Benjamin West
1738–1820 · American · 30 artworks
RococoNeoclassicismGrand Manner portraitureHistorical paintingAllegorical compositionsNeoclassical idealismDramatic lighting
artist bio
Benjamin West was a pivotal figure in the development of American art and a significant painter in the Neoclassical style. As the second president of the Royal Academy, he mentored many American artists abroad and helped shape the artistic landscape of both Europe and America.
what you'll learn
Studying West's work allows students to understand the transition from Rococo to Neoclassical styles, focusing on historical and allegorical subjects. Students can analyze his use of composition, light, and color to convey narrative and emotion.
related: Jacques-Louis David, John Singleton Copley
30 artworks
Mr. John Williams
1766
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Portrait of Henry Middleton
1771
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George III
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Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds
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Pylades and Orestes Brought as Victims before Iphigenia
1766
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Portrait of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, with Windsor and the royal family in the background
1779
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Portrait of Prince Octavius
1783
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Portrait of Ann Barbara Hill Medlycott
1788
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Helen Brought From Paris
1776
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Harvesting at Windsor
1795
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Christ Showing A Little Child As The Emblem Of Heaven
1790
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Portrait of George, Prince of Wales, and Prince Frederick, later Duke of York
1778
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The Death of Socrates
1756
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Peter Beckford
1797
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Charles Wilson Peale
1769
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Mr. Robert Grafton and Mrs. Mary Partridge Wells Grafton
1773
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Cleombrotus Ordered into Banishment by Leonidas II, King of Sparta
1768
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Portrait of the Drummond Family
1781
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Mrs. Thomas Keyes and Her Daughter
1806
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George III of the United Kingdom
1779
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Pylades and Orestes Brought as Victims before Iphigenia (detail)
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Narcissus and Echo
1805
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Queen Charlotte
1776
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Elizabeth Shewell West and Her Son, Raphael
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Portrait engraving of Robert Fulton, steamboat innovator
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Calypso's Reception of Telemachus and Me
1801
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The Hope Family of Sydenham Kent
1802
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Venus Consoling Cupid Stung by a Bee
1802
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Mrs. Peter Beckford
1797
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Tobias Curing His Fathers Blindness
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