Biography from AskART:
| Rembrandt Peale was born in 1778 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the
second son of Charles Willson Peale. At the age of eight he began to
draw. He painted his first portrait at the age of thirteen. At the age
of seventeen he painted the last portrait of George Washington to be
done from life, although there is some ambiguity as to how much help he
received from his father. He became a student at classes organized by
his father and other Philadelphia artists and also studied the
chemistry of pigments at the University of Pennsylvania's new medical
school.
In 1796, together with his brother Raphaelle, he
established a museum in Baltimore, Maryland. He then assisted his
father in unearthing and assembling the first complex skeleton of a
mastodon ever found. In 1802 he visited London, studied under Benjamin
West and exhibited at the Royal Academy the following year. In 1808 and
1809 he met with considerable success as a portraitist in Paris, where
many celebrities sat for him. He returned to America in 1811 and
attempted once more to establish the museum, which had failed in
Baltimore in 1799. It was opened in 1814, and is now restored as the
Municipal Museum of that city.
Rembrandt continued to paint
until his death, turning out occasional portraits and making copies of
his original Washington. He served as President of the American Academy
of Art. He died in 1860.
Sources include:
Masterpieces of Art, Catalogue of the New York World's Fair, 1940
From the Internet, AskART.com
Article in Smithsonian Magazine written by Lillian B. Miller (date unknown)
Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher form Laguna Woods, California. |
Biography from AskART:
| Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Rembrandt Peale was the second son and pupil of
Charles Willson Peale. He became a much accomplished portrait painter,
especially noted for his portraits of George Washington.
He
painted his first portrait at age 13, and at age 17, obtained a sitting
by George Washington. This subject began a lifetime quest of trying to produce
the most fitting image of Washington and have it accepted as the
President's official likeness. During the 1840s and 50s, he made over
seventy replicas which provided him with a continuous income.
In
1797, he and his brother Raphaelle opened a museum of art and natural
history in Baltimore, but it was not successful. He then assisted his
father in unearthing and assembling the first complete skeleton of a
mastodon ever found.
Traveling to Paris and London, he decided to paint
historical scenes but got negative responses, so he reestablished
himself as a successful portrait painter, especially of George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In New York, he served as President of
the American Academy of Art and spent the remainder of his life in
Philadelphia.
Source:
David Michael Zellman, 300 Years of American Art
|
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rembrandt Peale is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exhibition 1915
Paris Pre 1900
|