A Life in Portraiture and Music
William Johnston was a colonial American painter born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Thomas Johnston, a japanner, and Rachel Thwing. Before establishing himself as a portraitist, he began his professional life as a musician, serving as the organist at Boston's Christ Church from 1750 to 1753. His artistic journey eventually led him to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he lived from 1759 until 1762, and later to Connecticut. In Connecticut, he became the first painter to work extensively in the colony, serving residents in New London, New Haven, and the Hartford area.
His career eventually took him to Barbados, where he continued to work as a portraitist and received seventy-five pounds a year to play the organ. Johnston died in Bridgetown in April 1772, following a sudden illness.
Artistic Style and Legacy
Johnston's work is characterized by a style similar to his friend John Singleton Copley, often adopting similar poses. His paintings frequently utilize a three-quarter length format, and many of his backgrounds and poses were drawn from English mezzotints of the period. While his style is noted as being more linear than that of Joseph Blackburn, his portraits have historically been so similar to Copley's that at least three of his works were previously misidentified as belonging to the latter.
His notable works include:
Today, his legacy is preserved in several collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Connecticut Historical Society, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Perguntas e Respostas
Existe uma visão geral de todos os temas que William Johnston pintou?
A página Atlas de Temas mapeia as obras de William Johnston por tema.
Como posso encontrar obras de William Johnston em uma paleta específica?
A página Por paleta de cores agrupa as obras de William Johnston por suas paletas de cores.
Existe uma linha do tempo das obras de William Johnston?
As obras de William Johnston podem ser visualizadas em ordem cronológica na página de Linha do tempo das obras do artista.
Como a arte de William Johnston evoluiu ao longo do tempo?
A trajetória de William Johnston desenrola-se período a período na página Linha do tempo do artista: uma linha do tempo horizontal das obras, agrupadas em capítulos por fases da carreira.
