William Artaud facts for kids
William Artaud was an English artist who lived from 1763 to 1823. He was known for painting pictures of people (portraits) and scenes from the Bible.
Life of William Artaud
William Artaud grew up in London. His father was a jeweller. Artaud showed early talent for art. In 1776, he won an award from the Society of Arts. This group helped new artists.
He first showed his paintings at the Royal Academy in 1780. The Royal Academy is a famous art school and gallery in London. He studied art at the Royal Academy Schools. He won a silver medal there in 1783.
In 1786, he won a gold medal for a painting. This painting was inspired by the famous book Paradise Lost. Nine years later, he won a special "travelling studentship." This award likely helped him travel and study more art.
Artaud painted many kinds of pictures. He was famous for his portraits. He painted important people like Francesco Bartolozzi, Samuel Parr, Joseph Priestley, and William Herschel. Some of his Bible-themed paintings were made into prints for Macklin's Bible.
An art expert named Georg Kasper Nagler listed many prints made from Artaud's paintings. Artaud last showed his work at the Royal Academy in 1822. The exact date of his death is not known.
Samuel Redgrave, another art writer, said that Artaud's portraits were "cleverly drawn." He also said they were painted with "great power." Redgrave felt that Artaud's paintings showed the unique character of each person. However, he thought they sometimes lacked strong emotion.
