Benjamin Franklin Rawson

Benjamin Franklin Rawson
Self-portrait (1838)
Born	29 March 1819 (or 1820) San Juan, Argentina
Died	14 March 1871 Buenos Aires
Nationality	Argentine

Benjamin Franklin Rawson (29 March 1819 or 1820 – 14 March 1871) was an Argentine painter who belonged to the first generation of Argentine painters called the "precursors". His best known works are the Assassination of Manuel Vicente Maza and Rescue in the Cordillera.

Benjamin Franklin Rawson was born on 29 March 1819 (or 1820) in the city of San Juan. He was the eldest son of the marriage between the United States doctor Amán Rawson and Justina Rojo y Frías. His younger brother, Guillermo Rawson (1821 - 1890) was also a physician and politician who served as Interior Minister under President Bartolomé Mitre. He first studied with Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, his lifelong friend. He then started to paint, taught by Amadeo Gras and Pierre Douet.

Later, Rawson was part of the San Juan plastic movement promoted by the Philharmonic Dramatic Society, which had been created by Sarmiento. When he turned eighteen years old, his father sent him to Buenos Aires, where he was a pupil of Fernando García del Molino, under whom he perfected portrait and miniature painting. In 1838 he made his self-portrait and a year later, in 1839, painted a portrait in oils of his brother.

After studying in Buenos Aires, Rawson returned to San Juan. However, due to the political conflicts that erupted in the province and his friendship with Sarmiento he was forced to leave the country in 1842, taking refuge in Chile. There he continued his apprenticeship with the painter French Augusto Quinsac Monvoisin, while sharing a house with Sarmiento, and sharing their studies with Procesa, Sarmiento's sister. Sarmiento describes this period in his book Recuerdos de provincia (Memories of the province).

On 25 March 1847 Rawson married Paz Mendieta. The only son of this marriage, Franklin, died in infancy. He returned to San Juan in the same year and was elected a provincial deputy. However, he resigned and moved back to Buenos Aires, where he continued his studies with Martín Boneo. In 1856 he hosted a show of historical works in this city. Sarmiento asked French painter Juan León Pallière for his opinion for a notice in the newspaper El Nacional. He replied as follows: