John Singleton Copley
1738-1815
American Colonial Era Portraitist and Historical Painter
Stylistically influenced by the following painters - Peter Pelham, John Smibert, Benjamin West, Thomas Gainsborough, and John Constable
Education - His stepfather was well known Colonial artist, Peter Pelham. He worked in Pelham's studio and had access to hundreds of prints by artist of the Renaissance
Cause of Death - Heart Failure
Description Jean-Paul Laurens Academic Classicism Painting style
Copley was the most gifted American painter of the Colonial Era. He excelled in classical portraiture, religious themes and romanticized contemporary history painting.. According to his biographer, Mary Schell Hoke Bacon, "He liked best to paint "interiors"--rooms with fine furniture and curtains, women in fine clothing and men in embroidered waistcoats and bejewelled buckles." He was born in Boston but later traveled through out Europe before settling in London where he was well regarded for his intellect and exacting technical abilities. Copley's style was influenced by both Neoclassicism and Romanticism. His paintings are characterized by technical dexterity. realism, and straightforward emotion.
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