Autoplay Next video from Max length

The Revolutionary Art of John Singleton Copley

4,703 views · Published 29 November 2017 · 51:56 · Indexed 23 October 2026

Channel: Chicago Humanities · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

One of the clearest windows into the complexities of America’s revolutionary period can be found through its paintings. In her prize-winning book, 'A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley', Harvard University professor Jane Kamensky dives into the life and times of a man who was both colonial America’s premier painter and a British loyalist, whose art and letters reveal what she deems an “unheroic, sometimes anti-heroic” man. Join the unofficial “American historian laureate” for a conversation about how revolutionary upheaval shaped Copley’s life, world, and work, and how Copley's life in turn reshapes our understanding of the American Revolution.

This annual lecture recognizes a generous multiyear grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Terra Foundation is dedicated to fostering the exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts in the United States for national and international audiences.

See upcoming CHF events: http://chicagohumanities.org

Help us subtitle and translate our videos: http://chf.to/SubtitleCHF

Subscribe for more thought-provoking videos: http://chf.to/SubscribeCHF

Support CHF with a donation: http://chf.to/Support-CHF

Follow CHF on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Chi_Humanities

Like CHF on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chicagohumanities

Subscribe to the CHF podcast on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/chicago-humanities-festival/id303222991

Help us caption & translate this video!

https://amara.org/v/cxNH/