Self-Portrait+by+Benjamin+West

Date: 1819
 * [[image:https://s3.amazonaws.com/saam.media/files/styles/x_large/s3/images/1917/1917.2.3_1a.jpg?itok=lGU4MMZc width="242" height="305" link="@https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/self-portrait-27557"]] || Title: **Self-Portrait**

Artist: **Benjamin West** Born: Springfield, Pennsylvania 1738 Died: London, England 1820

Medium: oil on paperboard Dimensions: 32 3/8 x 25 5/8 in. (82.2 x 65.0 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Transfer from the U.S. Capitol

Accession: 1917.2.3 || Six months before he died, West looked unflinchingly into the mirror to paint his self-portrait. He holds a drawing pencil and wears a painter's robe and beaver hat, which identify him as a founder and president of the Royal Academy of Art. The light is strongest on his face and hands, but the rest of the picture falls into shadow, as if he foresaw his own end. West was official painter to the King of England and the first American artist to gain an international reputation. His example led generations of American artists to measure their art and professional identities by European standards.
 * Gallery Label: **


 * Suggested Questions: **
 * When Benjamin West painted his self-portraits, how did he know that he had captured his likeness accurately?
 * For what reason(s) would a person in his eighties want to paint a self-portrait?
 * Benjamin West is wearing his hat in the self-portrait, which was probably painted indoors. Why may he have wanted to show himself with his hat on?
 * Are there any clues in the portrait that Benjamin West was an artist?
 * Thinking about Benjamin West’s palate, which colors did he use when painting his self-portrait?
 * Benjamin West was a self-taught artist. He credited Native Americans in Pennsylvania for teaching him something about art. What could he have learned from them about painting in the 1740s and 1750s?
 * Benjamin West was best known for his large-scale history paintings. What historical event(s) would you like to see painted today?
 * Initially Benjamin West was snubbed by the founding President of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and by some other academicians, who felt he was over-ambitious. What does it mean to be over-ambitious?
 * Benjamin West was elected president of the Royal Academy upon the death of the founding father in 1792. With a short hiatus he held that position until his death in 1820. In what ways may he have influenced other artists during the time he served as president?
 * Before arriving at the Smithsonian American Art Museum where may have Benjamin West’s self-portrait been exhibited?

Artist Biography SAAM Collections Page
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