John Singleton Copley, The Death of Major Peirson 1782–4. Tate.
16 rooms in Historic and Early Modern British Art
250 years after the American Revolution (1775–83), this display spotlights the American painters in London who led a parallel ‘revolution’ in art
In the late 18th century, a group of American painters rose to the top of the London art world. They contributed to the development of portraiture, landscape and religious painting. Above all, they transformed ‘history painting’ – grand scenes taken from classical mythology, the Bible or ancient history. Joshua Reynolds, president of the Royal Academy at the time, is said to have called this a ‘revolution in the art’.
History paintings were expected to convey moral lessons through stories of the distant past. Yet, in 1770, Benjamin West painted The Death of General Wolfe, dramatising a battle in the recent Seven Years’ War. A new kind of ‘modern’ history painting was born. John Singleton Copley and others in West’s circle soon took up his innovative approach. Their ambitious works used current events – often a heroic death – to explore timeless ideals like liberty, loyalty and sacrifice.
Yet the moral values championed by these works were coming under increasing strain. Thirteen of Britain’s North American colonies rebelled, declaring themselves the independent ‘United States’. The war sparked intense public debate, as did Britain’s expanding global empire and role in the transatlantic slave trade. Caught between lofty ideals and flawed realities, these paintings reveal the tensions of an age gripped by revolution.