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|Benjamin West. It dates from 1818 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Housed within The American Wing, this piece offers a glimpse into early 19th-century portraiture, albeit through a unique, truncated lens.
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.
History & Provenance
This work is not a complete composition but rather a surviving segment of a more extensive portrait. The original canvas was subsequently cut, resulting in the loss of its lower half. While the precise reasons for this alteration remain unconfirmed, such fragmentation often occurred due to damage to other sections of a painting or a deliberate decision to preserve a particular portion. The remaining fragment thus offers a unique insight into its own history and the circumstances of its survival.
Artist & collection
Artist
This painter left us two oil portraits of himself in 1818, both now hanging side by side.
