The Mentor, No. 45, Makers of American Art
MAKERS OF AMERICAN ART
By J. THOMSON WILLING
WEST
COPLEY
STUART
THE MENTOR
Serial No. 45
Department of Fine Arts
MENTOR GRAVURES
LADY WENTWORTH
By John Singleton Copley—1737-1815
CHRIST REJECTED
By Benjamin West—1738-1820
GEORGE WASHINGTON
By Charles Willson Peale—1741-1827
ALEXANDER HAMILTON
By John Trumbull—1756-1843
DOLLY MADISON
By Gilbert Stuart—1755-1828
A SPANISH GIRL
By Washington Allston—1779-1843
Early art in America was distinctly commercial, in that it conformedto the law of demand and supply. In those prephotographic daysrecords were desired of the appearance of people who were graduallycoming into an easier mode of living than their ancestors, the hardy pioneers,had been able to acquire. The Colonial official, the landowner, themerchant, all wished to emulate in little the great folk of the Old World,and have family portraits. The craftsmen to supply the demand werefew, and the quality of their art far from fine. The Colonial period wasbarren of good production. It is marvelous that in this pictorially unculturedtime, without the stimulus of good examples to be seen and offellow strivers to instruct, such wonderfully good workers in art shouldarise as Copley in Boston and West in Pennsylvania, and a little later Malbonein Newport, who in miniature work outclassed anyone then working.After study in Europe these men’s work was broader and better; but yetmuch of their early work indicates their caliber.
EARLY AMERICANPORTRAITS
MR. and MRS. IZARD (Alice DeLancey)
By Copley, in Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
After the proclamation ofpeace the people were moreprosperous and the portraitmarket was good. Not onlyfamily portraits were wanted,but portraits of political heroes.The commercial artistwas there to take orders anddeliver the goods. The goodshe delivered were of a veryhigh grade of work