Eastman Johnson

Eastman Johnson

Eastman Johnson was an American realism portrait and genre painter who lived from 1824 to 1906. While in art school, Johnson spent a lot of time studying the collection at the Hague. The influence of the Dutch masters can clearly be seen in his work, which is why he was often referred to as “The American Rembrandt”. Johnson made a lasting contribution to the world of art as one of the co-founders of the world renown Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. 

Eastman Johnson was born in Maine to a politically active family. In 1840, Johnson’s father was appointed the Secretary of State for Maine and moved the entire family to Washington DC. While there, his father got him a job as a portrait draftsman. Thus began Johnson’s long and notable career in art. While in Washington DC, Johnson did commission work creating portraits of legislators and other political figures.

In 1849, Johnson moved to Germany to attend art school at the Royal Academy at Düsseldorf. After completing this school, he spent four years studying at the Hague in the Netherlands. Johnson spent a lot of time studying the art of the great Dutch masters whose strong influence can be seen in his work. After the death of his mother in 1855, Johnson moved back home to the states and began his work on genre paintings, choosing to focus on daily American life, in addition to his commissioned portrait work. 

Johnson’s early genre works were focused on the Civil War and the social strife of everyone involved. This is when Johnson created many of his African American slave genre pieces. Johnson’s portraits differed from others of the day, as he chose to focus on the individuality of the figures rather than the stereotypes. These pieces were groundbreaking and helped boost Johnson’s status as one of the most respected artists in his time.

After the Civil War, Johnson’s art shifted to depictions of the pastoral and more simple lifeways. In 1870, Johnson co-founded the Metropolitan Museum of Art with other artists and businessmen as a means to make art accessible to the general public. Today, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the grandest and most prestigious museums in the world. 

Towards the end of his career, Johnson did less and less genre paintings, opting instead to work on commissioned portraits which were in high demand at this time. Eastman Johnson died in 1906 at 81 years of age.

Back to the Artists page.

You can learn about different art movements here.