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America's Old Masters: Benjamin West, John Singleton Copley, Charles Wilson Peale and Gilbert Stuart
Concise biographies examine painters, wellsprings of their art, interplay of native tradition and European influence, more. 69 halftones. Bibliography.
448 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1982
27 people want to read
About the author
James Thomas Flexner
72 books27 followersJames Thomas Flexner was an American historian and biographer best known for the four-volume biography of George Washington that earned him a National Book Award in Biography and a special Pulitzer Prize. A cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Flexner worked as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune from 1929 until 1931, after which he worked as an executive secretary for the New York City Department of Health before leaving the job the following year in order to devote his full energies to writing.
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April 9, 2010
I first picked up America's Old Masters for a research paper that I was putting together. It was a trove of information on a few artists that I was scrutinizing. I so enjoyed the affectionate writing on these artists that I decided to buy an old used copy and read on the other two artists presented. America's Old Masters covers biographies of 4 fairly well recognized early American artists: West, Copley, Peale, and Stuart.
The biographies are relatively fascinating. In the 1700s there was no art in America, only craft. These artists changed that, often by their daliances in Britain in a time when the relationship between the Britain and America became exceeedingly complicated. All 4 met a great deal of success of course, but the wonderful thing about this book is that little known accomplishments in other areas are also pointed out. These range from diplomatic attempts on behalf of 3 of the artists, the first real attempt to establish a scientific museum in America by Peale, and kinship with the forefathers themselves. I learned a little about Ben Franklin's trips to Europe for sure and I wouldn't have figured the old toad would have had it in him!
America's Old Masters does have an essay towards the end on Neo-Classicism in America. I found it to be long winded, with only the first and last 3 pages to necessary. I am pleased to have read the book but I am glad, after two forays with it, to be putting it on the shelf.
The biographies are relatively fascinating. In the 1700s there was no art in America, only craft. These artists changed that, often by their daliances in Britain in a time when the relationship between the Britain and America became exceeedingly complicated. All 4 met a great deal of success of course, but the wonderful thing about this book is that little known accomplishments in other areas are also pointed out. These range from diplomatic attempts on behalf of 3 of the artists, the first real attempt to establish a scientific museum in America by Peale, and kinship with the forefathers themselves. I learned a little about Ben Franklin's trips to Europe for sure and I wouldn't have figured the old toad would have had it in him!
America's Old Masters does have an essay towards the end on Neo-Classicism in America. I found it to be long winded, with only the first and last 3 pages to necessary. I am pleased to have read the book but I am glad, after two forays with it, to be putting it on the shelf.
Displaying 1 of 1 review