J S Lincoln, Portrait of Amasa M & Charles F. Eaton, Pinx, 1852, oil on canvas, 53 3/4" x 48"
2Portraiture
James Sullivan Lincoln (1811-1888) Father of Rhode Island Art
researched and written by Patricia Krupinski
Subject Matter:
Portraits
Education:
Apprentice to C. T. Hinkley
Collections & publications:
Brown University, City Hall, Providence, Moses Brown School, Newport Historical Society, Providence Art Club, Providence Athenaeum, Rhode Island Historical Society, Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island State House, Providence
Community:
Founding member and first president of the Providence Art Club
Art Friends:
C.W. Stetson, Thomas Robinson
Biography
James Sullivan Lincoln’s portraits are exquisite. Lincoln is able to capture the essence of the person through his precise lines and deep understanding of tones. The eyes and smiles of his subjects hold a sense of life that causes the viewers to see not only the social standing of the person, but also who they were in life. He places the figures in backgrounds that highlight the men, women, and children he painted. His paintings of children exude a gentleness and kindness, reflecting his deep love of his own wife and daughter. Lincoln was able to paint both a position and a person, using paint to capture just who a person was. Read More
"There is a portrait of Mr. Updike by Lincoln, excellent both as a picture and as a likeness…it is a radiant face suggestive of strength and enjoyment…As the picture so the man."- Providence Daily Journal, February 1867