I was thrilled to have ‘re-discovered’ Andrew Robertson’s important portrait of Benjamin West earlier this year. The story was published in the West Sussex Gazette (above).
Benjamin West
Benjamin West PRA was an American artist, who painted famous historical scenes such as The Death of Nelson, The Death of General Wolfe, and Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky. Entirely self-taught, West soon gained valuable patronage, and he toured Europe, eventually settling in London. West became one of the most celebrated artist’s of the age, and was elected to the prestigious position of President of the Royal Academy of Art, an insitution he helped to establish. His work was greatly admired by the King, George III who appointed Benjamin West historical painter to the Court and Surveyor of the King’s Pictures.
Andrew Robertson
Andrew Robertson was born in Aberdeen in 1777. He was the brother of Alexander and Archibald Robertson, who were also painters.
Robertson created a new style of miniature portrait that became dominant by the middle of the nineteenth century; at least four examples are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum. He broke with previous styles, particularly the work of Richard Cosway, and was critical of these earlier painters, describing their works as ‘pretty things but not pictures’. Robertson’s style included larger and more detail paintings, usually rectangular, and with a use of paint trying to emulate large oils on canvas, adding more gum to the paint to give it a greater lustre and depth of colour. Andrew Robertson’s work as a miniaturist led him to portray a number of notable figures of his era, the most celebrated of which was his portrait of the President of the Royal Academy Benjamin West. Andrew Robertson’s own self-portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
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