John Singleton Copley
Paul Revere
Oil on Canvas
35 × 28.5 in
(88.9 × 72.4 cm)
1768
John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) was an American painter
who is famous for his portrait paintings, primarily of important figures in
Colonial New England. One of his
most popular portraits is of Paul Revere.
This is Copley’s only finished work of an artisan in
shirtsleeves, and shows him at work.
It is one of only a few portraits Copley did of craftsmen, which
illustrates how important and respected Revere was, to have his portrait done
in this fashion. Revere is one of
the most prominent figures in Early American history not only for his work in
the militia and his warning of the British troops advancing, but also for his
artwork. We are lucky to have this
portrait as well as some of his pieces of silver to admire today.
Art historian, Paul Staiti commented, “Copley was the greatest
and most influential painter in colonial America, producing about 350 works of
art.”
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