American Neoclassical Painter, 1738-1820 American historical painter who worked in England. He was born in Springfield, Pa., in a house that is now a memorial museum at Swarthmore College. After some instruction from a local artist named William Williams, he set up as a portrait painter in Philadelphia at 18, subsequently moving to New York City. In 1760 he went to Europe, where he remained for the rest of his life. For three years he studied in Italy. Working under the tutelage of Anton Mengs, he was also inspired by the classical research of Johann Winckelmann. He then settled in London, becoming a leader of the neoclassical movement. Under the patronage of George III, commissions came to him in great numbers, and in 1772 he was appointed historical painter to the king. A founder of the Royal Academy, he succeeded Sir Joshua Reynolds as its president in 1792. West executed more than 400 canvases, chiefly historical, mythological, and religious subjects painted on a heroic scale. He had many pupils and was a generous friend and adviser to younger artists, particularly American painters studying in England, among whom were Washington Allston, Samuel Morse, Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, and John Singleton Copley. His influence on American painting of the period was predominant. Among West's best-known works are Death of General Wolfe (Grosvenor Gall., London) and Penn's Treaty with the Indians (Pa. Acad. of the Fine Arts). In these paintings he created a new departure in historical painting by clothing his figures in the costume of their period instead of the traditional classical garb.  Related Paintings of WEST, Benjamin :. | The Death of General Wolfe | The Treaty of Penn with the Indians. | Joseph Banks | Portrait of Colonel Guy Johnson | Edward III Crossing the Somme |
Related Artists:
Maria Vos
painted Stilleven met kan van steengoed in 1878
Elias Martin
Swedish Painter, 1739-1818,Painter and engraver. After training in his father joinery shop and with the painter Friedrich Schultz (1709-69), he was engaged to design ornamentation for ships of the coastal fleet at Sveaborg (Finland). There he also taught drawing to the son of Field Marshal Count Augustin Ehrensv?rd (1710-72) while himself learning printmaking techniques from the Field Marshal. During this period Martin produced accurate studies of Finland coastal scenery and the Sveaborg fortress (e.g. Stockholm, Nmus.), as well as purely imaginary landscapes based on engravings. In 1766 he went to Paris and with Alexander Roslin help was able to study under Joseph Vernet at the Acad?mie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. A direct result of his studies was a View of Paris from the Quay Beneath the Pont Neuf (1766-7; Stockholm, Nmus.).
Petrie, George
Irish, 1790-1866