In this artwork, how is the Inspiration discussed?
The subject of Death on the Pale Horse comes from the first eight verses of the sixth chapter of The Revelation of St. John the Divine (also known as the Apocalypse, the final book of the New Testament). West's interest in New Testament subjects was influenced by the German-born Moravian artist, John Valentine Haidt. Additionally, American educator William Smith claims to have encouraged West toward spiritual pursuits and introduced him to the knowledge of "The Ancients." At the end of the eighteenth century, West's patron William Beckford encouraged his depiction of apocalyptic subject matter.Death on the Pale Horse differs from West's earlier paintings in the Neoclassical style, which celebrated heroic deeds. Various reasons have been cited for the change. One is a general change in taste at the time, including the growing interest in the sublime and the Gothick. West's turn to a biblical subject may also reflect the renewed piety of the 19th century.John Hamilton Mortimer's depiction of the same subject was exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1775 and was a predecessor for West's work. Albrecht Dürer's wood engraving of The Four Horsemen was also an iconographic precedent for the horse. Similarities between the wood engraving and the later paintings suggest that both Mortimer and West had seen it.
St. John the Divine William Smith Neoclassical style John Hamilton Mortimer The Revelation William Beckford Society of Artists Apocalypse Gothick the sublime The Four Horsemen New Testament John Valentine Haidt Albrecht Dürer