Classical Era

The Revolution and Art

The American Revolution, a.k.a The Revolutionary war, was a battle for independence between Great Britain’s thirteen North American colonies and the colonial government. This conflict started in the year of 1775, and by 1778, France entered the war which led to an international battle. This revolution was caused by the British authorities taxing the colonies. This was also known as The Stamp Act. Leading up to the actual battle, there were many historical events that took place, such as the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party.

Enlightenment had a huge impact in both the American and French Revolution. This was a period of reasoning and liberty. The people wanted a different way of looking at life, not just with traditions. They wanted a separation between church (religion) and state. Through this process, Thomas Jefferson started writing the Declaration of Independence, which caused a worldwide debate on liberty and colonial rule.

Declaration Of Independence

John Trumbull

John Trumbull was an American artist during the American Revolution. He was born in Connecticut, in 1756 and died in New York, in 1843. Trumbull was originally a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, along side George Washington. In 1777, he resigned due to a dispute. Later on, he went and started his art profession in London and was told to paint small war portraits and scenes. He also became imprisoned for seven months due to sharing a rank in the Army with someone who was a spy. Throughout his life, John Trumbull worked along Benjamin West, who was an American history painter. John was a very accomplished painter and completed many Revolutionary War pieces. Today, he is considered “The painter of the Revolution”.

The Declaration of Independence is a panting done by a Revolution artist, John Trumbull in 1818. The painting depicts the five men who wrote the document, showing the draft to the Congress. The background includes 42 out of the 56 signer’s of the document and some who didn’t even sign it, such as John Dickinson. Some people mistake this painting for the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence, but that did not take place until after this event in 1778. This painting hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, D.C. It has also been shown on the back of the US 2 dollar bill and postage stamps.

I find this painting very interesting and important in a historical view. One thing that I read about the overview on this painting is that John Trumbull painted small portraits of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and then combined them to piece together the entire painting. If the signer was dead, he would take a copy of a previous portrait, but the head would have to stand out and fit in with the painting. This is a Neoclassical painting because it shows patriotism and acts for the “good of all”. The document gave liberty and independence to the United States. There is a contrast of color from dark to light on the walls and from the men’s white hair to their dark clothes. The detail is very small and fragile, because the faces are tiny but you can still point out eyes, noses, and fingers.

The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries

Jacques-Louis David

Jacques-Louis David was a French historical painter who did work mainly in the Neoclassical era. He was born in Paris, in 1748 and died in Brussels, in 1825. He became a huge supporter of the French Revolution and was a dictator of the arts in the French republic. He then ended up associating himself with his “hero”, Napoleon Bonaparte, a successful French military leader. Later on in his life, David started working on a “project”, which was propaganda for the new republic. This was around 1789, when he wanted his work to be focused on the “historical beginnings of the French Revolution”.

The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries is a neoclassical painting done by David in 1812. The painting shows Napoleon Bonaparte in his colonel uniform studying at the Tuileries Palace. Napoleon is shown to be wearing navy blue sleeves, a white front with white stockings, and red cuffs around the sleeves. The detail shows his “rankings” or medals, the Legion of Honor and Order of the iron crown. Both of these honors are orders of merit, with the first being the highest ranking in the French military. The background shows a desk that is piled with a quill pen, rolled papers, and books. There are also books and rolled papers underneath the desk. The chair that Napoleon is standing by seems to have a sword laying on it, which I assume is his. This painting may depict that he has been up late studying, due to the unorganization and the clock in the background shows the time 2:20. However, this could be a wrong interpretation. There is much detail in this piece starting with Napoleon’s face and medals and buttons on his outfit, to the background, such as the chair cushion and legs, the desk legs, the walls printings, and the clock. I would say the color is pretty dark for the most part, besides the white on his uniform and the rolled papers.

I think that this painting has a great relevance to the French Revolution and Art, because Napoleon was a very well known French military leader and was also a French emperor who conquered most of Europe. I feel that he had a huge influence on the events during the Revolution and on Jacques-Louis David himself. David looked up to Napoleon as a leader and a significant figure and this painting represents that. This painting is held in the National Gallery of Art West Building.

Bust of Washington

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Jean-Antonie Houdon

Jean-Antonie Houdon was a French neoclassical sculptor. He was born in Versailles, in 1741 and died in Paris, in 1828. Most of his work contained portrait busts and sculptures of many famous politicians and philosophers of the Enlightenment period. His portrait bust of George Washington was said to be an “invitation” by Benjamin Franklin to cross the Atlantic to visit Mount Vernon, where Washington would model for him (Jean-Antonie Houdon). There are many versions of Washington as a sculpture done by Houdon, including a full body one. Most of the sculptures of Washington are depicting him in his General uniform.

The portrait bust was actually something Houdon made during the design process of the full body sculpture. He produced it in 1786 using a plaster, and later revised it before making the final statue. When Houdon went to Mount Vernon with Franklin in October of 1785, they had to take Washington’s hands, legs, arms, chest, and face measurements for an exact replica. Houdon then went back to France in December of 1785, which shows how long just the modeling and planning took for the full sculpture. The full project was finally completed in France in 1791 and taken to Richmond, Virginia for display. People say that there was a delay in the project and travel due to the French revolution and Houdon’s payment’s. This painting is held at the Virginia State Capital, Richmond, Virginia.

I have never really looked at or focused on sculptures before, so it was interesting finding an artist who only focuses on sculptures. I think this artist relates to the Revolution because it was a time of Enlightment and those were the figures Houdon put his work towards. George Washington is also a great historical figure that relates to the Revolution, because he was the commander in chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The sculpture definitely shows Washington’s height (he was pretty tall), and the importance of his uniform. I feel that there is texture even though it is stone. His uniform shows wrinkles and there is something being draped over the column, which gives off a flowing texture.

Conclusion

All of the painters and sculptors I had a chance to examine had a huge impact on art during the Classical Era or to be specific, the Revolution. The pieces that I chose to research resemble patriotism, heroism, liberty, and power. I personally don’t think I would own any of these or put them in my home. However, It would be nice to see them in a professional setting such as The White House or a court room. Most of the works examined here were a part of the Neoclassical era, so next time I would like to look at the Rococo styles and art works.

Works Cited

“Declaration of Independence (Trumbull).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Feb. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_(Trumbull).

Editors, History.com. “Revolutionary War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/american-revolution-history.

“George Washington (Houdon).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Feb. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_(Houdon).

“Jacques-Louis David.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Louis_David#The_French_Revolution.

“Jean-Antoine Houdon.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Feb. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Antoine_Houdon.

“John Trumbull.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Trumbull.

“The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Dec. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries.

Whipps, Heather. “Declaration of Independence: Summary, Text & Signers.” LiveScience, Purch, 12 June 2012, http://www.livescience.com/4995-declaration-independence-changed-world.html.