![]() In 1795, Stuart attempted to secure a sitting with President George Washington. With less competition from other artists than in Europe, Stuart quickly distinguished himself in the United States as a renowned portraitist. His 1794 portrait Catherine Brass Yates, the wife of a prosperous merchant, also received great acclaim. In 1794, he painted a portrait of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay, who in turn introduced him to other connected clients. Stuart landed in New York and engaged with several high-profile patrons to reestablish his reputation. 9 Stuart left Dublin in 1793, abandoning many half-completed portraits for his new quest. He believed that if he could paint Washington, he would “make a fortune.” Besides the prestige of Washington as his subject, Stuart viewed the opportunity as a way to pay back his British and Irish creditors. 8 Despite his success in Ireland, Stuart again found trouble with his finances.Īfter the Americans defeated the British in the Revolutionary War, Stuart decided he would return to the newly formed United States and find a way to paint its most famous hero, George Washington. The full-length painting now resides at the Cleveland Gallery of Art. Completing such a regal portrait helped bolster Stuart’s international reputation as a premiere portrait artist. The portrait was painted on textured linen, likely a tablecloth. 7 The most famous portrait completed in Ireland was titled John, Lord Fitzgibbon (1789) which depicted the Lord Chancellor, the highest judicial officer in Ireland at the time. In debt to numerous creditors, he moved his family to Dublin, where he engaged in portraiture of the Protestant minority ruling class for several years. Unfortunately, Stuart mismanaged his growing finances. 6Īfter opening his own studio and enjoying success as an artist, Stuart married a British woman, Charlotte Coates. 5 On display at the Royal Academy, it received considerable accolades and Stuart’s reputation as a portraitist was firmly established. ![]() ![]() Stuart’s inclusion of motion in the The Skater broke the previous European “Grand Manner” tradition of portraiture, which refers to an ideal artistic form combining the classical style of Greek and Roman drawing and the principles of the Italian Renaissance. When Stuart eventually painted the portrait, he depicted Grant gliding along a curve on the ice, his arms folded in typical skating form. Instead of sitting for the portrait, Stuart and Grant went skating in Hyde Park. Although it was originally planned as a traditional portrait, Grant arrived at Stuart’s studio on a brisk winter morning. 4 During this time, he began to exhibit at the Royal Academy and found considerable success with his 1782 painting, The Skater, a portrait of William Grant. Stuart spent five years as an apprentice and assistant to West, improving his work with color and by developing a more sophisticated brushstroke. He became known for his uncanny ability to capture the personality of the individual in his painting. While West preferred painting scenes from history, Stuart focused on portraiture. He struggled for several years to support himself as an organist and eventually received found assistance from Benjamin West, a former American colonial residing in London. At the beginning of the American Revolution, as his Loyalist family fled to Canada, Stuart departed for London to establish himself as an artist. John Bannister and her Son in 1774 and Benjamin Waterhouse in 1775. ![]() Stuart returned to Newport and began painting portraits, including Mrs. After touring the southern colonies, they traveled together to Scotland in 1771, but Alexander died soon thereafter. In 1770, Stuart became an apprentice to Scottish portraitist Cosmo Alexander. His first known painting, completed in 1769, was titled Dr. He initially studied under a local portraitist, Samuel King. His family moved to Newport, Rhode Island a few years later, and Stuart began painting as a teenager. Gilbert Stuart was born in Saunderstown, Rhode Island on December 3, 1755, the youngest of three children. ![]() Gilbert Stuart is one of the most famous portraitists in American history, best known for his unfinished Athenaeum depiction of President George Washington. ![]()
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