Washington Allston

Washington Allston was an American painter and poet who pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting.

Painter

November 5, 1779

July 09, 1843

63

Washington Allston was a prominent American painter and poet who played a crucial role in the early-American Romanticism movement. He was renowned for his dramatic and allegorical paintings, with some of his most famous works being “Dead Man Restored to Life”, “Italian Landscape with Umbrella Pine”, and “The Angel Released St. Peter from Prison”. Allston also made significant contributions to the literary community, writing several poems such as “The Sylphs of the Seasons”.

Born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina, Allston is considered the first significant American Romantic painter. He was known for his experimentation with dramatic subject matter and his bold use of light and atmospheric color. Throughout his career, Allston developed friendships with notable writers and artists, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Blake. He was deeply influenced by Blake’s mystical and visionary art style, which later inspired some of his own work.

Allston spent time studying art in Europe, which further shaped his artistic style and influenced future generations of American artists. His final resting place is in Harvard Square, at “the Old Burying Ground” between the First Parish Church and Christ Church.

In summary, Washington Allston’s contributions to American art and literature, his innovative techniques, and his influential friendships with other prominent figures, firmly establish him as a vital figure in the history of American Romanticism.