The paper entitled “Reading the Indian in Benjamin West’s ‘Death of General Wolfe” was written by Vivien Fryde in the year 1995. The study is a critique of a painting, meant to portray the Battle of Quebec in the time of the French Indian War. 1 This was a work of art, oil on canvass, by the painter Benjamin West. The author believes that the painting is more of a commemoration to General Wolfe and the Indian within the painting symbolizes more. The history of the war and events leading to it are crucial in order to understand the painting fully. Fryde belives that West had introduced a new type of painting in the field of history. This is where modern objects replaced traditional focuses in paintings that depict the ancient world.
The author introduces the study with a history of Johnson, someone who traded with Native Americans. His good relations had placed him in a status where the Native Americans trusted him and considered him a friend. It is said that the painting inserted Johnson and a Native American in a scene. Historically, Wolfe’s death was only seen by three people.2 It comes as a wonder why Johnson was in the depiction of the event. The author believes that Johnson’s presence in the painting might be due to feelings of gratitude West had towards the man. This goes on to talk about the history of acquiring land in Pennsylvania. There are little details where Jonson’s presence is magnified. The author believes that the gesture Johnson makes as he points to himself is showing his importance in the scene.
“Johnson, the Native American, and Wolfe, in fact, form a secondary pyramid, with the Indian as the apex” (qtd. Fryde 77).3
The central pyramid is said to be where Wolfe is at the base. All three figures are said to echo each other’s poses. Johnson is seen to frame the Indian. This triad is said to again emphasize the contributions of Johnson as well as the Indian towards the British campaign.4
The Indian is also said to be an Allegory. His presence in the painting states that the country was once his. The author believes that West has had other works where the Indian was used as a personification of America. Usually, this would be a woman – a Native American princess – however, both genders are used also.
West manages to unite ancient history and it’s concepts with clarity by neoclassicism. The author believes that West is able to evoke all sorts of meanings from this historic event. His use of colors, lines and drama is almost operatic in a sense. This is seen through the gestures and facial expressions of the subjects within the painting. Thought neoclassic, the work has baroque composition. The clash between the two makes it emotional. The exotic elements included – the Native American and his ornaments – make the piece romantic in a sense, a right fit for the era.
The way the Native American is seated and posed is symbolizing something of deeper meaning. The author believes that this portrays vanishing America –
“a seated Indian chief, with chin resting on the fist of his bent arm, became codified as the Vanishing America lamenting the demise of his race,” (qtd. Fryde 77).5
This can be correlated with the Indian used as an allegory. America is slipping away from their grip. There are foreigners in their land. This is connected with a lot of works on Native Americans where there is more meaning in their pose. Many paintings also show dying leaders or Native American chiefs to show that their race is being wiped out. This is something also seen and depicted in literature. It is as if the figure is in deep contemplation about something. The Native American’s line of sight is on Wolfe, therefore the audience is drawn back to the center of the painting. This is what is known as a “pictorial circuit”.6
There is also a topic pointing to gender with the painting. This is where the subject of masculinity and symbolisms would fall in. As stated above, America is usually depicted with the image of a woman, whereas in this painting West uses a man. It was said that women had no business in the painting because it was of war; typically a warrior had to represent America.7 The image of the Indian fit perfectly in a scene such as this because only soldiers, warriors, riffles and tomahawks were included. The battlefield is known to be a space for masculinity. Male heroism, honor and courage are seen in this painting. Also, images of death, defeat and other effects of war are present.
The masculinity of the Indian is seen as that of an alien. This is showed through his nakedness contrasted against the uniform clad Europeans in his background. His nakedness puts him in a different light where he is more exposed. Yet, there does not seem anything to expose. His stance is very masculine. His line of sight directs our gaze to the “feminized position”8 of Wolfe. The Indian is seen to have a more heroic and muscular body, yet had a vulnerable position.
The painting is said to really be a commemoration for Wolfe and Johnson. Both had much to do with the French and British military. The painting is focused on Wolfe, yet many of the symbolisms create the Native American in the scene as a necessary piece in the artwork. He is needed to tell a deeper story than the death of Wolfe.
The paper was very well written and quite interesting. The bits of history incorporated into identifying the real meaning behind the work were very good. The study showed a lot about the painting that most audiences would not have considered. The logical arguments for the reasoning behind the interpretations were sound and proven accordingly. The author has a style of introducing history before actually pointing out symbolisms or meaning. This gets the reader involved and it clarifies the point right at the start. The evidences and conclusions were very persuasive. It makes readers really agree with the author on the viewpoints in regards to the painting. Everything with the piece was explained and expounded well. The author did bring on modern elements to ancient history a better and more understandable meaning. At the start of the paper, the thesis statement was very vague since the modern elements or subjects were not clear since they were not embodied directly. However, once the author pointed out the meanings, symbolisms and little details backed up by history, the modern elements came clearer. The painting was so much more than just the death of the general. It had concepts of history embedded in the images West chose to use.
This article expands knowledge in American Art History by showing examples of symbolism. This can be seen in the symbolism of an Indian as portraying America. The author does not just bring up points that might be true for this particular painting, she gives reference and examples from previous works. This shows a pattern in American art history. The way that symbolism was used was the most interesting part of the piece. The contrast of the Native American next to the Europeans begged for an analysis, yet it was so much deeper than what most people might come up with.
Works Cited
Fryd, Vivien G. “Reading the Indian in Benjamin West’s ‘Death of General Wolfe’”. American
Art 9.1 (1995): 72-85. Web. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3109196 .
