Pictorial art in the Revolutionary Era reflected America’s transition from an assortment of colonies on the periphery of civilization to a unified nation taking its position near the center of the world stage. Now a country with heroes and international figures, there was a need for painters who could tell of its greatness, its victories, its ideologies. An art limited to portraits of merchants and planters was no longer adequate and a school of history painting emerged.

The course examines the work of the period’s leading American artists: John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West, Charles Willson Peale, John Trumbull and Gilbert Stuart.

Ralph Pearson frequently leads OLLI classes about eighteenth and nineteenth century painting, with emphasis on North American landscapes. He also serves on the travel committee, following a career in hospitality and worldwide tour management. UBuffalo B.A., Cornell M.P.S.

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