John Singleton Copley (1738 ndash; 1815) was an American painter; active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston; Massachusetts; to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley; both Anglo-Irish. He is famous for his portrait paintings of important figures in colonial New England; depicting in particular middle-class subjects. His paintings were innovative in their tendency to depict artifacts relating to these individuals lives.John Singleton Copleyrsquo;s portraits of colonial New Englanders; including Paul Revere and John Hancock; are considered among the best examples of early American art. In painting ldquo;visual biographiesrdquo;mdash;portraits that subtly indicated the sitterrsquo;s social position through narrative detailsmdash;Copley endeared himself to his patrons by depicting them as they desired to project themselves. Embodying the same entrepreneurial spirit underlying the success of many of his working-class subjects; the self-taught Copley built a name for himself by introducing private exhibitions and promoting mass-market prints of his own work. While known primarily for his oil paintings; Copley was also a pioneering American pastelist; having requested a set of the ldquo;best Swiss crayonsrdquo; from the Swiss painter Jean-Eacute;tienne Liotard. Upon immigrating to London in 1774; he concentrated on historical narrative scenesmdash;as in his famed Watson and the Shark (1778)mdash;then considered to be the highest form artistic expression.Copley was one of the greatest and most influential painter in colonial America; producing about 350 works of art. With his startling likenesses of persons and things; he came to define a realist art tradition in America. His visual legacy extended throughout the nineteenth century in the American taste for the work of artists as diverse as Fitz Henry Lane and William Harnett. In Britain; while he continued to paint portraits for the eacute;lite; his great achievement was the development of contemporary history painting; which was a combination of reportage; idealism; and theatre.
#3222754 in eBooks 2015-05-14 2015-05-14File Name: B00WMYTSDM
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. All Fizz but no SubstanceBy Ann El-AgezI enjoyed the first couple of chapters about her childhood but from then on the book fell apart and i found myself skimming over all the many names of people; cafes and places that meant nothing to me. Poorly written in that there was no depth or order to the story line. She just jumped from one tangled mess to the next without any real ability to engage the reader in what was going onPatti was certainly an icon of the sixties and I cant help but admire the fact that she survived through all the excesses of the time. Reading this has made me sad for her in many ways ..Beautiful but barren. Wealthy but poor in genuine loving relationships. I hope she has found happiness in her later years4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. I loved reading about the inner workings of four very talented ...By GracePattie Boyd gives you a look into the world of The Beatles from very early on. If you are a fan of The Beatles you will find this book very interesting. Its not just a story about her life with George and Eric; I loved reading about the inner workings of four very talented men.15 of 17 people found the following review helpful. I also knew Pattie had a pretty sister who was involved with other rockersBy NocturnalI bought this book because I was and still am a Beatles fan. They were such huge influence in my life. So; of course; I have always been curious about the women in the Beatles lives. I saw Hard Days Night when it first came out and was aware of the Paul vs. George thing for Pattie Boyds favor. I knew already she and George had married; never had kids; her affair with Eric Clapton that lead to her divorce from George. I also knew Pattie had a pretty sister who was involved with other rockers. Pattie was the "It" girl during the Beatles era--tall; slim; long straight blonde hair and big blue eyes (hm; I guess shed still be the "It" girl today). But you never know about the back story from the media. And thats what this book is all about. I do think both Boyd and Cynthia Lennon was far too submissive and compliant; allowing their men to treat them like personal slaves made to keep the house; cook; fetch and carry without any consideration of the wifes hopes and dreams--and these wives enabled it in hopes that being so cooperative would keep their men tethered to them. Which; obviously it didnt. Its something that happens a lot when a man starts to rise in power; influence and social stature; if his woman cannot keep up by becoming just as potent; hell find someone else who is because you can hire housekeepers; chefs and aides through an agency (you dont have to marry someone to get those services). It was an interesting read simply for that reason. Both Boyd and Cynthia Lennon never understood that reality so lost their men. And it also goes to show; all you girls obsessed with your looks; that being the most beautiful does not guarantee you happiness or a happily ever after; your looks may initially attract the attention you want but it wont keep it.
