Genius Calling Forth the Fine Arts to Adorn Manufactures and Commerce 

Benjamin West created this oil on canvas painting, *Genius Calling Forth the Fine Arts to Adorn Manufactures and Commerce*, in late 18th century Britain, a period of immense economic and social change. As the title suggests, the painting blends classical allegory with contemporary concerns. Here, we have a winged ‘genius’ figure, representing inspiration, calling forth allegorical figures of the fine arts to serve the rising forces of manufacturing and commerce. The image is very much in keeping with the artistic conventions of its time, using classical references to ennoble the new economic order. But consider the social context of its making. The Royal Academy, of which West was president, was a key institution in shaping artistic production. Paintings like these helped to cement the idea that art should serve the interests of the state and the economy. Understanding this artwork requires us to research both the artistic conventions of the late 1700s and the social role of institutions like the Royal Academy. By exploring these contexts, we can better understand how art was used to shape attitudes towards economic change.