Portret van Benjamin West c. 1763 - 1780

Jonathan Spilsbury created this print of Benjamin West using a combination of etching and mezzotint. The portrait is contained within an oval, and its monochromatic palette lends the work a classical, almost austere feel. Note the linear precision defining West's profile—a sharp contrast to the softer mezzotint textures rendering his coat and hair. This juxtaposition isn’t accidental. The crisp lines speak to Enlightenment ideals of clarity and reason, while the textured mezzotint hints at the complexities beneath the surface. The oval frame itself is a semiotic device, a symbol of containment. Is it a nod to the structured conventions of portraiture at the time? Spilsbury uses these visual codes to both honor and subtly question fixed notions of identity and representation, inviting us to look beyond the surface.