Benjamin West: The King’s American Painter

Benjamin West was admired by George III of England and a mentor to many artists. "The American School," 1765, by Matthew Pratt. The Metropolitan Museum. Public Domain

In the small Quaker town of Springfield, Pennsylvania, John West and Sarah Pearson welcomed Benjamin West (1738–1820) into the world. He was the 10th and last of John’s children from two marriages. The son of an innkeeper growing up away from city life, West was not exposed to art, yet he possessed a passion for drawing. When he was 6, he drew a picture of his sleeping niece in a cradle. According to John Galt, West’s biographer, “He looked at it [his niece] with a pleasure which he had never before experienced, and observing some paper on a table, together with pens and red and black ink, he seized them with agitation, and endeavored to delineate a portrait.”

Portrait of Benjamin West, 1781, by Gilbert Stuart. The Athenaeum. Public Domain

Both of West’s parents encouraged his pursuit of drawing. Though he had no formal training in art, his skill caught the attention of some of the leading figures in Springfield. At 9 years old, he was introduced to the medium of paint by William Williams, a successful English artist in Philadelphia. Williams allowed West to borrow and study his art books. In the decades to come, it would be West that painters would study.

Landing a Patron

In his early years as a painter, between 1747 and 1752, his work included portraits, seascapes, and landscapes, suggesting Williams’ strong influence, as well as portrait painters, John Wollaston and Robert Feke. As West entered his teenage years, his skill had progressed to the point of receiving patronage.

One of his patrons was William Henry, a successful gunsmith from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. While in Lancaster in 1755 and 1756, West painted the gunsmith’s portrait. Henry, however, would play a larger role in West’s life than just as a patron. He encouraged the young artist to pursue historical paintings, and he suggested West begin with Socrates. At 18, West produced a substantial work entitled “The Death of Socrates”—a departure from his previous works.

“The Death of Socrates” came to the attention of William Smith, the provost of the College of Philadelphia (later to be the University of Pennsylvania). It isn’t clear whether West attended the college, but he was personally tutored by Smith in history and classical literature. From 1757 to 1759, West continued his portraitures in Philadelphia and New York City. Smith, enthusiastic about West’s potential, helped the young painter make his way to study in Europe. Though he intended to come back to America, West never returned.

A Study in Europe

West arrived in Italy in 1760 and spent the following three years traveling through Rome, Florence, and Venice, studying and copying the art of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque masters: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Titian, Caravaggio, and Raphael.

While in Rome, he made the acquaintance of Johann Winckelmann, a German archaeologist and art historian who was working on his groundbreaking study “History of the Art of Antiquity,” which categorized Greek art in four progressive stages. West’s experience and further education in Italy ignited his pursuit of neoclassical art, a movement in which he became a prominent leader.

From Italy, he traveled to London where he continued painting and studying. He first presented his work in 1764 at London’s Society of Artists. As word of his excellent work spread throughout the city, new and influential friends helped him garner patrons, who paid for portraits.

Not only had he found success in London, he also found love. He happened upon a fellow Pennsylvanian in London, Elizabeth Shewell, and they married a year later in the ornate St. Martin in the Fields. They named their son Raphael. It was clear West had found his home.

Mrs. Benjamin West and her son Raphael, circa 1767, by Benjamin West. Public Domain

The New Londoner

West’s fame grew with each new piece he produced. His historical pieces were received to great acclaim, such as his 1766 painting “Pylades and Orestes Brought as Victims before Iphigenia” and his 1768 painting “Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus,” harkening back to Greek and Roman histories, respectively.

By this time, his patron was the Archbishop of York, who introduced him to King George III. His work had elevated him among London’s finest and most respected artists. In 1768, he joined several prominent British artists to present to the king the idea of establishing the Royal Academy of Arts. With King George III’s approval, the Academy was founded that December.

George III of England, 1779, by Benjamin West. Public Domain

The following year, the king commissioned a painting from West. The work was “The Departure of Regulus from Rome,” and it would be one of approximately 60 paintings West produced for the crown. In 1770, he presented his most influential work at the annual Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, “The Death of General Wolfe.”

"Death of General Wolfe," 1770, by Benjamin West. Public Domain

Instead of a historical work of ancient times, this painting was of recent history, The Seven Years’ War (known as the French and Indian War in America). It was not so much the subject that made the painting stand out, but rather how the subjects were portrayed. Instead of presenting the figures in classical garb, they were in modern military uniform. According to the National Gallery of Art, West’s work “was the first major depiction of a contemporary event with figures in modern clothing.” The Royal Academy of Arts states that reproductions of the painting “became one of the most commercially successful prints ever published.”

The King’s Painter

In 1772, West became King George III’s official historical painter, a post he held into the 19th century. Some of his works included American references, such as “Penn’s Treaty With the Indians” and “Signing of the Preliminary Treaty of Peace in 1782.” The latter went unfinished as the British representatives never made themselves available to sit for the painting. When peace negotiations concluded, ending the American Revolution, it was West who informed the king that Washington planned to return to his farm in Virginia. King George III, who assumed Washington would have become head of the state, said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

"The Treaty of Penn with the Indians," 1771-72, by Benjamin West. Public Domain

In 1792, West became the president of the Royal Academy of Arts and remained so the rest of his life (except for the year 1805). That same year in 1792, the king offered him a knighthood, but he declined, possibly believing he would receive a peerage instead.

When the 1802 Treaty of Amiens halted the Napoleonic War between France and Great Britain, West visited the Paris Salon to exhibit his recent work “Death on a Pale Horse.” His reception was well-received, and even Napoleon admired his painting and met West. His return to London, however, was not well-received, at least not by the king due to his meeting with Napoleon. King George III ended West’s royal commission and canceled his annual 1,000-pound stipend. West, however, never lost affection for the king, stating upon George III’s death, “I have lost the best friend I have had in my life.”

West, nonetheless, remained busy. After losing his royal commission, he gained another wealthy patron, the British novelist and politician William Beckford.

A Life’s Work and Legacy

Over his lifetime, West produced approximately 400 works, including family portraits and eight English history-themed paintings that were hung in the Audience Chamber of Windsor Castle. Toward the end of his life, he was commissioned by a Quaker hospital in Philadelphia in which he produced “Christ Healing the Sick.” It was just one of his many religious-themed paintings.

West spent the final 60 years of his life outside of America, but his influence on the country was profound. American painters over the years sailed to London to study under him. Among his students were Matthew Pratt, Washington Allston, Thomas Sully, Charles Willson Peale, and Gilbert Stuart.

"The American School," 1765, by Matthew Pratt. The Metropolitan Museum. Public Domain

Peale had studied under West during the 1760s and is known for his “George Washington After the Battle of Princeton,” among many other works. Stuart was West’s assistant from 1777 to 1782 and is known for his “Athenaeum” portrait of Washington. Fittingly, one of Pratt’s most memorable works, “The American School,” depicts West teaching his American pupils his artistic methods.

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