George Beck (c. 1749 – December 24, 1812) was an artist and poet who flourished in America during the early republic era.
Beck also wrote short poems, made poetic translations from Anacreon, Homer, Virgil, and Horace, and in 1812 published Observations on the Comet.
The obituary of Beck published in the Kentucky Gazette eulogized his nature paintings as one of the best among the works of the contemporary artists.
However, he rarely was given any credit for his works and was driven in his later days to a life of drudgery at the school he was running, frustration and bitterness.
[4] Although Beck failed to command the respect and recognition, his paintings of wild nature and western landscapes, "The Potomac River Breaking through the Blue Ridge" and "The Great Falls of the Potomac" purchased by George Washington in 1797, put his work on high esteem.