Self-Portrait

Benjamin West, Self-Portrait, 1819, oil on paperboard, 32 ³⁄₈ x 25 ⁵⁄₈ in. (82.2 x 65.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Capitol, 1917.2.3

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Artwork Details

Title: Self-Portrait
Artist: Benjamin West
Date: 1819
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 32 ³⁄₈ x 25 ⁵⁄₈ in. (82.2 x 65.0 cm.)
Credit Line: Transfer from the U.S. Capitol
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on paperboard
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Dress — accessory — hat
Occupation — art — painter
Portrait male — West, Benjamin — self-portrait
Portrait male — West, Benjamin — waist length
Object — art tool
Object Number: 1917.2.3
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1917.2.3

Artwork Description

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.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006