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Benjamin West
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image:BenjaminWestNGA.gif thumb|200px|''Self Portrait of Benjamin West'', ca. 1763
'''Benjamin West''' (
October 10,
1738 –
March 11,
1820) was an
United Kingdom Anglo-
United States American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the
American Revolution.
Born in
Springfield, Pennsylvania (now
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Swarthmore) as the tenth child of an innkeeper. Benjamin West was an
autodidact. While excelling at the arts, "he had little [formal] education and, even when president of the Royal Academy, could scarcely spell."(Hughes, 70) From 1746 to 1759, West worked in Pennsylvania painting portraits while fostered by the
provost (education) provost of the
College of Philadelphia,
Dr. William Smith. Also, during this time West met
John Wollaston, a famous painter who immigrated from
London. West picked up on many of Wollaston's techniques dealing with the shimmer of silk and satin as well as some of "his mannerisms, the most prominent of which was to give all his subjects large almond-shaped eyes, which clients thought very chic."(Hughes, 71) In 1759, he moved to
Italy where he expanded his repertoire by copying the works of Italian painters such as
Titian and
Raffaello Santi Raphael.
In 1763, West moved to
England, where he was commissioned by
George III of the United Kingdom King George III to create portraits of members of the royal family. The king himself was twice painted by him. He painted his most famous, and possibly most influential painting, ''The Death of General Wolfe'', in 1770, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1771. Although originally snubbed by Reynolds and others as over ambitious, the painting became one of the most frequently reproduced images of the period.
In 1772, King George appointed him historical painter to the court at an annual fee of £1,000. West became friends with the English portraitist Sir
Joshua Reynolds and founded the
Royal Academy of Arts with Reynolds in 1768. He was the second president of the Royal Academy from 1792 to 1805. He was re-elected in 1806 and was president until his death in 1820. He was
Surveyor of the King's Pictures from 1791 until his death.
West is known for his large scale
history paintings, which use expressive figures, colours and compositional schemes to help the spectator to identify with the scene represented. West called this "
epic representation".
He died in
London.
=Major works=
Image:death-wolfe.jpg|"Death of General Wolfe" (1770)
Image:Westpenntreaty.jpg|"Penn's Treaty with the Indians" (1771)
Image:Benjamin West 001.jpg|"Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus" (1768)
Image:Westdeathonthepalehorse.jpg|"Death on the Pale Horse" (1796)
Image:Benjamin west omnia vincit amor 1809.jpg|"Omnia Vincit Amor" or "The Power of Love in the Three Elements" (1809)
{{Commons|Benjamin West}}
Works Cited
Hughes, Robert. '''American Visions.''' New York: Random House, 1997.
Books About Benjamin West
Henry, Marguerite and Wesley Dennis. '''Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin.''' New York: Macmillan ; London: Collier Macmillan, 1987, c1947. ISBN 0027436608. (A biography of Benjamin West for children).
* Galt, ''Life of Benjamin West'', (London, 1820)
* Samuel Isham, ''History of American Painting'', (new edition, New York, 1915)
External links
-
The Death of Nelson (1806) in the [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/ Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool]
{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before=
Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds|
title=President of the Royal Academy|
after=
James Wyatt|
years=1792–1805|
}}
{{succession box |
before=
James Wyatt|
title=President of the Royal Academy|
after=
Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence|
years=1806–1820|
}}
{{end box}}
Category:1738 births West, Benjamin
Category:1820 deaths West, Benjamin
Category:American painters West, Benjamin
Category:Autodidacts West, Benjamin
Category:British painters West, Benjamin
Category:History artists West, Benjamin
Category:People from Pennsylvania West, Benjamin
Category:Quakers West, Benjamin
bg:Бенджамин УеÑ?Ñ‚
de:Benjamin West
es:Benjamin West
fr:Benjamin West
pl:Benjamin West
sv:Benjamin West
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