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Charles Willson Peale
William Smith and His Grandson, 1788
Peale's double portrait features William Smith, a Baltimore merchant, statesman, and father-in-law of Revolutionary War general Otto Holland Williams. Smith is pictured at his country estate, Eutaw, named for the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the site of Williams's successful campaign against the British. The classical facade at right is imaginary, underscoring the older man's aspirations to serve in the First Congress of the United States. The books, pruning hook, and peach branch evoke leisure activities as well as an abundant legacy for young Robert Smith Williams, who receives his grandfather's loving attention.
The Maryland-born Peale was the first American artist to seek training with Benjamin West in London. His resulting neoclassical style featured simplified compositions, precise drawing, and evening lighting -- in contrast to his contemporary John Singleton Copley, whose vivid images of Boston's elite (for example, Mrs. Isaac Royall, on view nearby) emphasized sensuous textures and dramatic contrasts of light and dark. |