John Vanderlyn

John Vanderlyn was among the first generation of artists who tried to raise the standards of American art to the level of European painting, which was then considered far superior. After studying basic painting techniques with Gilbert Stuart, Vanderlyn spent 19 years studying in Europe, where he was fascinated by ancient statues and neoclassical history painting. Vanderlyn found limited success back in America, as there was little demand for the grand history paintings he wanted to paint.