Benjamin West

Benjamin West was an American painter born in 1738 and died in 1820. He is believed to have developed his artistic skills from the Native Americans. At the age of sixteen, his Pennsylvania  Quaker community allowed him to attend art training in Philadelphia and later in New York and Italy. Benjamin West was most well know for painting and sketching depictions of Jesus in the 1750s. However, West later gained attention in Europe for his illustration of European Christian art such as The Nativity, The Holy Family, Christ Blessing Little Children and The Last Supper. He was the first American to gain this type of success in Europe. His works and his career could be seen as controversial from a Puritan standpoint as they believed that living a life of pleasure and luxury to be sinful.

Benjamin West’s work was not valued in America, therefore, he began working with King George the third of England whom the Americans rebelled against. King George paid Benjamin West one thousand pounds to portray Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension in the stain-glass windows of Saint George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. West was then granted membership to the Royal Academy and in 1792, became president. 

It is believed that the reason the American’s were less interested in Benjamin West’s religious paintings and drawings of Jesus was because the American’s did not have the time or money to spend on things such as art. During this time in the American Revolution, the American colonies were still inferior to Great Britain. This along with the Puritan’s disapproval of any type of iconic Jesus material contributed to Benjamin West’s unpopularity in America. Had Benjamin West been a painter in today’s America, his success in this country may have been much greater and his depictions of Jesus Christ would be much more appreciated and valued.