English art
portraits
landscapes

  Benjamin West

born: Springfield, Pennsylvania; 10 October 1738
died: London, England; 11 March 1820

Benjamin West specialized in historical scenes and portraits. He was a leading English artist in his time.

He was born in Springfield (now Swarthmore), Pennsylvania, and was largely self-taught. He painted portraits in Philadelphia from 1746 to 1759. On a trip to Italy in 1759 he acquired a classical style of painting by copying the works of Titian and Raphael.

In 1763, West moved to England and set up shop as a portrait painter. He became friends with Sir Joshua Reynolds. King George III commissioned him to do portraits of members of the royal family. Later he became historical painter to the court. West was a founding member of the Royal Academy. In 1792, he became the second president of the Academy.

He was a leader in the realistic movement. His painting The Death of Wolfe (1771, National Gallery, Ottawa) broke the usual tradition of depicting soldiers in contemporary battle scenes wearing Greco-Roman costumes.

West taught many painters including: Gilbert Charles Stuart and John Singleton Copley.

There are a couple of more West pictures in the American Colonial Period Gallery.

English art
portraits
landscapes