Samuel Forde facts for kids

Samuel Forde (born 1805, died 1828) was a talented Irish painter. He was known for his ambitious art projects, even though he passed away at a young age.

Early Life of Samuel Forde

Samuel Forde was born in Cork, Ireland, on April 5, 1805. He was the second son in his family. His father, Samuel Forde, was a tradesman who faced financial problems. He later moved to America, which made things difficult for the family.

Luckily, Samuel's older brother was a very good musician. He earned enough money to send young Samuel to school. There, Samuel learned Latin and French. A friend, Mr. Aungier, also helped him with Latin. Samuel even taught himself Greek!

From a young age, Samuel showed a great talent for art. Even though Cork didn't have many art schools or famous artworks to inspire him, his love for books and stories helped him dream big. He spent a lot of his school days drawing many sketches, showing his high hopes for the future.

Samuel Forde's Art Career

Samuel Forde became a student at the Cork Academy. He practiced drawing from the collection of plaster casts that Lord Listowel had given to the school. His teacher, Chalmers, was also a scene painter for theaters. Chalmers taught Forde how to use distemper painting, which is a type of paint made with glue or egg yolk. This skill allowed Samuel to work at the local theater.

For a short time, Samuel thought about becoming a mezzotint engraver. This is a way of making prints from a metal plate. He even taught himself how to do it using tools he made himself! However, he soon stopped engraving and became an art teacher. Later, he became a master teacher at the Cork Mechanics' Institute.

Among his classmates and close friends was Daniel Maclise, who also became a famous artist. Other artists from his time included John Hogan and George Petrie.

Before he turned 20, Forde mostly worked on decorative art pieces using distemper paint. But by 1826, he started creating his own original artworks. These pieces showed the grand ideas he had in his mind. His first important painting was called Vision of Tragedy. The idea for this painting came from the writer John Milton. Forde painted it in grey and white using distemper. A large drawing for this painting was later given to the South Kensington Museum in London.

Samuel Forde was always planning big and important pictures. In November 1827, he painted a Crucifixion for a church in Skibbereen. He finished this large painting in just two days! In October 1827, he started to get sick with a lung illness.

Samuel Forde's Final Years

In early 1828, Samuel began working on a very large painting called Fall of the Rebel Angels. Even though he was able to sell the painting, he sadly couldn't finish it. His lung illness got worse, and he slowly became weaker.

Samuel Forde passed away on June 29, 1828. He was only 23 years old. He was buried in St. Finn Barr's churchyard in Cork.