“The images accompanying the founding of the United States–of honored Founders, dramatic battle scenes, and seminal moments–gave visual shape to Revolutionary events and symbolized an entirely new concept of leadership and government. Since then they have endured as indispensable icons, serving as historical documents and timeless reminders of the nation’s unprecedented beginnings.
Colonial artists help “frame” or “visualize” the approaching storm that would be the American Revolution. John Singleton Copley was stressed between loyalty to the Crown and recognizing his gift as a native-born artist of the first rank! Copley’s skill and vision was such that he received the top prices for his work in the Boston area and throughout the Colonial realm. But, like so many American-born artists, the need to go to Europe to “finish his ART education” by studying abroad was strong in the maturing Copley. Just before the American Revolution was initiated, Copley moved the family to London and began to establish himself as a self-supporting artist. Toward the end of his life, Copley regretted the stagnant nature of the financial response to his productivity which caused him to go to dept. Eventually, as Copley was dying, his financial situation worsened and he lost much of what he had acquired by moving to London. Copley learned from the past by looking at the European works of art but, in the long run, his reputation still stands for the most part on his Colonial work. There is a certain freshness and originality associated with his Colonial period which, for many critics and artists alike, seems missing in his European oeuve!
“As Paul Staiti reveals in Of Arms and Artists, the lives of the five great American artists of the Revolutionary period–Charles Willson Peale, John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull, Benjamin West, and Gilbert Stuart–were every bit as eventful as those of the Founders with whom they continually interacted, and their works contributed mightily to America’s founding spirit. Living in a time of breathtaking change, each in his own way came to grips with the history being made by turning to brushes and canvases, the results often eliciting awe and praise, and sometimes scorn. Ever since the passing of the last eyewitnesses to the Revolution, their imagery has connected Americans to 1776, allowing us to interpret and reinterpret the nation’s beginning generation after generation. The collective stories of these five artists open a fresh window on the Revolutionary era, making more human the figures we have long honored as our Founders, and deepening our understanding of the whirlwind out of which the United States emerged.” (book review of Paul Staiti’s Of Arms and Artists )
Copley understood the values and hopes of his Boston patrons, but he also grew concerned with the political rhetoric that was causing Colonials to rethink their loyalties—support the English crown or back the native-born movement and sentiment for sovereignty and nationhood? What are your thoughts on Copley, as a Colonial Artist, tapping into the political fervor starting to cause the native-born to cast their gaze to Europe in favor of “studying abroad to finish their education in the arts” and often times, as in the case of Copley and Benjamin West, to remain ex-patriots rather than return to the post-revolutionary America and settle down in the “New World’?
I think many artists often come to the standpoint where they don’t see themselves as successful or serious artists unless they are actively studying the work from the Masters; some of us might be guilty of this, including myself. I think that was a struggle that Copley must have been going through. I think what makes Copley’s Colonial work standout, even years later, is that it felt more authentic, original, fresh. It’s interesting to see artists going through self-discovery and see how they viewed their world surrounding them at the time.
I think as Copley experienced new hardships it would be easier to look back on the familiarity of art and home and go back there. As he said he regretted not learning more and staying in the new world. With art though this would not be the first time that new and alternative forms of art would be questioned and I think him like many other artists trying to reinvent any artistic innovation is complicated and it is rocky. I think that his influence as one of the first True American artists was great but there is always that drive to push us towards the unknown and to experience things we never have. I think that is what makes an artist an artist. For Copley I think he struggled with the comfortablility in the familar and the pull of the unknown and eventually one had to win out.
I believe not only was Copley struggling with the intention of bettering himself as an artist by learning from Masters, but also the need to emerge himself with what was happening in the “now”. He understood he was not following trends by curating portraits, for the most respectable art at the time included either religious compositions and scenes from every day life. I could understand the want to be a well respected artist in the time that you are currently living. While he regretted his decision of moving to London, I think it’s commendable that he risked his own comfort to improve.
I think it’s interesting that Copley is known as a leading artist in the Revolutionary period given the fact that he felt the need to turn to Britain in order to really complete his art studies. I also think it says a lot about him and others of this period that remained ex-patriots even after a life like Copley’s, that arguably worsened after leaving America. But it is understandable that he would want to chase the feeling of art calling him back to Europe, and I wouldn’t necessarily say it made him less of an American artist, just one that eventually disconnected from his roots. Whether or not he intended to come back to America but had his plans changed somewhere along the way is another question to consider before branding him with the moniker of “ex-patriot.”
I think what Copley was experiencing is something that every artist goes through at some point. In my experience, I often go back to different art lessons to strengthen my skill whenever I don’t feel like my work is good enough for me. Copley also seems to be indecisive on what he truly wanted, he wants to go back to what is more familiar to him but also wants to “explore” new grounds. I don’t think going back to Europe undermines the contributions he has made for American artists. Overall, I just think “it is what it is”, Copley did what he thought would be best for him and sought to improve his skill the only way he knew how.
The things that Copley did is what he thought was the best choice at the time for him even by bringing his family over as well I thought was interesting. I believe that he may of thought by going aboard would better him from an artist standpoint, but ended up hurting him in the long run money wise. However, you will always learn from your mistakes, some of those mistakes might be worst than some but I also felt that Copley was just trying to do new things in life. As a whole, Copley did what he felt was right and still being remembered for his art work is something he would had wanted.
Sometimes sacrifices have to be made and he made the choice to pursue his art and further his studies to finish his education than what he was able to do in America. It’s understandable for Copley to feel regrets progressing his art with European views than Colonial/American views and being an ex-patriot at that. It may seem like his art won’t be able to relate back not being in those times to interpret that through his art since he’s settled in to the “New World” with different views and approaches. If anything, his art has definitely broadened and still stands out as very memorable throughout history in the change of how different the styles are being in two different “worlds.” Despite his financial struggles which is unfortunate as he was in London, but it’s a good thing to bring his point of view into another world and create art with that knowledge he learned in Europe to show the world or those in the area about the colonial times.
My opinion of the question is formed by one of our PowerPoint slides in which Copley states that the people of America viewed painting as just another trade in the developing nation instead of “one of the most noble arts in the world”. Essentially it seems that Copley left the U.S. to chase a form of accreditation so that he would not be seen as a lowly tradesmen in the newborn U.S.. The reason for Copley and other artists settling would likely be that they were aging. While they were young men, the life expectancy for the average person was still nowhere near where it is today, and perhaps once they felt they had reached their full potential as artist they felt they should just settle instead of chasing an American dream that honestly didn’t exist yet.
I find it interesting that Copley made the move away from the “New World” in order to better hone his craft. I agree that there are times for every artist that cause us to reflect on ourselves and question how we can become better. I imagine for Copley’s case once he made the move back into Europe he didn’t want to go back after the revolution because he associated his life as a patriot with his skill level in art at that time. If Copley were to move back to his former life style he could feel that he’s “regressed” as an artist. So by staying in his current climate he continues moving forward in his life and further honing his skills.
One thing that I would like to sort of highlight is how Copley considered himself to be the first real American artist, yet he couldn’t even permanently remain in the Americas. Aside from this little highlight, I would like to state that, from my understanding of the topic at hand, I see no problem in him going back to Europe instead of staying in America. I really don’t think that there was all too much of a thought process for Copley, more just he prioritized whatever resulted in him yielding the best artwork results. He was pretty far from home, and considering he was growing older and his style is so clearly rooted in European culture, coming back to Europe seems like a no-brainer. It just seems that the man’s heart lies in the heart of Europe rather than elsewhere. Whatever resulted in better work was the right answer for him.
One reason artists like Copley, although undoubtedly talented, stayed overseas could be because of how their audiences were viewing their artwork. Slide 40 of the PowerPoint shows how the Colonists needed artwork that represented them “Their art needed to be strong, earnest, intelligent, middle class, and somewhat sober.” Copley’s art was targeted at the general public but unfortunately, that audiences were more concerned with survival, jobs, homes, food instead of artwork. Slide 44 even states that if people had not preserved his work, we would not be able to see it to this day as. “The people generally regard it as not more than any other useful trade, not as one of the most noble arts in the world.” Art in America, and still is, not viewed with the same usefulness that other trades are, and so maybe Copley felt and thought that if he had the training of the masters in Europe, then he would also know how to bring the attention of how important art is to the general public.
It is easy to say that Copley and Benjamin should have just supported post-revolutionary America, but that is just bias from an American. In retrospect, it is hard to blame them for wanting to go back to what they were familiar with and grew up with. I do think that Copley’s English Self Portrait is better than his Colonial Self Portrait, but if he had stayed in America there would have been more opportunities to experiment. Failure was not to be worried of as much there since everything was so new and mistakes were easy to forgive. Going back to London, he already accumulated a title of “patriot” which probably damaged his reputation making his art undesirable. I do not blame him though for wanting to go back to London, though. Imagine going into a new place you barely know of and now need to fight for when where you came from you could have lived comfortably. I probably would have felt the same way as Copley.
It seems that Copley had an idea that avoiding the revolution would be best as “the new world” was an untested market for his type of artistry. He was an exceptional portraitist, so it’s hard to imagine these paintings as being low or pedestrian art in the colonies, but apparently Copley struggled to overcome that stigma. Once revolution was imminent, the idea must have been for Copley to travel to Britain to further his art enrichment while waiting out the scuffle in the Americas. It makes sense that he would want to meet success in the cultural epicenter of his time. Perhaps he never returned, not because he wanted to leave it behind, but because he left for London with a “wait and see” attitude to begin with and never felt the conditions were right for a successful return.
I definitely see Copley’s decision as being the only safe choice he had at the time, in his mind. The colonies were gearing up for a Revolution, priorities shifted, and the comforts that allow people to just enjoy art could change at the drop of a hat. A warzone isn’t exactly an optimal environment to do self-portraits in.
Though, I would say that it did benefit him in the end. The difference between his Colonial and English portraits are like night and day.
I think that Copley’s decision to move to Europe to finish his art education is justified, as many artists feel the need to be formally trained before they can consider themselves an artist. I think part of the reason why Copley chose to leave rather than stay in America and further build his name is because there had always been a “standard” for art in history. It wasn’t really accepted to break tradition and experiment with new forms of art until the 20th century, so it’s no surprise to me to see a colonial artist seek education and training over essentially leading an artistic ‘movement’ and remain an icon in America.
I think that if Copley didn’t move to London, England, his faith and art career could be different. I think it, because while he worked in London, he was influenced by the local art scene. On the other hand, he is both American and British artist. His paintings are fascinating.
I do appreciate Copley’s work, I think he brought something new to his art that was not prevalent before in European art. Copley, in my opinion, pick his side in history. He had his choice to be a part of America, but was scared and only left with what was or what used to be. I cannot imagine how scary it was to pick a side at that, considering how powerful Great Britain was, but it is obvious that Copley did not gain anything from playing it safe. He live an average life and lost all the money he earned. I am glad Copley helped build American art, but the aftermath came at a cost. I wonder if Copley ever regretted his decisions. He probably would have not made a lot of money in America, but he could have really inspired messaged around that time and made more of a name for himself in America. I do hope that he figured out who he was along the way, because he made a major life decision by moving to London. Through his art maybe it shows if he did or not to some people.
Copley was drawn towards European art in an effort to improve his artistic abilities as well as it seems to connect to the extensive artistic history of Europe. His Colonialist artwork at the beginning of his career was inventive and new, characterizing the American style for years to come. Perhaps this is because he had not yet had the opportunity to study the traditions of European art or because his art was a response to living in a new and ever-evolving country. Copley followed his own path, part of which including moving to London. Whether it was his intention to remain there for the rest of his life from the beginning of his journey or not, it was where he ended up. It does not mean that he did not still value and appreciate his American roots and artistic start. However, many situations occur over one’s life that, such as Copley becoming an “ex-patriot”, result in greater fulfillment of their potential and satisfaction with the way one lived. He might have found that his art was more appreciated as a skill and trade overseas than in America during Colonial times because of the state of survival and evolution that the country was still very much in.
Copley was understandably put in a tough spot, should he sustain he image of his loyalty of should he improve the image of himself as an artist by going to Europe to pursue his art education. He was making a name for himself as a Colonial Artist and in comparisons you could tell the amount of skill he possessed through his portraits. I guess Copley saw it fit to finish his art education as that was the expectation of artists at the time – and could also have been used to define whether these artists were truly skilled at their craft. In the end Copley was more known for his Colonial works than what he had done after moving to Europe. Maybe Copley should have remained in America but if he had gotten any kind of improvement through his education then maybe it was also right for him to pursue that education.
Lizbeth Ramirez | Art 474
Sometimes , like in Copley’s case, it’s easy or sometimes helpful to go back and strengthen what’s familiar. As artists I believe many of us struggle with the line of wanting to be as good as our predecessors but also exploring what it is that will make us unique. At the time it was the right move to go back to England and finish his studies their. He learned what he had to learn whether it benefited his art career or just his general life. If he would have stayed maybe it’d be a different story, but all things happen for a reason.
I think during this time the role of most prominent artists was to do everything in their ability to improve their craft as effectively as possible. In Copley’s case that meant going back to Europe despite being an exceptional “colonial painter”. There is also the fact that during this time no one probably expected the colonies to win the war against Europe. It was essentially a David vs. Goliath situation in which no one expected David to win, because how could they against arguably the world’s biggest power. Taking this into account, him going to Europe served as a way to improve his artistic abilities and would allow him a much safer life than staying in the colonies and potentially getting mixed up, and possibly harmed, in a war.
What Copley experience isn’t an entirely unique experience for anyone who creates. There are multiple struggles present here from wanting to stick to his roots vs. exploring what is out there to just thinking about how stable would the colonies be for someone like him when there’s war going on. There’s definitely plenty of concern for not just the artistic end of it but also the practical. While him moving to London didn’t fully end well, there were probably stable years that he had over there.
John Singleton Copley was an inspiring colonial artist. His artworks were well recognized in both the Boston area and Colonial realm. Also, both his history and artworks has inspired other artists to both study art in Europe and learn about colonial art. However, I believe that Copley became unsuccessful as an artist in London, because he failed to understand the British culture. Every country is different, based on their society, culture, environment, and history. Based on these characteristics, every country has their own perspective on art. Copley both studied and developed art from Europe, Boston, and American Colonies. However, he did not study art from the United Kingdoms. Based on this, I believe that his artworks failed to properly communicate with the British society. The British could not both understand and appreciate Copley’s artworks, based on both his unique and foreign styles. Also, The British society could misinterpret his work as offensive to both their history and culture. Copley became a successful artist in both Boston and Colonial areas, because he fully understood their art history, styles, and cultural representation. However, he failed to be a successful artist in England, because he did not fully understand their history, culture and styles. Artists need to both learn and understand art history, culture, perspectives, and styles to become successful self-supporting artists. Based on this statement, I believe that it is good that Copley’s actions have inspired artists to visit Europe to improve both their knowledge and abilities in art.
I believe that it is understandable as to why Copley became an ex-patriot rather than to remain in the New World. Copley wanted to both study and develop art as a self-supporting artist in London, England. Also, he was concerned with his loyalty to the British royal family and his ability as a native-born artist. I believe that Copley wanted to pursue both his own happiness and interests as an artist, rather than be a patriot for America. I believe Copley wanted both freedom and opportunity, as an ex-patriot, to achieve his passion as an artist.
I believe that Copley’s choice to move to Europe to complete his specialty instruction is supported, as numerous craftsmen want to be officially prepared before they can view themselves as a craftsman. I think Copley decided to leave because he wanted to break out the standard form of art and artist known in American society. He realized what he needed to realize whether it profited his craft vocation or simply his overall life. In the event that he would have remained perhaps it’d be an alternate story, yet all things occur which is as it should be.
At the end, Copley did what he thought would be best for him and looked to improve his ability the solitary way he knew how.
Copley’s decision was one that had to be made through the outweighing of many pros and cons. It seems like, as many others have already stated, that Copley faced some of the same personal growth struggles that we all face as artists/creators at some point and in wanting to grow our knowledge and skill set and I think that is a strong enough reason for him to have made the decision that he made. That coupled with the pros of escaping some of the uncertainty at the time makes it seem like a clear decision.
It seems like Copley’s decision would have it regrets regardless. Copley faced the struggles that artist go through, but since he had no help from the ones that came before, he couldn’t get through those struggles with a clear head. At the time Europe had more to offer the art world than America, which can be enough of a reason to feel limited in your current situation and want to study abroad. He wanted to break out of his current situation to see where he could go.
Copley made a decision that was financially detrimental. Looking at it in an artistic sense, however, Copley possibly made the right decision. In Colonial America, Copley was highly successful because his style was unique. When he moved to Britain, he wanted to study and emulate European artists so being distinct didn’t appear to be much of a concern for him so made significantly less money. I can sympathize with Copley. Even though his art was unique, he seemed unfulfilled as an artist working his native vacuum. He simply wanted to learn, even if that acquired knowledge would plague his originality. He didn’t want to be unique if that came from ignorance. Despite how iconic his art was, his actions suggest that he wasn’t the most patriotic person, so for him to go back to creating the art that initially made him successful would have been inauthentic. His patriotic style would have been a mere gimmick. Copley died a poor yet knowledgeable man. His trip would have only been for naught if he sought mere prominence.
I think what he did is very contradicting to what he is trying to pursuit. In a way, he is trapped in the past idea, or the idea that only study from the master can help him become a better artist. He believed this idea to an extent that he spent all his money just by moving to London. Fortunately, he has the talent to made a career and success in a period of time. In addition, although he wants to open up a new art history for the new world, he prefer the stayed at London instead of living in America, learning the old and new history that is in the land. I think his original idea might became less significant in his later life because of all the burdens in his life. He just didn’t have the ability to care about other issues, he has to worry more about himself. In addition, he has been staying in England too long that he lost the connection with America. All together, he remained an ex-patriots because of all the life events that happened. Yet, I’m unsure of the exact detail, I’m looking forward to learn more.
I can see why Copley did this because of the history of Colonial America and Europe. Many artists want to, or feel that they need to, study art through formal education and he thought that this would be best accomplished in Europe. The “New World” was constantly changing and would change rapidly over time especially in post-revolutionary America, art being no exception, but the roots of European influence was clearly evident during this time. Due to this, I can understand why Copley would be torn between his loyalties and ultimately his decision. I think that he chose what he thought was best for him and, regardless of how it turned out and whether he had regrets, in the end it was his decision to go to Europe that aligned with his desire and vision.
Personally, I think anyone who is looking to expand on their nature as an artist, ultimately need to expand their frame of reference into understanding the art of other cultures. In this case, one needs to take into consideration the intense political tensions between the New World and Europe at the time, especially with London. Although I do think Copley did wrong in his initial intent to move to Europe, uprooting is family and ultimately dooming his financial situation, he might not have been able to foresight at the time to determine this. Ultimately, he was pursuing his dreams and chose the riskier path to pursue those dreams. Europe has also had, arguably, the best cultural influence because of art as opposed to the other locations of the world. In all of the art history courses taught at UNLV, we are taught the great masters originated in Europe. We are taught it was the Renaissance was the peak of art thriving all over the world. Yes this was a different time period, but ultimately Europe’s rich culture was a much better frame of reference with which to study for as opposed to the growing culture of the United States colonies. Copley ultimately knew he was trying to transport himself towards and ambition. He stands in history as an American painter, ultimately, and in some cases as a British-American painter, so in that sense his ambition was worth it. In other cases, he was dying and drowning in debt all at one time. I think this is also the case with most artists in general, they can go throughout the entirety of their lives without ever selling a piece or being famous for their work. I think the significance of their legacy throughout the times following their lifetime is also quite large. His title as one of the key founders of Colonial American art really does leave his life sorrowfully worth his hardships. He is regarded highly in American history now, and I ultimately think this was a worthy legacy, despite the adversities he faced politically and financially while he was alive.
I do not blame Copley for wanting the satisfaction of being recognized as a legitimate artist by the old masters in Europe as most artists, regardless of time period, look for the approval of those who came before them. The time period in which Copley lived was extremely divisive and deciding whether or not to side with the colonist or the Europeans would be a difficult decision to make. There were few colonial artists at the time and they were not considered “great”, according to European critique, which left the artist believing that in order to reach true greatness they would have to travel to Europe to learn from the true “masters”. I do believe however that Copley’s decision to travel to Europe to legitimize himself may have been a mistake, as he had the opportunity to cement himself in greatness as an American born colonial artist blazing the trail for others to come within a new style, free from the restraints of the system created by the European masters.
Honestly, I do not blame Copley one bit for the decision he ended up going with regarding not only his art career, but his livelihood as well. He lived during a time where relations between the nations were extremely divisive and him picking the wrong side could have made his life progressively harsher. I do think that if Copley had stayed in the Americas though, that his legacy could have been cemented further and he could have been an even greater artist representing the New World, but him choosing to go to Europe to study the masters of art is something that I do not fault him for doing. Since he felt like he was the leading example of art in the New World, he could have possibly hit a wall and because of that, felt as if there was nothing more he could have done regarding his art, so going to Europe where art has been evolving for the past few centuries is something that is perfectly reasonable.