Francis Cotes facts for kids
Francis Cotes (born May 20, 1726 – died July 16, 1770) was a famous English painter. He was one of the first artists to become well-known for using pastels in England. He also helped start the Royal Academy in 1768, which is a very important art institution.
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Life of Francis Cotes
Francis Cotes was born in London. His father, Robert Cotes, was an apothecary, which was like a pharmacist who also prepared medicines. Francis was the oldest son. His younger brother, Samuel Cotes, also became an artist, specializing in very small paintings called miniatures.
Early Training and Art Style
Francis Cotes learned to paint from a portrait artist named George Knapton. After his training, he opened his own art studio. It was located in his father's business building in London. He learned a lot about chemistry there, which helped him make his own pastels.
Cotes really admired the pastel drawings of an artist named Rosalba Carriera. He focused on creating art using pastels and crayons. Many of his pastel works became very popular, especially when they were turned into engravings (printed copies).
Moving to Oil Painting
Even though he was great with pastels, Cotes wanted to try new things. He started using oil paints to create bigger artworks. In his best oil paintings from the early 1760s, he used the paint very thinly. This made his oil paintings look a bit like his pastel works.
His oil paintings were known for being charming and clear. They also showed great detail in the clothes people wore. People often compared his work to other famous painters like Allan Ramsay and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
In 1763, Cotes bought a large house in Cavendish Square. Another famous painter, George Romney, later lived there. Cotes also painted a well-known picture called The Young Cricketer.
After 1746, another artist named Peter Toms often painted the clothes in Cotes's pictures. Toms was a specialist in painting drapery (fabric and clothing).
Founding the Royal Academy
Francis Cotes was one of the most popular portrait painters of his time. He helped create the Society of Artists of Great Britain and became its director in 1765.
When he was at the peak of his career, Cotes was invited to be one of the first members of the Royal Academy. This was a huge honor for artists. Sadly, he died just two years later, at the age of 44, in Richmond.
Cotes also taught pastel painting skills to another artist named John Russell. Russell later wrote a book called The Elements of Painting with Crayon, where he described Cotes's techniques.
See also
In Spanish: Francis Cotes para niños
