Neoclassical Art from the American Revolution

John Trumbull (1756-1843) was an American painter, whose artwork was a prime example of neoclassical art during the American Revolutionary War and he is remembered most for his historical depictions of battles during the war. In his earlier years, he served in the war, and took part in a few battles, however, he later resigned and travelled to London to study under another neoclassical artist by the name of Benjamin West. During his studies, Trumbull began to paint pictures of battles during the war. Many of his paintings later became famous and purchased by the United States Congress, with others being bought and displayed in museums in Boston, Massachusetts. I have chosen three of his paintings that were directly painted with relation to his knowledge of the American Revolution. With his ties to the war, it is no surprise that he chose to paint scenes relating to events during this period.

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775

This painting was commissioned by the Warren family around 1815-1813, and was passed down through the family generations until it was donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

     The first painting is one of several paintings that Trumbull painted, depicting the death of Joseph Warren during battle at Bunker’s Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on June 17th, 1775. Trumbull had witnessed the attack from a distance, and later decided to paint the scene of General Warren dying as the American troops were retreating from battle. The painting shows Warren’s body in white dying, and John Small, who was a British Major, in the red uniform. It shows Small preventing one of his soldiers from stabbing Warren with a bayonet. In the background lay several bodies from both sides slain during battle. The painting also shows Boston Harbour in the background, as well as smoke rising from Charlestown, because the British had set it on fire. When later asked about this painting, Trumbull has said that he wanted to show significance to Major Small, because of how he treated his enemies with respect, even in battle.

      I appreciate the attention to detail in this painting, I especially like how Trumbull decided to paint Small preventing his soldier from stabbing the already wounded General Warren. You can also see that Warren’s body is surrounded by light, while the rest are a darker shade, so that your first focus is on his body. Off to the far right is colonial officer, Thomas Grosvenor, with his slave behind him. The fact that this scene has the Boston Harbour and smoke from the burning Charlestown, show just how well Trumbull knew the events that took place. This painting is also a very good example of neoclassical art that dominated during this time period. It shows the heroism that took place, and depicted real, serious events, in order to preserve them.

     Declaration of Independence

Commissioned in 1817, painted in Paris, and purchased in 1819. It now hangs in the Rotunda, in Washington D.C.

     The second painting depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress, which is not to be confused with the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence. With small conflicts sprouting up between the British soldiers and American colonies, small bands of people wanted to gain independence of British rule. However, King George III, brought together many of his forces to try to stop any rebellion from happening. The Americas learned of the King’s forces coming, which in turn added more people and colonies who wanted complete independence from Britain. Later a committee of five men, including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, were picked to draft a document justifying the breaking of ties with Britain. Jefferson had been praised in the past for his writing skills, and had been urged by his companions to write most of the draft. Together, they came up with the Declaration of Independence. After submitting the draft to Congress, and several edits by Adams and Franklin, Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.

I particularly like this painting because it is probably one of the most well-known events during the American Revolution. Trumbull’s depicted the events extremely well, due to the fact that he had painted most of the signing member’s in real life for the painting. He had also visited Independence hall where the draft was submitted, in order to get the realistic nature of the presentation of the draft. The painting shows Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and many of the others who had signed, however, he was not able to include all of the signers, because he could make the them look life-like. He also chose to add in members who had not participated in the signing itself, including, John Dickinson. This piece is another classic example of neoclassical art by Trumbull, as well as the very serious depiction of this major event that took place.

Surrender of General Burgoyne

Commissioned by Congress in 1817, and finished in 1821. The painting now hangs in The United States capitol Rotunda.

     The third and final painting done by artist John Trumbull is the depiction of British Lieutenant General Burgoyne surrendering to General Horatio Gates after the battle of Saratoga in New York on October 17, 1777. After one successful battle against the American forces, which were led by Gates and Benedict Arnold, Burgoyne again tried to attack his enemy, but due to weakened forces, he ended up losing during a key point in the American Revolution. He ended up surrendering to the Americans later on, which is shown above.

     The painting done by Trumbull highlights Burgoyne in the middle as the center of attention, he is surrounded by his troops, as well as Gates’ troops. It is significant, because it shows peace and a general sense of respect, rather than fighting amongst enemies. The painting shows Gates refusing to take Burgoyne’s sword as he is surrendering. It also shows Burgoyne’s men being led to a tent to rest, who are directed by American Colonel Lewis, Quartermaster-General, on horseback in blue. The background shows all men with their weapons sheathed, as well as the sky being blue, reflecting upon a peaceful surrender. I like the symmetry of the painting, as well as the fact that it is different from the other two, because of the general peace and respect amongst both sides. This painting is also much lighter than the other two, which is what I take as the peacefulness of the event that took place. The general sense of mingling amongst the troops also show that the surrender was successful for the Americans.

References Cited

• Architect of the Capitol. “Surrender of General Burgoyne” Retrieved from: www.aoc.gov/Capitol-hill/historic-rotunda-paintings/surrender-general-burgoyne. October, 09, 2015.
• History.com staff. History.com (2009). “Battle of Bunker Hill” Retrieved from: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battle-of-bunker-hill, October 05, 2015.
• History.om staff. History.com (2009). “Battle of Saratoga” Retrieved from: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battle-of-saratoga, October 05, 2015.
• History.com staff. History.com (2009). “Declaration of Independence” Retrieved from: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence, October 05, 2015.
• Yale University Art Gallery. “The Declaration of Independence” Retrieved from: artgallery.yale.edu/collectioons/objects/69, October 09,2015.
• “John Trumbull” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., (September 16, 2015). Web. Accessed October 09, 2015. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Trumbull