Early Life, Family and Training Robert West was born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1710. His upbringing was shaped by the civic life of his home city, as his father held the position of alderman and served as the mayor of Waterford in 1740. While the specific details of his childhood remain quiet, his path eventually led him away from the Irish coast toward the formal training of the continent. Around 1735, West traveled to study drawing and painting at the French Academy. He worked under the guidance of François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste van Loo, absorbing the methods of the era. It is said th…