to boldly revolutionary paintings that both commemorate the suffering, conviction, and valor of a specific time and address the timeless struggle for justice and freedom.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Staiti (fine arts, Mount Holyoke Univ.) offers an excellent look at an understudied topic: how the art world viewed the American Revolution. This rich narrative focuses on the lives of painters Charles Willson Peale, Benjamin West, John Trumbull, and John Singleton Copley along with portraitist Gilbert Stuart. (Stuart's rendering of George Washington appears on the $1 bill.) Each lived through the American Revolution and subsequently interpreted those events. What emerges is a story of artists whose imagery has lived on for nearly two and half centuries. These inventors lived in a world where painting certain subjects became a political act. Staiti underscores this by detailing how the artists went nearly bankrupt financially and emotionally. By crafting an informative narrative, Staiti allows readers to learn what meaning can be interpreted from the visual medium. The subject matter is similar to David M. Lubin's Grand Illusions: American Art and the First World War, and Robert Wilson's Mathew Brady: Portraits of a Nation. VERDICT Highly recommended for those who want to learn about the American Revolution, art history, and message in medium.-Jacob Sherman, John Peace Lib., Univ. of Texas at San Antonio © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| 1 Art and the American Revolution | p. 1 |
| 2 Charles Willson Peale's War | p. 11 |
| 3 Philadelphia's Founding Artist | p. 35 |
| 4 Benjamin West's Peace | p. 63 |
| 5 John Singleton Copley's Patriots | p. 97 |
| 6 John Adams's "Piece of Vanity" | p. 127 |
| 7 John Trumbull's Martyrs | p. 161 |
| 8 Thomas Jefferson's Invitation | p. 199 |
| 9 Gilbert Stuart's Washington | p. 237 |
| 10 John Trumbull's Second Act | p. 273 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 297 |
| Image Credits | p. 299 |
| Notes | p. 301 |
| Index | p. 379 |