Artist: Allan Ramsay
1762
This is painting of King George the Third. I did not paint this piece but since it had great quality and presented the king in a very good way, I decided to show this on my blog. The man who created this was Allan Ramsay. His majesty King George III, was the ruler of Great Britain and I was able to meet him in person. Over time we continuously talked to each other and by his own hand, the king made me his own historical painter. He became almost like a partner of mine and together we often discussed about supporting the visual arts in England. He supported my work and even offered me knighthood. I declined his offer because at the time I thought it was best to present myself in the same way. It was still a great honor and is an incredible thing to be offered.
1767
Raphael West and Benjamin West Jr., Sons of the Artist &
Mrs. Benjamin West and Her Son Raphael
A great joy comes to me when I see my family. My beautiful wife and my first darling little son Raphael. Painting them was one of the highlights of my work. They were the joys of my life and it only added as my second son was brought into my wife’s life and mine. He took my own name Benjamin. Time seemed to fly by too quickly however. In no time my sons had grown so much. I could not pass the opportunity to paint them together in their older age. They were such handsome young gentlemen. I was proud to have children such as them.
Royal Academy of Arts
1768
The Royal Academy of Arts is a school dedicated fully towards the visual arts. It’s a private school that funds for itself and its students. The school never receives any money from the crown or government nowadays. However King George III founded the school in 1768. He was interested in better supporting the arts in London. In the same year that it had opened, the King placed myself to be a charter member for the school. With this new placement I was able to teach students the proper techniques and skills for painting. The school was always open for students from many different backgrounds. I never forgot my American background and I gladly encouraged students from America to come overseas. Most often did to expand and grow in their passion for the arts.
Self Portrait 1770
This is a painting of myself! Oh wow! Looking at this again brings back so many fond memories. I sure was a handsome devil back then! Of course I’m just kidding though. I know the modern students of this time think of my appearance as quite odd but I can assure you that in the 18th century that this was the fashion for the higher status. For any painter in my lifetime it wasn’t surprising that an artist of my standard or even higher would already have a self portrait.
The Death of General Wolfe
1771
The Death of General Wolfe was my most famous painting in my long career. Many museums and contemporary artists of this time appreciate this piece mainly from the composition that I had given it. It became my most famous painting discussed in late eighteenth-century Britain. It was widely used in the media due to how recent the event occurred and helped shape a strong nationalism that supported Great Britain. Anyone who knows of me well, should be able to guess the creator of such a piece like this. The visual media I used was oil on canvas and the category it falls in is historical painting. Now many are most likely to question what is going on but the mere title practically says it all. The painting depicts the death of the British General James Wolfe during the the Battle of Quebec which was apart of the Seven Years’ War. The event happened in the year 1759. If anyone didn’t know, this particular painting strayed from the common historical paintings that usually depicted stories from the classical past or narratives from the Bible.
Cupid and Psyche
1808
Here is my painting of the mythological story Cupid and Psyche. The story follows the woman Psyche and the god Cupid, falling in love. Originally Venus the goddess of love and beauty is angered by Psyche’s beauty and popularity with the mortal men. She sends her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest thing in the world. With his arrows Cupid becomes distracted by Psyche’s beauty and mistakenly pokes himself with his own love arrows. Cupid now is in love with Psyche and eventually in time Psyche becomes Cupid’s wife. I had chosen a scene for the painting that wasn’t very commonly used by other artists. The scene is when Psyche was awakened by Cupid with a kiss after she had fainted.
Benjamin Franklin Drawing- Electricity from the Sky
1816
I had made this painting to commemorate my good friend and his success. Specifically for his incredible experiment and discovery of lighting being a form of electricity. I was able to meet my friend, Benjamin Franklin, for the very first time in London. He was such an intelligent fellow. I was one of the first artists to present the scientist’s likeness in this manner. This painting was full of energy and generally more grand and exciting. I had always planned to donate the piece to Pennsylvania Hospital. Benjamin Franklin had founded this hospital in the state Philadelphia.
Death on a Pale Horse
1817
Death on a Pale Horse is about the Book of Revelation 6:8. The four horsemen all of you might see from the painting is centering around the Apocalypse. Each horseman represents a different spark of the apocalypse. They represent Death, War, Famine and Pestilence. With their power the four horsemen devastated the Earth. With the multitude of action and movement, strong intense scenes and emotions, it’s easy to see my painting is strongly hinting the romantic movement. In my later years I did start to explore more with the romantic style of painting, than just neoclassical.
Birthplace of Benjamin West
Artist: Kennedy, David Johnson
What a delightful painting of my home! Even with the recognition I received in Europe, I could have never imagined my own childhood home being recognized like this. As you can see, my home was larger in size due to my many siblings. My father and mother had a lot on their plate. I never grew up with amazing luxuries. My father and mother weren’t extremely wealthy or high above in the social class. Since our family wasn’t extremely wealthy when I was growing up, the possibilities of any of my family traveling the seas was very unlikely. The only reason I achieved what I did, was due to my own hard work and determination. My home shown in the picture was located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania in Delaware County. The original painter of this watercolor piece painted this in 1845.
Self Portrait
1819
This was the last painting I had ever created. Yes this is myself in a very old age. I painted my portrait six months before I had passed away in 1820. I painted myself wearing a painter’s robe and beaver hat, while I held a drawing pencil. I chose this outfit to present myself as the president for the Royal Academy of Arts. I never regretted what I had done with my life after how much was given to me. My work took me to places that I would’ve never seen if I was not an artist. My career and art meant everything and changed impacted my life for the best.
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