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Benjamin West
Caesar Reading the History of Alexander's Exploits, 1769
The first American artist to train in Europe and develop an international reputation, Benjamin West rose to the ranks of president of London's Royal Academy and historical painter to King George III. Drawing countless American students across the Atlantic -- including Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, and John Trumbull , whose works are featured nearby -- West earned the title of dean of American painting. The tradition that West and the Royal Academy represented was known as the Grand Manner. It called for painters to create theatrical scenes of noble heroism drawn mostly from the Bible and Greco-Roman antiquity. Intended to be morally instructive, history paintings were considered the most important type of art and the most difficult to produce. They also required a mastery of all elements and genres of painting in addition to knowledge of literature and great works of art of the past.
In this scene, West depicts Julius Caesar reading a history of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who conquered much of the world while in his twenties. Comparing himself unfavorably, Caesar bemoans his lack of accomplishments. The painting foreshadows the ultimate destruction of Caesar's career from insatiable ambition. |