Who painted The American School?

The American School was painted by Matthew Pratt in 1765.

Where can I see The American School?

The American School is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is The American School?

The American School is associated with Academic Art.

The American School by Matthew Pratt (1765)

About this work

Painted in 1765 and shown at the Society of Artists in 1766, it is Pratt's only signed and dated work, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Benjamin West stands at the left of his London studio, palette in hand, gesturing toward a chalk drawing while four younger artists look on. One of them, Matthew Pratt, has placed himself at an easel on the right, sketching a draped figure that has since vanished from the canvas. Painted in 1765 and shown at the Society of Artists in 1766, it is Pratt's only signed and dated work, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts an art class in Benjamin West's London studio, showing West (standing at left) instructing several students; Matthew Pratt is likely the figure seated at the easel. The scene documents the training of American artists abroad, symbolizing the transfer of academic painting practices from Europe to the colonies. The inclusion of a classical bust, easel, palette, and paintbrushes reinforces the studio setting and the pursuit of refined artistic skill.

West's role as a mentor to American students in the decade before the Revolution underscores the painting's meaning as a testament to the transatlantic exchange of knowledge and the early development of a distinct American art tradition.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, the painting measures 91.4 cm high by 127.6 cm wide. The medium is oil paint applied to a woven canvas support, consistent with academic portrait practice of the period. The work is categorized as a portrait and belongs to the academic art movement.

It depicts an art class in progress in Benjamin West's London studio, with West standing on the left instructing several students and Pratt believed to be the figure seated at the easel. The composition carefully renders studio props, easel, palette, paintbrushes, a canvas, and a bust, as well as contemporary costume details such as buckles, shoes, stockings, and textiles. The scene is presented as a window into the artist's workspace, emphasizing the didactic setting and the hierarchical arrangement of teacher and pupils.

History & Provenance

The American School was painted in 1765 by the American artist Matthew Pratt. It depicts an art class in the London studio of Benjamin West, with West standing on the left and Pratt himself believed to be the figure seated at the easel. The painting was first publicly exhibited in 1766 at the Society of Artists' exhibition held at Spring Gardens in London.

Pratt returned to America in 1768. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has remained since its acquisition in 1897.

The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, having been acquired in 1897. It was first exhibited in 1766 at the Exhibition of the Society of Artists at Spring Gardens in London.

Context

The painting was first displayed at the Society of Artists exhibition in London in 1766, establishing its early public reception. Scholarship situates the work as a key visual record of Benjamin West's London studio, where the Pennsylvania-born West, later second President of the Royal Academy, trained numerous American students. Matthew Pratt, who painted the scene, returned to America in 1768, and the painting has been analyzed for its documentation of transatlantic artistic exchange in the colonial period.

Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1897, it occupies a significant place in art history as a rare group portrait of an American artist's atelier abroad, blending the academic style with an autobiographical record of the emerging American school of painting.

Overview

Matthew Pratt's 1765 oil painting, The American School, captures a moment within the London studio of the Anglo-American artist Benjamin West. The canvas portrays West instructing a group of his students, with Pratt himself depicted seated at an easel. This work, executed in oil on canvas, offers a glimpse into the artistic education available to American painters abroad during the mid-18th century, highlighting the transatlantic connections in art training.