History Painting: An Art Genre or the Manipulation of Truth?

Still, some—though not all—history paintings played an undeniable role in sustaining the dynasties and empires that cropped up during these centuries. And, perhaps even more so, these paintings worked to quash any sense of autonomy within the colonies and territories obtained by these national powers, all in order to solidify control.

In an important diversion from stylistic tradition set by artists like Reynolds, Benjamin West aimed to make his history paintings as accurate as possible in terms of clothing and setting—from accurate architecture to regional flora and fauna. Especially when applied to the painting of contemporary events, this gave West’s work an extra sense of realism and reliability. Even Reynolds admitted as much.

Because of their believability, West’s paintings—and the places in which they diverged from reality—were suddenly capable of a dangerous ability to mislead. Take the central figures in one of his most famous paintings, The Death of General Wolfe (1770).

The artwork depicts a key battle of the French and Indian War (The Seven Years War) that occurred in September of 1759, near Quebec. The artwork is riddled with factual and fictional details alongside strategically implemented visual allusions.

The British General Wolfe lays prone, resembling Christ in the iconic Pieta format. His right forearm, where he was in fact injured, features a bandage and a doctor applies pressure to his fatal wound. All but one of the men surrounding Wolfe were not actually at his side during his death, but rather scattered across the battlefield.

The Brits won this battle—a British messenger can be spotted on the left of the painting, running, with enemy flag in hand, to the group around Wolfe—and many felt the victory was all due to the general.

Another fictional aspect of this painting is the presence of an indigenous man—likely of the Mohawk nation, part of the Iroquois Confederacy. Though the Iroquois Confederacy were allied with the British in this war, they were not present for this particular battle.

Though he is positioned nearly as prominently as Wolfe, he is seated and appears thoughtful, perhaps even mournful, and his attention is fully directed towards the British general.

Additionally, unlike every other man surrounding Wolfe, he has no identity. This alone is dehumanizing but of course, there is more. He has been placed by West to embody the archetype of the "noble savage"—a colonial notion of an “other” type of human, not yet corrupted by civilization, who represents the innate goodness of man.

Much as the late nineteenth-century American myth of manifest destiny was used to justify westward expansion, many history paintings worked to shape and uphold stories of superiority and inferiority. This popular European and North American genre of painting, especially when applied to the depiction of historical events, sheds light on the manner in which art can be used to manipulate the truth.