Destruction of the Beast and the False Prophet 1804

Benjamin West made this painting with oil on canvas, a technique perfected over centuries. As a classically trained artist, West would have known the craft of grinding pigments to create different paints. The intense reds and oranges here are made with ochre, which has a warm and earthy quality, while other colors derive from minerals shipped in from across the world. Looking closely, you can see how the layered application gives the painting depth and drama. But consider the setting, the late 1700s. West would have been participating in a sophisticated market for art. While he himself wasn't toiling in a factory, he depended on complex economic systems to practice his craft. By appreciating the labor and materials embedded in this canvas, we can better understand the painting’s complex relationship with the world around it.