West, Benjamin

Pennsylvania-born Quaker painter of historical, religious, and mythological subjects who had a profound influence on the development of historical painting in Britain. Benjamin West was historical painter to George III (1772-1801), a founder of the Royal Academy (1768), and in 1792 he succeeded Sir Joshua Reynolds as its president. Benjamin West painted historical and religious subjects on huge canvases. Among his famous works are Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus (1768); The Death of General Wolfe (1771), the controversial oil painting in which he broke away from classical costumes; Penn's Treaty with the Indians (1772); and Death on a Pale Horse (1817), which anticipated developments in French romantic painting. Benjamin West was the teacher of Gilbert Stuart and John Trumbull.

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