Artwork
Benjamin West (fragment from a portrait)
Benjamin West (fragment from a portrait) is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist James Green. It dates from 1818 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 95.22.6b
- Credit line
- Maria DeWitt Jesup Fund, 1895
About this work
Technique & Style
As a fragment, the composition suggests a larger original context that has been cut down, retaining specific figures while excluding the full setting.
Executed in 1818, this fragmentary portrait by James Green is an oil painting on canvas. The canvas measures approximately 112.4 cm in height and 47 cm in width. As a fragment, the composition suggests a larger original context that has been cut down, retaining specific figures while excluding the full setting.
The medium of oil paint on canvas was standard for portraiture of the period, allowing for detailed rendering of the subjects.
History & Provenance
The fragment from a portrait of Benjamin West was painted by James Green in 1818 using oil on canvas. It measures 112.4 × 47 cm. The work was created as a fragment of a larger portrait, reflecting a likely commission to depict the sitter. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Overview
This oil on canvas, titled Benjamin West (fragment from a portrait), was painted by James Green in 1818. It presents a partial view of a man, identified as Benjamin West, seated atop a white horse. The artwork is notable for its incomplete state, representing only the upper portion of what was once a larger composition.
Housed within The American Wing, this piece offers a glimpse into early 19th-century portraiture, albeit through a unique, truncated lens.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts its subject, Benjamin West, in a dark coat, positioned on a white horse. His posture is composed, with one hand resting on his hip, and his expression appears calm. However, the absence of the horse's lower body and the ground beneath them creates a sense of suspension.
This deliberate or accidental truncation transforms the scene, leaving the viewer with an impression of an unfinished narrative, where crucial elements of the setting and action are left to the imagination.
Artist & collection
- Der Wagen des Triumphators
Bataille de chevaux dans un enclos
Horse in the stables
Tod des hl. Franziskus (Kopie nach)
Kreuzabnahme Christi
Rytterfægtning
General Jean-Baptiste Kléber (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids")
Totes Geflügel
Frenzy, sketch
Reiter im Angriff
The Wing
Pierre d'Aubusson (1423-1503)
