Study for "The Death of Major Peirson": Group of Dying French Officers 1782 - 1783

This is John Singleton Copley’s Study for "The Death of Major Peirson": Group of Dying French Officers, a drawing rendered in graphite on paper. Copley, an American then living in London, made this study for his painting depicting a scene from the Battle of Jersey in 1781. Though Copley was American, he spent much of his career catering to British tastes, particularly for scenes of military valor. This study, focusing on dying French officers, hints at the complexities of representing warfare and defeat. The sketch captures the moment of collapse, evoking a sense of vulnerability and loss, disrupting conventional portrayals of the battlefield. How might Copley, as an American artist working in Britain, have felt portraying the death of French soldiers, enemies of the British? The dying figures challenge the traditional narratives of heroism, inviting viewers to reflect on the human cost of conflict. There's a quiet emotional charge in the artist’s delicate lines.