John Smart
Encyclopedia
John Smart (c. 1740 - 1811), was an English
painters of portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway
, George Engleheart
, William Wood and Richard Crosse
.
, but not much is known of his early life. It is recorded that in 1755 he was runner up to Richard Cosway in a drawing competition for under fourteens held by the 'Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce of Arts'. In the same year he began attending the new drawing school of William Shipley in London, along with Cosway and Richard Crosse.
Smart exhibited at the Society of Artists, in London, from 1762 onwards; and became its president in 1778.
He went to India
in 1788 and obtained a number of commissions in that country. He settled down in London
in 1797 and there died. He married Edith Vere, and is believed to have had only one son, who died in Madras in 1809.
He was a man of simple habits, and a member of the Society of Sandemanians
. Many of his pencil drawings still exist in the possession of the descendants of a great friend of his only sister. Several of his miniatures are in Australia
and belong to a cadet branch of the family.
His work is entirely different from that of Cosway, quiet and grey in its colouring, with the flesh tints elaborated with much subtlety and modelled in exquisite fashion. He possessed a great knowledge of anatomy
, and his portraits are drawn with greater anatomical accuracy and possess more distinction than those of any miniature painter of his time.
He mainly painted watercolour on ivory, and often clearly signed and dated his work. Quite a number of his preparatory drawings and sketches also survive.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painters of portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway
Richard Cosway
Richard Cosway was a leading English portrait painter—more accurately a miniaturist—of the Regency era. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse...
, George Engleheart
George Engleheart
George Engleheart was one of the greatest English painters of portrait miniatures, and a contemporary of Richard Cosway, John Smart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse.-Family and home:...
, William Wood and Richard Crosse
Richard Crosse
Richard Crosse was a leading English painter of portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, Richard Cosway and William Wood.-Family and home:...
.
Biography
He was born in NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, but not much is known of his early life. It is recorded that in 1755 he was runner up to Richard Cosway in a drawing competition for under fourteens held by the 'Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce of Arts'. In the same year he began attending the new drawing school of William Shipley in London, along with Cosway and Richard Crosse.
Smart exhibited at the Society of Artists, in London, from 1762 onwards; and became its president in 1778.
He went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1788 and obtained a number of commissions in that country. He settled down in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1797 and there died. He married Edith Vere, and is believed to have had only one son, who died in Madras in 1809.
He was a man of simple habits, and a member of the Society of Sandemanians
Glasite
The Glasites or Glassites were a Christian sect founded in about 1730 in Scotland by John Glas. Glas' faith, as part of the First Great Awakening, was spread by his son-in-law Robert Sandeman into England and America, where the members were called Sandemanians.Glas dissented from the Westminster...
. Many of his pencil drawings still exist in the possession of the descendants of a great friend of his only sister. Several of his miniatures are in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and belong to a cadet branch of the family.
His work is entirely different from that of Cosway, quiet and grey in its colouring, with the flesh tints elaborated with much subtlety and modelled in exquisite fashion. He possessed a great knowledge of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, and his portraits are drawn with greater anatomical accuracy and possess more distinction than those of any miniature painter of his time.
He mainly painted watercolour on ivory, and often clearly signed and dated his work. Quite a number of his preparatory drawings and sketches also survive.
Further reading
- GC Williamson, The History of Portrait Miniatures, vol. ii. (London, 1904).