GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The following essay is from the 1982 publication Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern: An Exhibition of Paintings from Private Collections in Dallas.
Benjamin West was America's first internationally famous artist. Not only was he the first American-born painter known to have studied in Europe but he also went on to play an important role in the development of Europe's Neoclassical and Romantic movements, earning a reputation that spanned both sides of the Atlantic. West was born near Philadelphia and started to paint at an early age. He received his first portrait commission at fifteen and by 1756 was working in Philadelphia as a sign painter and portraitist while also trying his hand at history painting. With an ambition to improve himself and learn more about the old masters, he secured financial help enabling him to travel to Italy in 1759. In Rome, where the revival of classicism was beginning to be felt, he received introductions in to the leading artistic circles and began to absorb the current aesthetic trends, particularly that toward a classicized grand manner. West intended to return to America in 1763, but a stop-over in London turned into permanent residence. Within a few years he became tremendously popular, and his studio became a mecca for younger American artists desiring instruction abroad. Among his students were Washington Allston, Ralph Earl, Charles Wilson Peale, Thomas Sully, Samuel F.B. Morse, and John Trumbull, making West one of the founding fathers of American art. In 1768 George III appointed him a charter member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and in 1772 he became historical painter to the king. A proponent of Neoclassicism, West also ventured into subjects from literature, the Bible, and even contemporary history, and his dramatic Shakespearean scenes helped usher in Romanticism. As President of the Royal Academy he held a position of prestige and power, and by the time of his death in 1820 he was considered one of England's greatest artists.
Adapted from
Steven A. Nash, "Benjamin West (1738-1820)", in Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern: an exhibition of paintings from private collections in Dallas, ed. Robert V. Rozelle (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1982), 28.
NOTES
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WEB RESOURCES
- Benjamin West, Self-Portrait, Smithsonian American Art Museum~View a self portrait of Benjamin West painted the year before his death.
- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History~Learn more about the students of Benjamin West from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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General Description
The following essay is from the 1982 publication Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern: An Exhibition of Paintings from Private Collections in Dallas.
Benjamin West was America's first internationally famous artist. Not only was he the first American-born painter known to have studied in Europe but he also went on to play an important role in the development of Europe's Neoclassical and Romantic movements, earning a reputation that spanned both sides of the Atlantic. West was born near Philadelphia and started to paint at an early age. He received his first portrait commission at fifteen and by 1756 was working in Philadelphia as a sign painter and portraitist while also trying his hand at history painting. With an ambition to improve himself and learn more about the old masters, he secured financial help enabling him to travel to Italy in 1759. In Rome, where the revival of classicism was beginning to be felt, he received introductions in to the leading artistic circles and began to absorb the current aesthetic trends, particularly that toward a classicized grand manner. West intended to return to America in 1763, but a stop-over in London turned into permanent residence. Within a few years he became tremendously popular, and his studio became a mecca for younger American artists desiring instruction abroad. Among his students were Washington Allston, Ralph Earl, Charles Wilson Peale, Thomas Sully, Samuel F.B. Morse, and John Trumbull, making West one of the founding fathers of American art. In 1768 George III appointed him a charter member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and in 1772 he became historical painter to the king. A proponent of Neoclassicism, West also ventured into subjects from literature, the Bible, and even contemporary history, and his dramatic Shakespearean scenes helped usher in Romanticism. As President of the Royal Academy he held a position of prestige and power, and by the time of his death in 1820 he was considered one of England's greatest artists.
Adapted from
Steven A. Nash, "Benjamin West (1738-1820)", in Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern: an exhibition of paintings from private collections in Dallas, ed. Robert V. Rozelle (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1982), 28.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Benjamin West, Self-Portrait, Smithsonian American Art Museum~View a self portrait of Benjamin West painted the year before his death.
- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History~Learn more about the students of Benjamin West from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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artists_and_designers-0130.xml.nores