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1Lecture Week 3 Lecture
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3SLIDE 1: Week 3: The Beginnings: Politics and Patriotism in American Art (Part II)
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5Week 3: The Beginnings: Politics and Patriotism in American Art (Part II).  Welcome to Lecture Week 3 and our discussion of federal style architecture and the art of Philadelphia. 
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7SLIDE 2: The Federal Period
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9First, we have to begin in 1776.  What happened in this important year?  Well, the Declaration of Independence was signed and the colonies declared themselves independent of England.  So, they were no longer colonies – they became states in 1783 after the close of the American Revolutionary war.  An official U.S. government was established with the ratification of the Constitution and the election of George Washington as the first president in 1789.  So, we are leaving behind our discussion of the colonies and the Colonial Period and we are going to turn to a discussion of the Federal Period – federal referring to a federation of states united by a central (or federal) government.  During the Federal Period, the art and architecture of the time is often grouped under the umbrella term, the Federal Style but this is really a very broad term that encompasses a lot of different styles and it is just a way to refer to all of the art from this time period, from right after the American Revolution through the early part of the 19th century.  
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11Now, one consequence of all that happened right before and during the Revolutionary War – including the Boston Tea Party (in 1773), the Revolution itself (which lasted from 1775 to 1783), the colonies decision to assert their independence, and prior to the revolution, the Colonists helping to defeat the French in the Seven Years’ War between England and France (from 1754 to 1763) – is that the colonists started to gain a great deal of confidence and they started to feel a little bit more like Americans.
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13So, this confidence and focus on feeling American is something that we will see now in the Federal period.  But, it is also important to note that artists and architects during this time still look to Europe for ideas, despite this internal confidence.  In fact, we will see that a lot of American artists start heading to Europe to study.  There are still no great art academies in the states and so a lot of artists are forced to leave to get the instruction they are looking for.  So, fewer artists are coming over from Europe to make their way in America as we saw during the Colonial period (Smibert and Blackburn, for instance) and during the Federal Period the opposite is happening.  And these artists are often bringing home ideas from Europe back with them.
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15But, at the same time, American artists and architects are trying to take these ideas from Europe and alter them – combine them with their own ideas to make them specifically American.  So, we will see that a specifically American art form starts to develop, and patriotism becomes an extremely important theme during the Federal period.
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17SLIDE 3: 6.1  Peter Harrison, Redwood Library, Newport, Rhode Island, 1748-50.
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19Now remember, last week we considered the architecture of Peter Harrison.  I mentioned that Harrison looked to the ideas of Andrea Palladio, and incorporated classical elements like the double-temple front, pediments, and columns into his buildings.
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21SLIDE 4: 6.7  Vassall-Longfellow House, Cambridge, MA, 1759.  
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23We saw classical elements again in this Colonial home in Massachusetts.  Drawing from classical architecture was very popular in the mid- 18th century as a way to show off status and sophistication.  Now, architects after the American Revolution continued to look to classical architecture.  In fact, a style of building became popular in Europe and America toward the end of the 18th century called the Neoclassical style.  And this is something that we will be discussing next week as well because the Neoclassical style remains popular well into the 19th century.
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25Classical- again- refers to ancient Greece and Rome.  And Neo- means “new.”  So Neoclassical refers to a new art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome (an updated version), and I wanted to show you a couple of examples of the Neoclassical style in America during the Federal Period.
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27SLIDE 5: Thomas Jefferson, early sketch for Monticello
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29I wanted to start with the architecture of Thomas Jefferson because, for one, he is a really fascinating figure.  And two, because his architecture is a good example of Neoclassicism – it demonstrates the style very simply.
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31Who was Jefferson?  Well, Jefferson was fascinating because he was a lawyer, he served as president (1801-9), he wrote the Declaration of Independence, he was an inventor, and so on….the list continues….
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33Well, he was also an architect, and of course, for our purposes this is what we are going to focus on.  We are going to look at Jefferson’s own home, called Monticello, located near Charlottesville, Virginia.  This is an early example of Neoclassicism in the United States.  Jefferson originally started building the house in 1769 and this is an early sketch for the home.  But he went to travel in Europe for a time, and when he returned he decided to remodel his house after the elegant buildings he saw on his travels.  And the results are what we see today.
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35SLIDE 6: 8.3 Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, near Charlottesville
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37Monticello is made out of brick – local bricks made right at the site.  Most of the structure was built by local masons and carpenters.  There are a total of 43 rooms in the main structure.  There are also stables and slaves quarters
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39Now what about this structure is Neoclassical?  Where can we see that Jefferson was inspired by classical architecture of Greece and Rome? We can see this influence in the columns, the pediment, and the symmetry of the structure.  
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41SLIDE 7: 8.3  Thomas Jefferson, Monticello
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43We can see that pure balance and symmetry here. 
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45SLIDE 8: Thomas Jefferson, the dining room at Monticello
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47Here is an image of the interior. The dining room. 
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49SLIDE 9: Jefferson’s study at Monticello
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51This is Jefferson’s study. 
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53SLIDE 10: Thomas Jefferson, the parlor at Monticello
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55The other interesting thing about Monticello is that it is home to a lot of Jefferson’s inventions and gadgets.  He liked to have a lot of gadgets in his house.  He was also trying to improve Monticello by adding things that could save time and make the house and the whole plantation run more efficiently.  He had a swivel chair in his office which may not seem like a big deal to us now, but was pretty rare in the late 18th and early 19th century.  He designed a clock that would tell both the hour and the day of the week.  And Jefferson is also credited with a few inventions.
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57SLIDE 11: Thomas Jefferson, Moldboard of Least Resistance Plow
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59He invented a new moldboard for instance– which is the part of a plow that turns over the soil.  Jefferson created one that was really light so that it could easily be drawn by horses.
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61SLIDE 12: 8.4  Thomas Jefferson, The Rotunda, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1822-6.
62Thomas Jefferson was also responsible for designing the University of Virginia, and not just the campus buildings, but the entire school, the entire curriculum and educational system.  We talked a bit about the founding of other colleges, such as Harvard way back in 1636, and the College of William and Mary was chartered in 1693, so a lot of colleges were established during the Colonial and Federal Periods.  Now the University of Virginia, chartered in 1819, was a significant university for many reasons.  One is that it is a very early state school.  When Jefferson formed the school, he found the best faculty from both Europe and America.  It was strictly secular – which was unusual at the time.  And whereas a chapel was often the center point of many college campuses, the center at the University of Virginia is the library.  The school was founded on the idea of intellectual freedom.  Jefferson famously said "Here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” (Jefferson, https://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/follow-truth-quotation)
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64Jefferson believed in having an honor code in which students sort of govern each other – they report bad behavior.  And there was an honor code for examinations.  Students pledged not to lie, cheat or steal and they had to agree to report anyone who did any of those things to the student court.  Jefferson wanted his university to convey the significance of lifelong learning and the importance of the interaction between scholars and students.  He did all of this by placing the library, as I mentioned, at the head of a large shared lawn.  It was the focal point of the campus.  He also achieved this by planning 10 pavilions that had faculty homes upstairs and classrooms downstairs, and student dormitories in between.
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66SLIDE 13: Thomas Jefferson, the pavilions at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1822-6.
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68You can see the pavilions off to the left here and the detail on the right.  The rotunda is straight ahead in the image on the left.  
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70Each of these pavilions was identified with a certain subject, including philosophy, art, law, and others.  And each was built in a slightly different Neoclassical style – every pavilion was different– so that students could learn about different architectural styles as they walked to and from classes.
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72SLIDE 14: Thomas Jefferson, pavilion garden, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1822-6.
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74In this image we can see the garden behind each pavilion. 
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76SLIDE 15: Plan of the University of Virginia
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78This map shows you exactly how all of this was organized.  Pavilions are on these arms extending from the rotunda where the main library was.  It shows the gardens behind each pavilion and more student housing behind the gardens.
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80SLIDE 16: Thomas Jefferson, The Rotunda (aerial view), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1822-6.
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82Now, if we go back to the idea of the main rotunda and the style used on campus, we can really see the Neoclassical elements.  The rotunda is symmetrical and very ordered.  There is a sense of calm and balance which Classical Greek art is known for.  We have the pediment in front and columns. 
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84SLIDE 17: Thomas Jefferson, sketch for the Rotunda, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1822-6.  and The Pantheon, Rome
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86The main rotunda building looks to the great architecture of ancient Rome.  Here is a sketch that Jefferson made of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia on the left.  It is based on the Pantheon in Rome, which you can see on the right.  And I think by organizing his campus in such an ordered way, around a library, and by looking back to the ancient Pantheon, and by designing his campus in the Neoclassical style which really conveys dignity and reserve, Jefferson was definitely able to convey the significance of lifelong learning. 
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88SLIDE 18: 8.11  Charles Bulfinch, Massachusetts State House, Boston, 1795-8.  
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90The Neoclassical style was in a lot of government buildings during the Federal Period as well.  Like the Neoclassical style buildings we saw by Thomas Jefferson, the style conveys an overall sense of dignity and reserve that is perfect for educational and political buildings.  In addition to the fact that it conveys dignity, can you think of another reason why looking back to the classical style might be appropriate for educational and government buildings?  Using the Neoclassical style creates associations with Greek democracy and the Roman republic.  And this conveys the ideals of democracy – the freedom to learn and the freedom to govern.
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92So, I will show you some government buildings from this period – in the Neoclassical style – some of which should look familiar to you.  This is the Massachusetts State House which was built across the street from the Boston Common.  It was designed by the architect Charles Bulfinch, the leading architect of the day.  He is significant in that he is really America’s first professional architect.  He was born in America, and although he was not formally trained as an architect, he made it his career.  (So, a bit unlike Thomas Jefferson who was really an amateur architect and he did it on the side and his other positions and roles came first).
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94Now, what classical elements do you see on this building?
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96•	Column
97•	Pediment
98•	Arches – Roman round arches, specifically
99•	And order and symmetry
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101As you can see, the building is made out of brick with marble trim.  It is topped by this great dome that was originally made out of wooden shingles but it was covered in copper just a few years after it was built.  And then towards the end of the 19th century it was gilded with 23 carat gold.  The building celebrates the commonwealth of Massachusetts in that the wood used on the building came from New England.  And the pine cone on top of the cupola symbolizes the importance of the lumber industry to the area.  You can see the pinecone in the detail on the right. 
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103SLIDE 19: The US Capitol Building, designed 1792.
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105The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. is a building that I’m sure some of you have seen.  The Capitol was first designed in 1792 (you can see the original design in the image at the top) but it has been added to and remodeled several times.  The original plan was by William Thornton, it was re-envisioned by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, then Latrobe came back after it burned down to fix it, and then Charles Bulfinch (the architect of the Massachusetts State House) took over.  You can see how the US Capitol Building looks today in the image in the bottom left corner.  Again, we have the use of the Neoclassical style: the columns, the pediment, the symmetry, and the sense of proportion and order.  It has what we call “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur” - - that is a phrase that was used to characterize the Neoclassical style and I think you can see that nobility, simplicity, and grandeur clearly here. 
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107SLIDE 20: 8.22 Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Tobacco Leaf Capital, designed by Latrobe for the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., c. 1815
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109Despite the fact that the Capitol building was classically inspired, the architects worked to make it their own—to make it more American.  An example of this is the second architect’s addition of capitals which reflect America.  He took the idea of ancient Corinthian capitals (which you see on the bottom left) and modified them to include tobacco leaves instead of acanthus leaves!
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111SLIDE 21: 8.17  The White House, north and south faces, designed c. 1795.
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113And then we have the White House of course!  James Hoban designed it, with later additions by Benjamin Henry Latrobe.  Similar to the US Capitol, it was first designed in the late 18th century, but it underwent several restorations throughout the 19th century.  And, similar as well, it conveys a sense of “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur.”  It doesn’t have too much decoration; it is not overly complicated; it looks very dignified.  It is also important to note that the principle designer of the house, James Hoban, was architecturally trained in Europe and came over to the U.S.  He was among the first to do so, and this continues to happen…. (remember the lack of training opportunities in the U.S. we discussed last week!).  In the U.S., there are just amateur architects.  Latrobe was trained in Europe before coming to the states; Charles Bulfinch was an American professional architect, but, technically, he had no official training.
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115SLIDE 22: 12.4  Jean Antoine-Houdon, George Washington, 1788.  Marble, lifesize.
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117Now, the Neoclassical style is not strictly reserved for architecture.  It is a style used in sculpture, painting, and the decorative arts as well.  I wanted to show you an example of the Neoclassical style in sculpture.  This is a statue of George Washington.  It was actually made by a French sculptor, Jean-Antoine Houdon, but he is famous for coming to America once in a while to sculpt busts and lifesize sculptures of various American leaders.  Here he creates this lifesize marble statue of Washington.  He was commissioned by the Virginia State Legislature to create this sculpture for the state capitol building.  
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119It is considered Neoclassical because it is modeled after ancient Roman sculpture and in particular it is meant to emulate the hero Cincinnatus from ancient Rome. The plow behind Washington refers to this figure who gave up military pursuits in the 5th century BCE to return to farming.
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121Washington is dressed as a general which is important, of course, because he was a great general during the American Revolution.  His left hand rests on a fasces, a symbol of authority in Roman times, and this emphasizes his leadership role.  13 rods are tied together to create the fasces which references the 13 original states – working together – strength through unity.
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123Houdon was definitely looking back to ancient sculpture when he created this, specifically classical sculptures of male athletes.
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125SLIDE 23: Comparison – Washington vs. Spear Bearer (Doryphoros)
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127We can see this influence, for example, with this sculpture by Polykleitos from c. 450 BCE known as the Spear Bearer.  
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129What is similar about them?  Well, they both have the same, relaxed pose.  This twisting pose, this curve of the body is called contrapposto -- one of the terms on your handout.  It is this relaxed pose in which the figure stands with all of his weight resting on one foot.  Washington is stoic, idealized, and presented as the perfect leader--just as the Spear Bearer was created to be the perfect male form.
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131SLIDE 24: 12.4  Jean Antoine-Houdon, George Washington, 1788.  Marble, lifesize.
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133Washington is presented as dignified and reserved – again, characteristics of of the Neoclassical style.
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135SLIDE 25: John Cogswell, Chest-on-chest, 1782.  Mahogany and white pine.  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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137The Neoclassical style can even be found in the decorative arts.  Here is a piece of furniture called the chest on chest.  It is called that because it looks like one chest was placed over another.  It’s a type of chest we still see all the time today—you can go to Crate and Barrel and buy one.  But in this particular chest-on-chest from the late 18th century, we can see the influence of Neoclassicism
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139Where is the influence?
140•	In the columns on the side 
141•	And the pediment-like form at the top
142•	And in its overall dignified, symmetrical, ordered form
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145But, then, it is still an example of American furniture.  So, it has an emblem of America at the top – the eagle.  Americans looked to the popular style of Neoclassicism, but just as we saw with Latrobe’s Tobacco Leaf Capital, artists and architects during this period have a great deal of pride for the U.S. and they want to show that through their creations. 
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147SLIDE 26: 10.2  Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe, 1770.  Oil on canvas.  National Gallery of Art, Ottowa.
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149I want to turn now to a discussion of the painting of the Federal Period.  We will see, in fact, that there is a great change in the painting of this period compared to the painting of the Colonial period that we saw last week.  For one, painting was expanded beyond portraiture – beyond those portraits of the wealthy merchants, lawyers, and political leaders that we saw.  
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151During the Federal period, many artists turned to history painting.  A lot of American artists were heading to Europe as I mentioned, and this is the type of painting that was popular there.  History painting refers to a painting that tells a story and they are usually large, and they usually tell a story from the Bible, from literature, from mythology, or something from ancient history.  And often times, the purpose of history painting is to convey a lesson, to provide a lesson about moral values.  
152Now, American artists at the time still enjoyed painting portraits, but it is extremely significant that art expands beyond that during this period.  Nevertheless, most American artists as we’ll see painted these large history paintings in Europe, but in America they were not as well-received and the majority of the commissions artists could get in the United States were still portraits.  And it is important for us to note that American artists who took up history painting usually hoped to convey something about a significant event or about important aspects of American life and history.  So, although the idea of the grand history painting came from Europe – American artists “Americanized” it to an extent by showing their pride for America by frequently focusing on American subjects.  And a lot of artists during the Federal Period wanted to paint large scenes documenting battles, significant political events, and other important moments in U.S. history.  Again, patriotism is an extremely important theme during the Federal period.
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154We will see, too, that a lot of painters looked to the Neoclassical style.  We saw the Neoclassical style in architecture, in sculpture, in the decorative arts, and now we will see it in painting as well.  Neoclassical influences really did pervade all aspects of art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  These paintings reflected the statement “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur” that I mentioned earlier.  And it is a great way to think about the Neoclassical style.  
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156The first artist of history paintings I want to consider is Benjamin West.  West was born in Pennsylvania, but he actually left and finally ended up settling in London.  He was an artist very much devoted to history painting.  He mainly depicted events from ancient times as well as from American history.
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158This painting, The Death of General Wolfe, is a history painting that actually depicts an episode from the Seven Years’ war -- a mid-18th century war between England and the French in which France lost all of their territory in America and England emerged as a dominate power.  It was a very significant war for America, especially since the American colonies helped to defeat the French and a lot of the battles were fought on American soil.  Here, West is focusing on one event during the war: the death of General Wolfe after he led British forces to defeat the French forces in Québec.
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160This is an extremely significant work because traditionally history paintings depicted events from mythology, the Bible, or ancient times.  But here, West depicted an event from contemporary history – an event from only about 10 years earlier.  And the figures wear contemporary clothing.  This was unheard of in historical paintings of the time.  This is a rather dramatic work in that we have this stormy sky above that reflects the devastating events below.  West included a Native American in the scene who was certainly not there at the scene of Wolfe’s death.  But despite the drama of the scene, this work is painted in the tradition of the Neoclassical style.  
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162•	It is a very organized composition with a main focus.
163•	The Native American has a sculpted – it looks like West was looking to ancient sculpture
164•	And there is a clear lesson for all viewers: it is heroic to give your life for your country.
165•	Neoclassical painting often provides a clear moral lesson
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167SLIDE 27: 10.1  Benjamin West, Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus, 1767.  Oil on canvas.  Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT.
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169This is another example of West’s Neoclassical history paintings.  It is the story of Agrippina, whose husband died, and she is shown here carrying his ashes in this procession.  Again, we see Neoclassical elements: 
170•	Here, West depicts a scene from ancient Roman history.  
171•	Even West’s figures in this painting were inspired by ancient sculpture.
172•	Just as we saw in the Death of General Wolfe, we have an organized composition with a clear focus.  Agrippina in the center.
173•	And, again, we have a moral, which in this case is the importance of being a devoted wife.
174•	And the work, despite the theme of death, suggests the “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur” of the Neoclassical architecture we looked at.
175•	It is pretty calm overall as well.
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177SLIDE 28: 10.6  John Trumbull, General George Washington at the Battle of Trenton, 1792.  Oil on canvas.  Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT.
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179As I mentioned, and as you have seen in some of the works we have looked at, a lot of artists were fascinated by American history and American leaders.  Again, continuing this theme of patriotism throughout the Federal Period.
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181And this makes sense – this was a newly formed country.  The states had just gained their independence and the United States government was newly formed.  This was an exciting time- everyone was very excited.  
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183Even artists took part in celebrating the newly independent states and the new government.  A lot of them did this by capturing the image of the first president, George Washington.  We saw it with Houdon’s sculpted portrait of Washington, of course, and we will see that a lot of artists painted George Washington’s portrait as well.  There were two artists in particular who were famous for painting Washington: John Trumbull and Gilbert Stuart.
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185This particular portrait is by the artist John Trumbull.  It was commissioned by the city of Charleston, South Carolina.  They wanted a painting of Washington for their city hall.  Trumbull was considered one of the foremost American portrait painters in the late 18th century and he actually studied directly with Benjamin West.  Trumbull was known as a history painter as well as a portraitist, and here he actually combines the idea of grand history painting with the portrait.  In fact, the city of Charleston rejected this portrait because they thought it was too much of a history painting.
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187Does anyone see why they may have thought this way?
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189It is huge – it is about 7 ½ feet by 5 feet.  And Trumbull depicts Washington, not as president, but as a general.  In fact, he depicts him during a specific battle during the Revolutionary War – The Battle of Trenton.
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191What does Trumbull choose to convey about Washington here?  What do we learn about him by looking at this portrait?
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193Trumbull depicts Washington as a calm figure.  He is standing tall with a look of determination while all of the chaos of the battle is going on around him.  The portrait really serves to glorify Washington as a powerful and successful general.  Trumbull wrote that he wanted to “transf[er] to canvas, the lofty expression of [Washington’s] animated countenance, the high resolve to conquer or to perish.” (Gardner, 104)
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195SLIDE 29: John Trumbull, The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776.  Oil on canvas. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. 
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197This is an example of one of Trumbull’s official history paintings.  This one centers around George Washington as well, and it actually depicts the exact same battle – The Battle of Trenton.  Washington and his army had crossed the Delaware River at Christmas to surprise the German regiment on the British side.  And they were caught by surprise because they had been too busy celebrating the holiday.  They were unable to form a successful resistance as a result and they were defeated in a battle that lasted only about 45 minutes.  1,000s of Germans were taken prisoner and only 3 Americans were even injured during battle.  In Trumbull’s depiction of the battle he portrays General Washington in the center.  He is asking one of his men to care for the German commander who lays on the ground mortally wounded.  As in the tradition of grand history painting, Trumbull wanted to convey a message.  In this case 
198What do you think the message is?  The importance of generosity and compassion, even during battle.
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200Trumbull himself wrote that he “composed the picture, for the express purpose of giving a lesson to all living and future soldiers in the service of their country, to show mercy and kindness to a fallen enemy - their enemy no longer when wounded and in their power.” (http://search.openlibrary.artstor.org/object/AYALEARTIG_10312577086)
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202
203SLIDE 30: Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (The Athenaeum Portrait), 1796.  Oil on canvas.  National Portrait Gallery
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205Gilbert Stuart was another well-known portraitist who is famous for painting great leaders, especially George Washington.  And like Trumbull, he went to Europe for his artistic training and spent time studying under Benjamin West.  This is the second portrait that Stuart painted of the president and it is often referred to as the Anthaneum Portrait.  The artist had painted Washington in 1795, but he wasn’t pleased with it.  Interestingly enough, Martha Washington convinced her husband to sit for Stuart again because she wanted a portrait of him that she could keep.  Supposedly the president agreed on the condition that Stuart would give the portrait to his wife when he was finished.  Stuart never finished the portrait – so he never gave it to Martha Washington.  Instead, he kept it so that he could use it as a model for all of his future portraits of the president.
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207Why is this particular image of Washington so significant even though it was never finished?  It was used as the basis for the engraving of Washington on the $1 bill.
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209SLIDE 31: One Dollar Bill
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211Here, you can see how it was used to create this famous print. 
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213SLIDE 32: 10.8  Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (The Lansdowne Portrait), 1796.  Oil on canvas laid to wood.  PAFA.
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215This is another very famous portrait that Stuart painted of the first president during his last year of presidency.  Unlike the last one we saw, this is a full-length portrait.  Do you notice anything about the head?  Stuart used the Anthanaeum portrait to help him paint Washington’s head!
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217This is an idealized portrait, meaning it presented Washington as everyone thought of him – close to perfect – rather than as he really was.  Stuart was known, in fact, to paint all of his sitters, whether they were the president or not, at their very best – to idealize them.  He added intelligence to their expressions or he might make them look more energetic or friendlier than they were in real life. 
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219This painting is actually quite fascinating because it is filled with various symbols.  So, the iconographic method we discussed in Week 1 comes into play here.  Washington’s gesture is striking.  Some say that it is a gesture of farewell since he was leaving office soon.  Others say that he is pointing toward the future, as if to say there will be a better tomorrow.  The sword that Washington holds refers to Washington’s military career.  The inkwell probably refers to the fact that Washington signed many laws as president.  The table even holds symbolic meaning because there are eagles on the table leg which come from the official U.S. seal.  Each eagle holds a bundle of arrows in their claw as a symbol of war.  The back of the chair has a seal.  You can see stars and stripes there; in this case, still 13 stars to symbolize the 13 original states.  And then one last symbol is the rainbow.  It symbolizes hope and also unity in diversity; the idea that the states can come together under one nation as all of the colors come together in the rainbow.
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221SLIDE 33: Gilbert Stuart, George Washington, after 1796.  Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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223This is another example of a portrait that Stuart painted of Washington.  He did a lot of these, and actually, a lot of people commissioned portraits of Washington. Gilbert Stuart made a lot of money this way.  But the heads are almost all the same – the have the same expression – because he just copied the Anthaneum portrait.  And he actually received so many requests for portraits of Washington that he probably had assistants do a lot of the work because he had just too much to do, and was probably getting rather sick of it!
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225SLIDE 34: 7.15 Charles Willson Peale, The Peale Family, 1773 and 1808.  Oil on canvas.  
226
227Now, I would like to spend the rest of the lecture on the art of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  And it may seem strange to just spotlight this one city, but the reason is because Philadelphia is historically extremely important.  It was the site of the U.S. government until Washington D.C. was designed and laid out at the very end of the 18th century.  And it is a city rich with art.  It is one of the earliest major cities and fairly wealthy, so it is rich with culture and there have always been artists there.
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229A lot of the artists we talked about already in this lecture were from Philadelphia, or at least lived and worked in the city for a time, including Benjamin West and Gilbert Stuart.  It is also an important artistic city because the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, one of the earliest and most prestigious academies in the country, was established in Philadelphia in 1805.  
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231Within our discussion of Philadelphia today, I want to focus on one family in particular –– the family of Charles Willson Peale.  The Peale family was a very large family, and it was a family full of artists.  And I want to spend the next few minutes looking at their artistic tradition because I think they have been extremely significant in the history of art.  
232
233Charles Willson Peale is another artist who studied with Benjamin West in England (side note: West enjoyed a great deal of success in Europe and he enjoyed having the chance to use this to help fellow Americans who went overseas to study).  He also studied under John Singleton Copley.  He was originally from Maryland, he studied with West in London, and then he returned to Maryland, and then finally moved to Philadelphia.  He was from modest beginnings, but he became good friends with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other important men. 
234
235Now, Peale was a type of Renaissance man.  This is a term you have likely encountered before.  It means that he was interested in all sorts of things besides painting, including history, science, taxidermy, botany, and more.  Like Jefferson, he was an inventor.  He invented a copy machine, for instance.  He owned a school in Philadelphia for a short time, and he believed in the importance of art education for girls which was rare at the time.  
236
237As an artist, Peale was particularly well-known as a portraitist.  Of course, that is still what most Americans wanted and that is what sold.  Now, Peale was convinced that anyone could be an artist.  He believed that determination was the key, and as long as you tried really hard, skill didn’t matter as much.  So he basically wanted to have a family full of artists and he encouraged most of his children to paint.  In fact, as encouragement, he named all of his sons after famous Old Master artists: Rembrandt, Raphaelle, Rubens, Titian.  He even named some of his daughters after famous painters as well, such as Sofonisba Anguisola who was a well-known female artist from the Renaissance.
238
239This particular work that you see here, called The Peale Family, tells a lot about Charles Willson Peale’s character.  It tells us about who he was and the importance of family to him.  He painted his mom, his wife, his brothers, and his sisters.  He was definitely a family man.  There are bust sculptures on the shelf – made by Peale himself – showing his many talents.  And Peale paints himself in the middle of giving his brothers a drawing lesson (he is the man holding the artist’s palette on the left), indicating his desire to create a family of artists and his belief that through practice and determination anyone could have a career in the arts.
240
241SLIDE 35: Charles Willson Peale, George Washington, 1787.  Oil on canvas.  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. 
242and
243SLIDE 11: 7.18  Charles Willson Peale, General George Washington before Princeton, 1779.  Oil on canvas.  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. 
244
245Here are a couple of examples of Peale’s portraits.  He is another artist who frequently painted George Washington, as you can see.  Peale was, in fact, friends with George Washington.  Peale actually served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and so he worked with Washington.  
246
247On the right is a portrait he did of George Washington while he was the great general of the Revolution.  He was asked to paint a portrait of Washington that would glorify him.  Washington here stands in a self-assured pose.  He is confident, with one hand on his hip and he looks straight out at the viewer.  The Battle of Princeton – another great victory for Washington—is referenced here.  He stands next to a cannon, and buildings from Princeton University are in the far background.  Despite the references to the great victory at Princeton, Peale’s portrait was criticized for being too realistic.  Washington’s portrait was not idealized enough they said, and therefore, it was believed by many that the painting did not incite much patriotism.  And of course patriotism was huge at the time, and so this was a problem!
248
249SLIDE 36: Comparison: General George Washington before Princeton and George Washington Crossing the Deleware, 1851.
250
251And we can kind of see why they may have thought this if we compare Peale’s portrait to another painting of George Washington.  This is a painting some of you might be familiar with.  It is a painting by Emanuel Leutze who was born in Germany, but actually grew up in Philadelphia.  Well, this work was painted much later, in the 1850s, but it gives you a sense of the patriotism the public was looking for.  What do you notice that Leutze did differently?  Well, this is a very dynamic scene – everything is moving.  Washington is the only thing not moving.  He is standing strong amongst the chaos.  The tiny boat holds lots of men and there is an American flag directly in the center!  You can’t get much more patriotic than this!
252
253SLIDE 37: Charles Willson Peale, Staircase Group (Portrait of Raphaelle Peale and Titian Ramsey Peale), 1795.  Oil on canvas.  Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia.
254
255Although Peale was known for painting portraits of George Washington and other great men in his younger days, by the time he was in his 50s he had pretty much given up portraiture.  He was interested in other pursuits and other types of painting.  This work is an example.  It is called The Staircase Group and it dates to 1795.  
256
257This is an example of trompe l’oeil painting, one of the terms on your handout.  It means to trick the eye – to deceive.  Peale wanted to trick his viewer into thinking that this wasn’t a painting – that, instead, it was actually two boys (his sons Titian and Raphaelle) on a staircase.  To really trick people, he placed the painting in a real doorframe and he put a real wooden step at the bottom.  The work really does show the artist’s talent.  It is hard to determine where the real step ends and the painted steps begin.  It looks like his son’s knee is sticking out of the painting.  And, actually, the story goes that George Washington actually tipped his hat at the two boys when he saw this work because he thought they were real.
258
259SLIDE 38:
260
261If you notice, there is a ticket on one of the bottom steps.  Again, this is another trick.  It is supposed to look real – like one of the boys dropped it.
262
263SLIDE 39: Catalog and ticket to Peale’s museum
264
265The ticket was actually to Charles Willson Peale’s museum.  In addition to being a great artist of the late 18th and early 19th century, Peale was an extremely significant man in that he opened one of America’s first museums in 1786.  He opened it in his own home at first, but then he moved it to several different locations in Philadelphia.  It cost $0.25 to get in.  You can tell from the ticket what sort of museum it was.  The book of nature is at the top and birds and animals fill the ticket.  The same emblem is found on the catalog, which we see on the left.  It was a history and art museum meant to enlighten people and show them the beauty of nature.
266
267SLIDE 40: 10.14  Charles Willson Peale, The Artist in His Museum, 1822.  Oil on canvas.  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
268
269In this work, one of Peale’s most famous, he depicts himself lifting up the curtain and inviting us, the viewer, to come explore his museum.  He was old when he painted this, around 80 years old, so it summarizes his achievements and interests throughout his life.  The painting really demonstrates that Peale was a Renaissance man – a jack of all trades.  What do you see specifically?  What can we learn about Peale by looking at his painting?  Well, the museum holds Peale’s paintings, portraits of famous men, and much more.  The room is filled with stuffed animals to teach people about the wildlife native to America. The tools on the floor indicate his skills at taxidermy.
270
271Why is the turkey, set next to the box of tools, placed in the foreground to suggest its importance?  Well, Benjamin Franklin suggested the turkey as the national bird over eagle, probably because it was more honorable and less predatory.  So, this may be a reference to that moment in history.  
272
273Peale was especially into birds- you can see the gallery of stuffed birds on the left.  Peale also had real animals at this museum that he would study, so he was really as much of a scientist as he was an artist in many ways.  But his brush and palette on the right indicate his artistic talent as well.  Showing that he could pretty much do it all!
274
275To really emphasize this point, on the right is a mastodon skeleton that Peale excavated himself in upstate New York and brought back to reassemble in his museum.
276
277SLIDE 41: Charles Willson Peale, Exhumation of the Mastodon, 1806-08. 
278
279This painting shows the contraption that was built to help with the excavation. 
280
281SLIDE 42: 10.14  Charles Willson Peale, The Artist in His Museum, 1822.  
282
283Peale’s museum was also important because he used the Linneaean system of classification which was a strict system of classification developed by Carl Linnaeus to catalog animals, plants, and minerals.  Too, the museum contained specimens from the Lewis and Clark expedition which had originally been sent to Thomas Jefferson.  Peale had over 100,000 objects in his museum by 1822.  The museum was eventually sold in the 1840s—1/2 of the collection went to PT Barnum (of Barnum and Bailey Circus fame) and lost in a fire.
284
285SLIDE 43: 11.3  Rembrandt Peale, Rubens Peale with a Geranium, 1801.  Oil on canvas.  National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
286
287Now, as I mentioned, Peale encouraged his children to become artists as well.  In fact, three of his sons -- Rembrandt, Raphaelle and Titian Peale -- became notable artists.  Several of his sons were also interested in science and natural history just as their father was.  Here, Rembrandt Peale paints his brother Rubens who was a botanist and, therefore, studied plant life.  Rembrandt is actually capturing Rubens’s success at the young age of 17.  He holds a geranium which was the first specimen of the plant ever grown in America.
288
289SLIDE 44: Detail
290
291You can tell in these details that Rembrandt Peale is very devoted to precision and accuracy.  What would you say about his brushstrokes?  It is definitely a linear painting – one of our terms from Week 1.  We cannot see the brushstrokes. 
292
293SLIDE 45: Raphaelle Peale, A Dessert, 1814, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
294
295Raphaelle was the oldest of Charles Willson Peale’s sons and he excelled at still lifes.  What might be so significant about the fact this is a still life?  Well, we are finally seeing different genres (types of painting), not just portraiture.  So, this is significant!
296
297Raphaelle Peale may even be the first still-life painter in America.  This is one of his best still lifes.  It is incredibly realistic.  His brushstrokes are incredibly precise.  Unfortunately, poor Raphaelle had a rather hard life because he suffered from alcoholism and gout, and he died fairly young.  
298
299SLIDE 46: Raphaelle Peale, Venus Rising from the Sea—A Deception (After the Bath), c. 1822.  Oil on canvas.  
300
301This is another work by Raphaelle—perhaps his most famous.  Like his father, he was known for his trompe l’oeil paintings.  Here, we are supposed to be tricked into thinking that there is an actual towel hiding a painting of a nude woman.  This was meant as a comment on prudishness of the time.  Nudes in Europe were embraced, but here they often caused scandals and people were known to cover up paintings of nudes as we see here.
302
303SLIDE 47: 10.16  John Vanderlyn, Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos, 1809-1814. Oil on canvas.  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
304
305Peale was perhaps responding to paintings such as this one.  John Vanderlyn was an American painter trained in Europe who worked in the Grand Manner popular in Europe, which meant that he was painting large neoclassical history paintings.  This work is about 6’ x 7’ and it is a depiction of a classicized nude.
306
307SLIDE 48: In the tradition of the old masters (Giorgione Sleeping Venus, Titian’s Venus of Urbino), Venus de Milo
308
309You can see here the long tradition of painting nude goddesses that exists in European art. 
310
311SLIDE 49: 10.16  John Vanderlyn, Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos, 1809-1814. Oil on canvas.  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
312
313Vanderlyn’s painting depicts a Greek myth.  Ariadne was left by her lover alone on this island.  She is a large nude, not just any nude, but a nude who is laying in a provocative pose.  Although greatly admired when it was displayed in Paris where it was painted, when Vanderlyn brought it back to the US it was not well received.  It is one of the earliest female nudes depicted by an American artist and it caused a lot of the controversy, long after it was first displayed here.  It was actually criticized as inappropriate throughout the 19th century.
314
315SLIDE 50: Benjamin Henry Latrobe
316
317The last thing I want to discuss in our Week 3 lecture is just some other famous artists who worked or lived in Philadelphia so as to emphasize the artistic history of this city.  Latrobe was from England but he worked in Philadelphia.
318
319SLIDE 51: George Catlin
320
321George Catlin, who we’ll discuss later in the course, was also from Philadelphia. 
322
323SLIDE 52:  Thomas Eakins
324
325Thomas Eakins was an artist born in Philadelphia, and except for a fairly short trip to study in Europe, he lived and work in the same house in this city his whole life.  We will discuss Eakins in some depth later in the course. 
326
327SLIDE 53: Thomas Anshutz 
328
329Thomas Anschutz is another famous American artist and a student of Thomas Eakins.  He served as the director of the Pennsylvania Academy in Philadelphia after Eakins.
330
331SLIDE 54: The Ashcan School
332
333And, finally, many of the artists from the Ashcan School, who we will discuss in our unit on modernism, were originally from Philadelphia. 
334
335
336SLIDE 55: Comparison I
337
338187.6  John Singleton Copley, Mary and Elizabeth Royall, c. 1758.  
339and
340Charles Willson Peale, Staircase Group (Portrait of Raphaelle Peale and Titian Ramsey Peale), 1795.  
341
342To finish the lecture, and to review, we can do a quick comparison of these two works: on the left is Copley’s Mary and Elizabeth Royall and on the right is Peale’s Staircase Group.  We can compare and contrast them in terms of their subject matter, the context, and the formal elements we discussed in Week 1.    
343
344The subject is similar.  Both are double portraits – two girls and two boys, respectively.  In terms of the formal elements, both artists are interested in light and shadow.  There is a sense of implied depth in both.  The girls are set in a room and we can see the window on the right indicating a deeper sense of space.  Both color and light (the bright colors and light in the foreground) and overlapping are used to create a sense of space in this case.  We see a realistic sense of depth in Peale’s painting as well, and the viewer is made to believe that we can follow these boys up this twisting stairway.  Both artists also clearly demonstrate their skill.  Copley focuses on light effects and capturing implied texture.  He is interested in capturing fabric and material goods, along with New England sophistication and refinement.  Peale showcases his talent through trompe l’oeil, a trick of the eye. 
345
346SLIDE 56: Comparison II
347
3487.9  John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere, c. 1769.  Oil on canvas.  
349and
35010.8  Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (The Lansdowne Portrait), 1796.  Oil on canvas, laid to wood.  
351
352This last comparison, I am going to let you consider on your own.  What is similar about them?  What is different?  Consider visual elements, as well as what we learned about the artist, the subject, and the context. 
353
354This is the end of the lecture for Week 3.  This week, we learned about what changed after the American Revolution and how the art of the United States changed as it grew more confident and developed a strong sense of patriotism.  We looked at different genres of art besides portraiture and explored the popularity of Neoclassical art in the sculpture, painting, architecture, and the decorative arts.  And, of course, we looked at the important art history of Philadelphia.  If you have any questions about the material, please let me know.  Have a wonderful week!
355
356
357Sources:
358
359In addition to the instructor’s own knowledge, this information comes from the following sources:
360
361Open Artstor. http://search.openlibrary.artstor.org/object/AYALEARTIG_10312577086
362
363Craven, Wayne. American Art: History and Culture. Revised First Ed. Boston: 
364McGraw-Hill, 2003, pp. 28-34, 42-60, 68-73, 79-83, 94-102.
365
366Gardner, Albert. American Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of the 
367Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 1. Rev. ed. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012.
368
369Kinsey, Joni.  Professor, the University of Iowa.
370
371Kleiner, Fred S. and Christin Mamiya, eds. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. CA: 
372Wadsworth, 2005. 
373
374Monticello.org. https://home.monticello.org/
375
376Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. “John Vanderlyn.” 
377https://www.pafa.org/collection/ariadne-asleep-island-naxos
378
379Stein, Roger B. “Charles Willson Peale’s Expressive Design: The Artist in His Museum.” In Reading American Art. 38-78.  New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.