John Trumbull

This article is about the painter John Trumbull. On the poet, see John Trumbull (poet) ; on the politician, see John H. Trumbull .

John Trumbull (painting by Gilbert Stuart 1818)

John Trumbull (born June 6, 1756 in Lebanon , Colony of Connecticut , then a British colony , now the USA , † November 10, 1843 in New York City , USA) was an American painter.

Life

He was 15 years old when he attended the junior class at Harvard University from 1773 . As a soldier in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Trumbull witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 . In 1780 he was appointed personal adjutant to the Commander in Chief of the American Armed Forces, George Washington . He later traveled to London and Paris. He worked with Benjamin West , who suggested that he paint small pictures about the War of Independence. While in Europe, Trumbull was also imprisoned for a time as an act of revenge for the hanging of an English agent in America. West also encouraged him to paint miniature portraits. In total, he made over 250 such portraits. In 1791 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

John Trumbull was instrumental in founding the Yale University Art Gallery in 1832. He also designed the picture gallery at Yale, which opened on October 25, 1832.

plant

However, Trumbull had little success until the US Senate commissioned him to create four large paintings that now hang in the Capitol in Washington, DC . He was named President of the American Academy of Fine Arts and held that position for 19 years, although he was extremely unpopular with students. In addition, his artistic skills declined over time. Ultimately, his dictatorial leadership style led the students to rebel against him and found the National Academy of Design . In 1841, Trumbull published an autobiography. He died in 1843 at the age of 87 and was buried under the Art Gallery of Yale University in New Haven , Connecticut . An inscription on his grave reads "He gave his country his SWORD and PENCIL."

Paintings (selection)

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  The death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill .

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  The death of General Montgomery near Quebec.

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  The American Declaration of Independence .

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  The surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown .

literature

• P. Murray, L. Murray: Dictionary of art and artists. Penguin Books, 1996, ISBN 0-14-051300-0 .
• Trumbull, John . [artist] . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 27 : Tonalite - Vesuvius . London 1911, p. 324 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).

Web links

Commons : John Trumbull  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Buildings: Trumbull . Yale University Art Gallery. Archived from the original on October 21, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 18, 2010. 
2. ↑ Special Exhibit Examines Dynamic Relationship Between the Art of Pablo Picasso and Writing (PDF; 479 kB) Yale University Art Gallery. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 18, 2010.