Benjamin Patterson

Artist’s Statement

Flouting the rule of the painter of modern life, that an artist must be of his time, Benjamin Patterson makes paintings which belong instead to an ancient tradition, originating in classical antiquity and reborn in the Italian Renaissance, whose unerring rule is that art is an imitation of nature and its end is beauty. This tradition was handed on to him by studying at a classical atelier in Florence called the Angel Academy. There he learned fidelity to nature by drawing and painting from the live model, and from the museums in Florence his sense of beauty began to be formed by studying the Old Masters. It became his ambition to follow their authoritative example in style and subject-matter, and so Benjamin Patterson has done for many years as a professional painter, specializing in history painting, landscape, and portraiture.