
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (August 8, 1863 – March 18, 1930) was an American
painter
Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
best known for his series of 78 scenes from
American history
The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...
, entitled ''The Pageant of a Nation'', the largest series of American historical paintings by a single artist.
Early life and education
Born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, Ferris was the son of Stephen James Ferris (1835-1915) : a portrait painter who was a devotee of
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme (; 11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academic painting, academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living art ...
(his teacher after whom he was named), and also an admirer of
Mariano Fortuny.
He grew up around art; he was trained by his father
and his uncles
Edward Moran and
Thomas Moran were both acclaimed painters.
Ferris enrolled in the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1879 and trained further at the
Académie Julian
The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...
beginning in 1883 under
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...
.
He also met his namesake
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme (; 11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academic painting, academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living art ...
, who greatly influenced his decision to paint scenes from American history. Ferris wrote, "
érôme'saxiom was that one would paint best that with which he is most familiar".
Career
His early subjects were
Orientalist in nature since that movement was in vogue when he was young. In 1882, he exhibited a painting entitled ''Feeding the Ibis'' which was valued at $600.
By 1895, he had gained a reputation as a historical painter, and he embarked on his dream of creating a series of paintings that told a historical narrative.
In 1898, he sold ''General Howe's Levee, 1777'', but he later realized that such a series could not be complete if the separate paintings could not be kept together. Consequently, he never sold another, but he did sell the reproduction rights to various publishing companies. This had the effect of greatly popularizing his work, as these companies made prints, postcards, calendars, and blank-backed trade cards to use in advertisements. Laminated cards of these works were still being sold as late as 1984.
Personal life
Ferris married Annette Amelia Ryder in 1894, and the couple had a daughter named Elizabeth Mary. He died in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
in 1930 at age 66.
Legacy
The paintings showed idealized portrayals of famous moments from
American history
The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...
. The complete series was shown at
Congress Hall
Congress Hall, located in Philadelphia at the intersection of Chestnut and 6th Streets, served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800. During Congress Hall's duration as the capitol of the United State ...
in Philadelphia from 1913 to 1930. In later years, it was shown in a number of locations, including the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
, before being returned to the Ferris family.
His works were widely popular for many years, but modern critics are far less generous in their praise.
The
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
claims that his historical paintings confuse "verity with
verisimilitude
In philosophy, verisimilitude (or truthlikeness) is the notion that some propositions are closer to being true than other propositions. The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be close ...
",
and art historian Gerald Ackerman describes them as "splendid in the accuracy of accessories, clothing and especially in the details of land conveyances and ships", but "extremely dry in execution and rather monotonous in composition."
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
1863 births
1930 deaths
19th-century American male artists
19th-century American painters
20th-century American male artists
20th-century American painters
Académie Julian alumni
American male painters
Painters from Philadelphia
American Orientalist painters
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni