18th Century

Question 1

Answer 1

Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe at Quebec, 1770

1. West depicts General Wolfe as a Christ-like figure. This painting has a triangular composition, made by the top of the flag (as the apex) and the positions of the men. It resembles Christian “Lamentation” scenes, where Christ is held in the embrace of the Virgin Mary.
2. Among the first works of historical painting to focus on a recent historical event.
3. In addition to the landscape, West also depicts a tattooed Native American on the left side of the painting. Shown in what is now the universal pose of contemplation, the Native American firmly situates this as an event from the New World, making the composition all the more exciting to a largely English audience.

Question 2

Answer 2

Benjamin West, Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus, 1768

1. The scene shows the widowed Agrippina returning to Rome carrying the ashes of her assassinated husband, Germanicus. She is accompanied by her two young children. Agrippina has placed herself and her children in certain danger by returning to confront the Emperor Tiberius, who was widely believed to have instigated Germanicus’s murder.
2. The painting celebrates the virtue of Agrippina, satisfying many critics of the time who felt that art should be morally edifying.
3. Blends rococo with neoclassical, in the sinuous lines and theatrical expressions in the painting’s background.

Question 3

Answer 3

John Trumbull, The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775, 1786

1. Triangular composition
2. Neoclassical contemporary historical
3. All figures are based on identifiable individuals.

Question 4

Answer 4

John Singleton Copley, Nicholas Boylston, 1767

1. Boylston was a very rich merchant living in Boston.
2. The ship in the background represents his employment as a merchant.
3. His turban represents his material wealth.

Question 5

Answer 5

John Trumbull, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill 17, June, 1775, 1786

1. All the figures are based on identifiable people.
2. John Small is the figure preventing Warren from being bayonneted.
3. Trumbull chose to present a British officer in a heroic role to show a complex side of war and humanity.