West, Benjamin (1738-1820), was an American painter who became famous for his large pictures of historical subjects. Many critics today agree with the painter Gilbert Stuart, who scorned West’s “ten-acre pictures.” But West influenced painters of his day, and taught many of the finest early American painters. His studio in London became a “school” for many American artists, including Ralph Earl, Samuel F. B. Morse, Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, and John Trumbull.
West was born on Oct. 10, 1738, in Springfield, Pennsylvania. After some study with a local painter, West went to Italy when he was 21, and studied and copied the Roman sculptures and Renaissance and baroque paintings there for three years. West settled permanently in London in 1763. In the early 1770’s, he gained fame for his paintings The Death of General Wolfe and Penn’s Treaty with the Indians. In 1772, King George III of England made West his official painter of history. In 1792, West was elected the second president of the Royal Academy of Arts, which he had helped establish in 1768. He died on March 11, 1820.
