Romeo and Juliet

Benjamin West revolutionized American painting, becoming one of the first artists of the period to depict present day concerns. At a time when most artists painted allegorical scenes of ancient Greece and Rome, West often painted modern battles and pictured people in contemporary clothes. West, like many artists of the time, often turned to plays to illustrate contemporary social issues, especially as public theater became increasingly popular in the United States in the late 18th century. A famous 1753 staging of Romeo and Juliet was likely responsible for West’s initial interest in this play, but the theme of star-crossed lovers also evokes the brewing tensions between Britain and the United States at the dawn of the Revolutionary War.