The more Roman than American
I must according to a blessed author of a monography about Benjamin
West(1738-1820), because he has valued the influence, certainly alone one hint,
but a hint very important because he has valued some Italian painters, although
he has excluded the sculpture, but important is that he has ascertained that:
“The extant paintings from West’s Italian period show the avid if uneven
appropriation of the wealth of influences surrounding him at this time. Mengs
neoclassicism, the physical types and chiaroscuro of Correggio and Barocci, and
Tiepolo’s compositions. The works of Raphael, Guido Reni, and Domenichino were
also absorbed and became a more pervasive and lifelong influence on his style
and understanding of historical painting.”( BENJAMIN WEST The Context Of His
Life’s Work With Particular Attention to Paintings with Religious Subject
Matter By John Dillenberger, p.18); I think that important of this citation
various models that Dillenberg has counted, because he was right, to plural
models, that are deeply influenced and that he has bought to London; Raphael to
Athens school(Fig.1a), to person or portrait of Leonardo da Vinci has
influenced the posture of Christ in the Christ blessing the child(Fig.1) and
other version of this subject(Fig.2) he has took the posture from Saint Gerome
of Caravaggio(Fig.2a), in Galleria Borghese, that he certainly has seen during
his permanence in Rome, the posture is different certainly, but I think that he
has seen and studied this painting, and he has modified this posture to his
subject. The Tobias curing his father blessing(Fig.3) to old father West took
the fluent beard from prophet Jeremy in Sistine chapel, and from same figure he
has took also the cloth, with influence of Vincenzo Camuccini(1771-1844) and
Felice Giani(1758-1823), and to The raising of Lazarus(Fig.4), he to figure on
ground took and has just found the position to other figure(see Benjamin West:
an American in Rome in Liceusblog ) and the Fourth rivers in Rome is very important
to West because he has interpreted postures of the rivers(Figs.4a-4b) and has
synthetized in this figure; to Hercules between virtues and vices(Fig.5), the
posture of Hercules is directly from Hercules Farnese(Fig.6), and finally to
Return of prodigal son, the posture of father is specular to Saint Longinus in
Vatican of Gian Lorenzo Bernini(1598-1680). I have found alone others models to
West, but most merit is of the Benjamin West, that now is major American
painter, and Europe has likewise to given valid models to paint, but major
honor is to himself because he has had intelligence to take it. The remembers
of Rome is again present to the Saint Michael Archangel(Fig.9), that is almost
speculare to same subject of Guido Reni, in the church of Saint Mary of
Concezione(Fig.10); even same cloth. But our Benjamin, neoclassic painter,
certainly didn't lost the Ascension of Raphael(Fig.10), tha in fact he has used
to his Resurrection(Fig.11); what he has found to his Resurraction? The first
is the Christ, above all the open arms(Fig.12), the light, very astonishing,
and the figure bottom(Fig.13), that has almost specular to a figure of
possessed of same Ascension (Fig.14), same impressive anger and dynamic
posture. Stead the last supper(Fig.15) is very longe distant from West's style,
the cloths are treated very wrong, it searchs the softness of West and realism
of same, but result is very modest, It is possible a collaborator or English
pupil, but West is distant and distinct. To the Moses showeth the brazes serpent(Fig.16),
he has reference to the Christ of Universal juice, in the Sixtin chapel(Fig.17)
to Moses, same posture, and same impetus, and the figure laid to ground is took
from a figure of same Universal judgement(Fig.18), and Raphael certainly
doesn’t lack, in fact Benjamin took the same possessed figure of
Ascension(Figs.14,19), that is again used by west to a figure, at last to
posture in The call of Isaia(Figs.20,21). If Raphael must not lack certainly
Correggio(1489-1534), have to be present to mind of West, because to his Moses
receiving the laws on mount Sinai(Fig.22); the cloudy sky is took from Antonio
Allegri called Correggio, in church of Saint John Baptist in Parma(Figs.23,24);
Raphael perseveres to his presence to two Ascension(Figs.25-26) and he took the
female back figure(Fig.27) of Raphael to
his male figure(Fig.28)To expulsion of Adam and Eve(Figs.29-30) Benjamin has
took, certainly Raphael to position of angel, certainly Correggio to clouds and
to Adam and his reaction, Masaccio(1401-1428), in Brancacci chapel in church of
Saint Mary of Carmine(Fig.31), in Florence. Along Noah sacrificing after the
deluge(Fig.32), he took usually Raphael to posture of Noah, but interesting is
posture of faithful laying down(Fig.33), because it is painted on figure of
Michelangelo Merisi called Caravaggio(1571-1610)(Fig.34), figure that
Caravaggio has took from Crucifixion of Saint Peter in Paolina chapel(Fig.35),
in Vatican, of Michelangelo(1475-1564), it is very useful because John Dillenberger(BENJAMIN WEST, The Context Of His
Life’s Work), historicalman of art, has outlined the interest of west about
Michelangelo with these words: “West, like his contemporaries, was more
interested in Michelangelo”; in fact the Universal judgement is again present
along posture of Isaac in Abraham and Isaac(Fig.36), instead to posture of
Abraham took the posture of Apollo of Belvedere(Fig.37) that
was useful to posture of central figure in the painting Christ Receiving the
Holy Ghost(Fig.37a) and to Peter’s First
Sermon, or Inspiration, the posture of saint peter is took from ancient
model(Fig.37b); to The birth of Isaac(Fig.38) Benjamin unified two moments, one
very happy and second very tragic of life; in fact he has took to posture of mother
of Isaac, the Death of Virgin of Caravaggio(Fig.39), the iridescent of covers
is from Rubens in Rome, in church of Saint Mary in Vallicella(Fig.40); instead
to posture of The Promised Land Shown to
Moses(Fig.41) west took the ancient sculpture that was in Florence from 1677,
called the Grinder(Fig42), and other ancient sculpture in Ludovisi
collection(Fig.43), and certainly he didn't lost the appointment with Michelangelo but now in marble kind, Benjamin has took also Moses in Saint peter in Vincoli, Rome(Fig.44).
Alessandro Lusana
Fig.1
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