Washington Allston

Washington Allston was an American painter and writer. Born in South Carolina, he is considered the first great Romanticist painter of the United States, greatly acknowledged for his atmospheric use of color and breathtaking landscapes. Passionate about poetry, the inspiration from his paintings range from Romanticism to the study of the sublime, as well as Neo-classical paintings and Titian's oeuvre.

Early Life and Education

The Allston family was of baronial descent and settled initially in Northumberland. Around 1685, they moved to the region o the Waccamaw River, becoming a wealthy family that managed rice plantations. William Allston, Washington's father, was a captain that served in the war, while his mother, Rachel Moore, belonged to a wealthy family of French descent. Washington was born on the family's plantation in 1779.

William Alston died when his son was only two years old. Although against the wishes of the Moore family, Rachel soon remarried. The artist's stepfather cared deeply for his education, and he was sent to a school in Charleston. There, he had his first experience with art and learned how to prepare colors with oil painting.

His family observed the young man's attention to arts, and fearing he might become a painter, sent him to Newport to get prepared for college. Ironically, this had the exact opposite effect. In this new city, he met Edward Greene Malbone, the most famous miniature painter of their time. Their brief relationship is registered through Malbone's Portrait of Washington Allston. Contact with other artists further encouraged Allston to pursue the profession.

The Harvard Years

After completing his course in Newport, Washington Allston had no problem entering Harvard. While at Cambridge, Washington used his leisure time to work on figure drawing and landscapes. His years there only strengthened his resolution to be an artist, as it can be confirmed through his correspondence with his mother.

His colleagues noticed that despite him being an elegant gentleman, Allston wasn't a notable scholar. Still, during his time at Cambridge, he flourished artistically. One of his first works was drawings for a professor's research. During this period, he also began writing poetry, an activity he highly valued throughout his life.

After finishing his graduation, the painter came back to Charleston, living with his mother. He proceeded with his artistic practice, diving into mythological and supernatural themes that became a constant in his work. Some of his production in this period was based on John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost.

Education at London

As Allston's family realized he continued to paint, they ceased to oppose his wishes to pursue a career as an artist. Interested in his well-being and success, they began arranging studies for him in Europe. At the beginning of 1801, he was reunited with Malbone, whom he kept in contact with while in Cambridge, and they traveled together to London. Shortly after arriving, they visited many art exhibits together. There, Allston was astonished to see that Malbone did not admire Classic art from the past. For Washington, the study of the old masters was a critical path to becoming a good artist.

Washington Allston began preparing himself for the Royal Academy admission test. He reached out to the institution's head, the artist Benjamin West, and showed him some of his drawings. Seeing his work, West confirmed that he wouldn't have any problem entering the Academy. Later the painter portrayed him in the picture Benjamin West. In September of that year, Allston was admitted into the Royal Academy.

While the American painter was surprised by the country's landscapes, he abhorred the British capital. The inequality surprised him, declaring that it was a city "of princes and beggars." He wasn't too impressed by the artists either, citing only Benjamin West and Johann Henry Fuseli in a favorable light. He stated that the latter artist painted "the only picture I ever saw that was worthy of being joined with the name of Milton."

European Travel

In the company of John Vanderlyn, Washington travels to Paris. There, the artist was fascinated by the art he encountered, especially by Titian, Tintoretto, and Paolo Veronese. For him, the Venetians were capable of going beyond the narrative aspect of painting by creating indescribable sensations through their colorwork. The Venice School became, after this experience, a significant influence on Allston's work.

After their stay in Paris, the painter went to Italy, making his way through Switzerland. While visiting Siena, Rome, and Venice, the influence of the Renaissance painters was cemented on the young artist. He spoke in admiration of Raphael Sanzio's vivacity and grace and deeply respected Michelangelo's "colossal figures", saying that they seemed like supernatural beings.

Marriage in the United States

Fearing the war that was rising in the old continent, Washington Allston returned to Boston in 1809. The acclaim he received from the writers Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Washington Irving, whom he had met in Rome some years before, helped him gain reputation and respect.

In this visit, he married Ann Channing, the daughter of a Newport lawyer and sister to William Ellery Channing, a famous preacher. During this brief stay in his homeland, Washington completed some of his best work, including portraits of his mother, relatives, and the local bourgeoisie. In 1811, the Allston couple returned to England in the company of Samuel Finley Breese Morse, a Yale student who became Allston's pupil and a lifelong friend.

Maturity

Washington Allston's return was a successful one. With years of practice and an increasing network of intellectuals and clients, he had no problem finding commissions. In 1813, the artist won a prize of two hundred guineas for the painting Dead Man Revived by Touching the Bones of the Prophet Elisha. It got critical and public acclaim and is today considered the first significant work that Allston exhibited. The whole experience was a great encouragement for the artist.

Unfortunately, Ann Channing died in 1815. The event was a profound blow to the painter, so much that some critics affirmed that he became insane, açthough his close affiliates disproved the claim. Allston continued painting to keep his head occupied and not be paralyzed by his grieving.

In 1817, the painting Uriel Standing in the Sun, measuring 248 x 198 cm, received a British Institution prize. The vice president of the institution, Marquis of Stafford, decided to purchase it right away. Even though he was one of the possible candidates for the head of the Royal Academy, in 1818, Allston chose to go back to the United States. Right after departing, he was honored as an Associate Member of the institution.

There is little information on the painter's life after his return to his country. He kept correspondence with his British friends and kept sending his paintings to be sold in London. The artist also worked evaluating if masterpieces were falsifications or not.

Later Years and Death

Washington Allston married again in 1830 to a woman named Martha Remington Dana. Martha was the daughter of the statesman Francis Dana and sister of the novelist Richard Henry Dana. The new couple moved to Cambridgeport together, and Washington seemed delighted with his new routine, working diligently every day at his studio.

His last years were relatively quiet and peaceful. Allston kept his other passion alive, writing, and in 1842 published a romance named Monaldi. After his death, his essays on art and aesthetics were published. Lectures on Art and Poems is considered the first American treatise on art.

Washington Allston died on July 9, 1843.