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Video: Why the British monarch's court artist painted only by candlelight: Samuel Cooper
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Samuel Cooper is an English artist and the best master of miniatures of his time, who became famous not only for his worthy court service under King Charles II, but also for his unusual technique of performing works. Samuel Cooper used … a candle to paint his paintings.
About the artist
There is not much biographical information about the artist, but it is known that Samuel Cooper (1609 -1672) studied with his uncle, miniaturist John Hoskins the Elder. He was a talented person: in addition to artistic skills, Cooper was an excellent musician, played the lute well, and was also known as a good linguist, speaking fluent French. Initially, he built his artistic career in Paris and Holland, and then settled in London. Here he was surrounded by poets, philosophers, connoisseurs of fine arts from the Royal Society. According to a number of modern authors, Cooper was a short man, strong with a round face and ruddy cheeks.
After several years of working together in the same workshop with his uncle, Cooper opened his own studio, later becoming the most sought-after miniaturist painter of his generation, able to take 20 pounds for a head portrait and 30 pounds for a half-human portrait by the end of his long and successful career. …
During the English Civil War, Cooper established himself as a portrait painter who worked only in miniatures (5x7, 5 cm). He painted several portraits of people in armor against a dark background (portraits of John Milton, George Monk, John Pym, Henry Ireton, Robert Lilburn and John Carew).
Self-portrait
This breathtaking self-portrait stands out for the strength and conviction with which the artist recreates his physical presence. Parted lips tell the audience that he wants to say something. A direct and persistent gaze is directed at the mirror, and not at the viewer (the artist painted himself from reflection). The subtle use of palette is one of Cooper's greatest strengths, and here she shows an exceptional advantage, coupled with various shades of brown and gray. There is a version that this portrait was painted for Cooper's wife, whom he married in 1664 (this was a kind of recognition of his feelings for the fashion of the time). His age in the portrait is 35 years old and, of course, he looks younger than his years, which is proved by documentary sources.
Portrait of Oliver Cromwell
Cooper's first portrait for Oliver Cromwell was painted in 1649. Cromwell chose Cooper because he imagined him "simple in character and clothing." Cooper portrayed his client as a person and "a sober, honest alternative to royal vanity, excess and arrogance." Cromwell insisted that the artist portray him as truthfully as possible, not even forgetting about the warts. Cooper responded with dignity to this demand. He showed in the portrait a wrinkled forehead, thinning hair, a thick nose and … a very commanding look. Alfred L. Rouse argued that "Cooper presented the best portrait of a great man, painted with a discerning sense of character." Today, Cooper is considered the first British artist to gain international recognition.
Cooper was also commissioned to paint portraits of members of the Cromwell family, including his son Richard Cromwell. Working with Cromwell did not stop him from becoming the court painter of King Charles II after his accession to the throne in 1660. Charles II was widely patronized by Cooper, he was also called to paint miniature portraits of the king's favorites and children. His reputation as the most talented miniaturist of his generation was recognized throughout Europe. Rumor reached the influential Cosimo III Medici, who sought out the artist to paint his portrait.
Artist working by candlelight
Cooper's miniature portraits are notable for their expressive use of baroque colors and subtle strokes, as well as for their striking representation of the individual character of their characters. Cooper's miniature portraits are influenced by the painting of Anthony Van Dyck, which is why he is often called “Van Dyck in miniature”.
Contemporaries testify that he loved to draw from life by candlelight, when shadows more sharply model the shape, and that portrait medals were minted from his portraits. In his portraits, especially in those that the artist kept for himself to work on repeated images of the same model, the faces are conveyed with amazing fullness, the accessories and the background are only prompted by expressive free strokes of the brush. Cooper worked on cardboard or thick paper, wrote, like many other miniaturists, with gouache, but, unlike them, he also used transparent paints.
The most famous case where Cooper used a candle in the process took place in January 1662. Cooper was summoned to the king to prepare his portrait for minting new coins. The English writer John Evelyn was present at the time and recalled the situation in this way: “I had the privilege of holding the candle while Cooper worked, carefully choosing the shadow and light of the candle to best portray the lighting technique. During this process, His Majesty spoke to me about several things related to painting and graves."
Samuel Cooper is called "the first who endowed the art of miniature portraiture with the power and freedom of oil painting." Today, Cooper's reputation is as high as it was during his lifetime. Unlike many artists, he did not have to wait for years to be recognized. At the age of 30, he was already considered one of the best miniaturists in Europe.
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