 All About Art
John Trumbull: Patriot Painter
John Trumbull was a famous American artist from the time of the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on June 6, 1756.
 Although many Americans may not recognize his name, they will surely recognize his paintings. The U.S. Senate asked him to produce four large war paintings, which now hang in the United States Capitol building. The four paintings are: Surrender of General Burgoyne, Declaration of Independence, Surrender at Yorktown, and Washington Resigning His Commission. The famous painting "Declaration of Independence" is even on the back of the $2 bill! This painting might be misunderstood as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but what it really depicts is the five-man committee that drafted the declaration presenting their work to the Congress. He also painted portraits of Presidents George Washington and John Adams.
John Trumbull attended Harvard University at age 15 in 1771. He was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, and witnessed the famous Battle of Bunker Hill. In 1780 he was appointed aide-de-camp which means personal assistant to George Washington. Trumbull was appointed President of the American Academy of Fine Art and held that position for 19 years. He died in 1843 at the age of 88. He is buried beneath the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the inscription on his tomb says, To his Country he gave his SWORD and his PENCIL.
Source: www.Wikipedia.com, John Trumbull. Murray, P. & L. (1996), Dictionary of Art and Artists, Penguin Books.
|
