By Jerrad Walls
05/06/2007
John
Brewster is widely considered one of the great deaf artists of his
time or ever. He is famous for his vivid pictures of American life.
He created, "masterpieces of American painting" and Brewster himself
is labeled "an undisputed master of the genre." He was a key pioneer
of a style of American folk portraiture that began to dominate rural
New England. It was very similar to the style English Grand Manner
which was shown through the works of Connecticut portraitist Ralph
Earl. The Grand Manner style depicted a romanticized view of the
subject, with rich colors and an exploration of detail in the
subject’s features, costume, and setting. By working in a folk art
style that emphasized simpler settings, broad, flat areas of color,
and soft, expressive facial features, Brewster was able to achieve a
level of detail that was unmatched for his time. The great things he
was able to accomplished over the course of his career just goes to
show how accurate the famous deaf phrase "Deaf People Can Do
Anything Except Hear" really is.
Although little is known about Brewster's childhood and youth, it is
likely that his early years were spent largely within a close circle
of family and friends. He was born on May 30,1766, the third child
of Dr. John and Mary Brewster of Hampton, Connecticut. Being deaf
from birth and growing up long before the development of
standardized signing systems for the deaf, Brewster probably could
only communicate well with those closest to him. His mother died
when he was seventeen; his father and new stepmother Ruth Avery of
Brooklyn, Connecticut would go on to have four more children after
John. Brewster first learned to paint around 1790 from a good friend
of the family Reverend Joseph Steward. Many of Brewster’s early
works greatly resembled the works of Steward. Soon however, he began
to distinguish himself as a gifted artist developing unique
qualities in his own style. Brewster’s career flourished quite
early. His signature style soon became painting children in full
length format. The paintings depicted children in white garments
with large expressive eyes emphasizing the child’s innocence. From
the pictures it is evident that Brewster seemed to have a special
bond with children. His deafness is believed to be the cause for his
mature portrait style. Around 1805, he began to paint half length
pictures which were less expensive than the full length portraits.
The half length format allowed Brewster to focus even more attention
on the subjects face thus his best work came out when he switched to
this style. He would continue this style until around 1817.
In 1817, the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of
Deaf and Dumb Persons opened up and Brewster eagerly enrolled. At
age 51 Brewster was the oldest student at the school, but he had a
strong desire to learn. He was witness to the birth of American Sign
Language (ASL). After leaving the school in 1820 he faced the
predicament of reentering the world of the hearing or embrace his
newfound Deaf community. He ultimately decided to return to living
with the hearing. Brewster’s short time at the school greatly
influenced his art. His paintings from the 1820’s to the early
1830’s showed even more of an emphasis on the characterization of
the sitter by unique uses of shading bringing out a more solemn
effect to the paintings. Brewster would continue with this style
until his death in 1854.
John Brewster is widely considered one of the greatest folk painters
in American history. His deafness was not seen as an obstacle in his
life. He instead used his Deafness to strengthen others aspects of
his skills. To this day his works are still unmatched in their
uniqueness. His determination in overcoming communication challenges
should be an inspiration not only to Deaf people but hearing people
as well.
References:
Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster, Jr.
(2005, Dec. 31) Resource Library Magazine.
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/5aa/5aa306.htm
Lane, Harlan Deaf Artist: The World of John Brewster Jr. Beacon
Press (2004} ISBN 0-8070-6616-8
http://www.answers.com/topic/john-brewster-jr
Paul D'Ambrosio, catalog for the exhibit "A Deaf Artist in Early
America: The Worlds of John Brewster Jr." (catalog referred to in
Genocchio's art review in The New York Times)