Page "History painting" Paragraph 11

By the late 18th century, with both religious and mytholological painting in decline, there was an increased demand for paintings of scenes from history, including contemporary history.

This was in part driven by the changing audience for ambitious paintings, which now increasingly made their reputation in public exhibitions rather than by impressing the owners of and visitors to palaces and public buildings.

Classical history remained popular, but scenes from national histories were often the best-received.

From 1760 onwards the British Society of Artists, the first body to organize regular exhibitions in London, awarded two generous prizes each year to paintings of subjects from British history.

The unheroic nature of modern dress was regarded as a serious difficulty.

When, in 1770, Benjamin West proposed to paint " The Death of General Wolfe " in contemporary dress, he was firmly instructed to use classical costume by many people.

He ignored these comments and showed the scene in modern dress.

Although George III refused to purchase the work, West succeeded both in overcoming his critics ' objections and inaugurating a more historically accurate style in such paintings.

Other artists depicted scenes, regardless of when they occurred, in classical dress and for a long time, especially during the French Revolution, history painting often focused on depictions of the heroic male nude.