In George Washington (Trumbull), how is the Description discussed?
Washington, in full military uniform, a blue coat over buff waistcoat and pants, is shown brightly lit in the center of a landscape, standing on a hill overlooking the Hudson River in New York. In the background, West Point is visible on the left, with a red and white striped banner flying, perhaps the First Navy Jack. Washington holds a hat, sword, and scrolled document. A red turbaned Black servant, usually identified as William "Billy" Lee, attends Washington's horse in the right foreground. Smoke rises from ships on the river in the lower right background.The likeness of Washington may be influenced by Charles Willson Peale's c. 1776 portrait of Washington, which Trumbull had copied in Boston in 1778, and which is now in the Brooklyn Museum.  The composition shows influences from other paintings of military men with a groom and horse, back to Anthony van Dyck's c. 1635 painting Charles I at the Hunt.  Some aspects, such as the reinforcement of outlines with black, echo the techniques of Benjamin West.
Benjamin West New York Boston Brooklyn Museum Black Hudson River Anthony van Dyck Charles Willson Peale First Navy Jack West Point Charles I at the Hunt buff