The Painter's Chair: George Washington and the Making of American Art

by Hugh Howard

"I am so hackneyed to the touches of the painters pencil, that I am now altogether at their beck ... no dray moves more readily to the Thill, than I do to the Painters Chair." - George Washington, 16, 1785

When George Washington was born, the New World had virtually no artists. Over the course of his life, a cultural transformation would occur. Virtually everyone regarded Washington as America's indispensable man, and the early painters and sculptors were no exception. Hugh Howard surveys the founding fathers of American painting through their portraits of Washington. Charles Willson Peale was the comrade-in-arms, John Trumbull the aristocrat, Benjamin West the mentor, and Gilbert Stuart the brilliant wastrel. Their images of Washington fed an immense popular appetite that has never faded, Stuart's image endures today on the $1 bill. The Painter's Chair is an eloquent narrative of how America's first painters toiled to create an art worthy of the new republic, and the hero whom they turned into an icon.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, 18th Century, American History, Art, American

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2009

Reviews

[E Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

In present day when the way a public figure looks is everything, it’s hard to imagine a time when almost no one in the country knew what the president looked like. However, even before the advent of the photograph, everyone knew what George Washington looked like. Washington knew that symbols mattered and that he was a symbol and so he begruddgingly sat for portraits by Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Edward Savage, John Trumbull and others. The Painter’s Chair by Hugh Howard tells the story of America’s first president through the lives of the artists who painted him, most whom can trace their techniques to the lesser-known and deceased John Smibert.

MORE: http://www.urbanartantiques.com/2009/...

While I never seem to tire of reading about Colonial-era artists, in The Painters’ Chair Hughes is successful at weaving together the stories of prominent and lesser-known artists in new ways. In doing so he creates his own portrait of George Washington.

[Laurie Tomchak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often read books about art (I'm more of a literary type) so this was a treat. The information about each painter's techniques and each one's relationship with Washington was fascinating. I liked the account of the Peale family's factory approach to art, and Gilbert Stuart's splashy use of color (and his splashy approach to life!) I became curious why Washington stuck his hand in his vest, and learned it had something to do with Masonic secrets!
Cameos by other founding fathers were interesting as well. My family background includes two less-known signers, so I could imagine Stuart racing around to sketch them before adding them to the declaration group painting. A worthy addition to the Americana library..

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-researched book was very interesting. I believe it is unique in its topic, as I have been unable to find any other books that discuss the development of art (specifically oil portraits) in early America. I really enjoyed learning about the different artists featured in the book, and I also enjoyed getting some insight into George Washington's personality. There were some parts that dragged a little, but not badly. The author is a good writer. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about George Washington, early America or early American artists like Gilbert Stuart. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Rebecca Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very readable account of how art portraiture came about in the US.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly interesting.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it took me six months to finish reading The Painter's Chair, I did enjoy it. The book is quite thorough on all facets of George Washington portraiture, and it took six months to read so I could digest the information without feeling like I was cramming.

All the major portraits of Washington are discussed within The Painter's Chair, as well as how those portraits impacted the artist's lives. It is interesting to note that many of these artists from Gilbert Stuart to Rembrandt Peale ended up basing their entire artistic career on copying their portrait. Peale was even working on two when he died at the ripe age of 87.

The impact of Washington was not just on their wallet, but what he meant to each artist. Washington not only influenced the nation as far as government and history, but he and the other founding father's influenced our nation's culture and artistic heritage as well. Portraiture was the beginning of art in America, neoclassicism defined our architecture, and defining what it meant to be an American created a mindset that has lasted since the Revolution.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in George Washington, American art, or the history of our nation. It is highly educational, although a bit dense, and is well worth the read.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I am both fascinated by the founding of America, and with art history, this book is perfect for my family. American History is the current focus in our homeschool and this book presents us with not only another look at America's most beloved and iconic Founding Father, but provides biographies of the "founders of the fine arts" in America and their intersections with the political and military heroes of their era and their role in MAKING Washington the epitome for us-- all these generations later-- of the men who pledged, "their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor" to build this nation.

[Karl Rove]

Interesting volume on how George Washington was not just first in the hearts of his countrymen, but also of his country's early artists, whose portraits of him both drew attention to their skill. This also allowed many of them to make a living at art in a small, sparsely populated new nation on the eastern edge of the North American continent.

[Lee Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book I got for $2 @ HPB! Had a wonderful tour of American artists & colonial history as I used Pinterest to eyeball many of the portraits not already included in the text. Anchored in President Washington, the author engages numerous biographies of those painters who created his many portraits. Especially touching is the eulogical essay on Washington in the epilogue.

[TeriC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at a part of America's history that we never think about.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the artists who worked with George Washington and his contemporaries. I learned a lot about the history of that time period and the art techniques and artists.

[Mary Evelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

howard lists facts but provides no historical insight or significant argument.