In his later years, legendary painter John Trumbull said, “If you think it’s easy to paint, go to that wall and make it tell a story.”
Over the course of nearly 50 years, Trumbull spent his life trying to tell the ultimate story through art: the birth of a nation.
To a packed crowd Sunday at Rye Reading Reading Room, author and historian Richard Brookhiser discussed Trumbull’s work and legacy, which he explores in his new book, “Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution.”
Brookhiser first became familiar with Trumbull during his undergrad years at Yale, where Trumbull’s works are hung in the Yale Art Gallery.
Born in 1758, about 100 miles from Rye in the town of Lebanon, Conn., Trumbull himself was born with a dissenting spirit – much like his fellow countrymen. The son of a governor, Trumbull had grand plans to become an artist and “glorify the country and its great deeds” like ancient Athens, shared Brookhiser.
But, Brookhiser said, his father made a very valid point: “Connecticut is not Athens.”
Despite his father’s grievances, Trumbull set upon the journey to glorify through art the genesis of America.
Under dimmed lights at the Rye Free Reading Room, Brookhiser illuminated the meanings and motives behind four of Trumbull’s most celebrated paintings and their indelible mark in the history of the country.
The first painting Brookhiser analyzed for the audience was, “The Battle of Bunker’s Hill.” It was Trumbull’s first painting in the series, and captured the taste of defeat and despair, illustrating the bloodshed on the battlefield.
“Revolutions, however glorious, are not easy,” Brookhiser said. “They are not won without bloodshed.”
The second painting Brookhiser discussed was “The Declaration of Independence,” which captures the day the United States was born.
In this picture, which appears on the reverse of the U.S. $2 bill, Brookhiser pointed out the many facets Trumbull used to tell a story. Dressed in “civilian clothes,” Brookhiser explained, the men in the room were radically leaving the feudal system imposed by the British behind.
“There are no diadems, there are no robes or cloaks,” he said. “They’re all dressed in their best daily workaday clothing, because there are no feudal ranks in this revolution. Those are being left behind with the British Empire.”
Brookhiser shared that “The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis” was a portrayal of triumph on the battlefield. A white flag, depicting the French royal house, is shown parallel to the newly formed American flag. In the center, a British soldier is seen surrendering, and on each side are Americans, as well as the French, who became allies to the U.S. in the battle.
“I think this is almost a jolly painting,” Brookhiser said. “There’s clouds and smoke there, but the flags are flapping, the white flag of the French royal house, stars and stripes. Trumbull even added some extra stripes, just for enthusiasm.”
Finally, Brookhiser discussed the significance of Trumbull’s painting, “The Resignation of General Washington,” which is on display in the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, along with three other large-scale paintings by Trumbull.
Washington is seen talking to Congress, and behind him lies a purple cloak, symbolizing the color of royalty. Brookhiser said the chair the cloak rests on represents a throne – which Washington will never sit on – and a rebuke of the monarchy.
Notably, this painting is significant because there are women in the background, a first for one of Trumbull works. The women represent the end of war, and the return to normal life.
“If a revolution doesn’t bring us back to normal life,” Brookhiser said, “then it’s a failure.”
