Hutton leaves legacy
Students, faculty reflect on important contributor to community
Sara Stroo
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: News
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His office was more of a library, shelves jumbled with every Emile Zola novel written, guide books to France and Italy, large coffee table books of Impressionist art and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. His memory was near photographic, his anecdotes memorable and his friends number too many to count among colleagues and students alike. He ate in Coates almost every day and he always got extra pickles on the side of his sandwich.
John Hutton, professor of art and art history, died Nov. 27, 2007. He was the senior member of the department, coming to Trinity in 1986. He taught courses on the visual arts of nineteenth and twentieth century Europe and America, his course on Impressionism being one of the most popular on campus. He was chair of the department twice.
"He brought his prodigious knowledge to the classroom and showed us ever new ways of thinking about visual culture as a mirror of life. He could be so revealing in such an unassuming way, making no one feel the lesser for his intellectual feats. On the contrary, he gave us great pleasure to discover the possibilities for new insights and deeper understanding," said Charles Talbot, recently retired from the art history department. "No experience is more important at a university than sharing a classroom with such a person who shows us the potential of a deeply thinking, knowing and caring mind. You could study at any university in the country and not find a light burning brighter than John Hutton's. And that light will stay alight in the memory of his humanity and powerful intellect."
Gabriella Ruiz, senior, said that Hutton was certainly one of the reasons why she decided on an art history major. Ruiz said that she was struck by his ability to recall the artists, titles and dates of any image he showed
in class and to impart every piece of history that could even remotely involve the work.
"It was an honor to study under him and see such genius work," Ruiz said. "May he always be remembered as profound, inspiring, and witty. He touched the lives of so many students throughout his years as a professor and will continue to touch those who studied under him."
John Hutton, professor of art and art history, died Nov. 27, 2007. He was the senior member of the department, coming to Trinity in 1986. He taught courses on the visual arts of nineteenth and twentieth century Europe and America, his course on Impressionism being one of the most popular on campus. He was chair of the department twice.
"He brought his prodigious knowledge to the classroom and showed us ever new ways of thinking about visual culture as a mirror of life. He could be so revealing in such an unassuming way, making no one feel the lesser for his intellectual feats. On the contrary, he gave us great pleasure to discover the possibilities for new insights and deeper understanding," said Charles Talbot, recently retired from the art history department. "No experience is more important at a university than sharing a classroom with such a person who shows us the potential of a deeply thinking, knowing and caring mind. You could study at any university in the country and not find a light burning brighter than John Hutton's. And that light will stay alight in the memory of his humanity and powerful intellect."
Gabriella Ruiz, senior, said that Hutton was certainly one of the reasons why she decided on an art history major. Ruiz said that she was struck by his ability to recall the artists, titles and dates of any image he showed
in class and to impart every piece of history that could even remotely involve the work.
"It was an honor to study under him and see such genius work," Ruiz said. "May he always be remembered as profound, inspiring, and witty. He touched the lives of so many students throughout his years as a professor and will continue to touch those who studied under him."
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