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John Singleton Copley
(1737-1815)
John Singleton Copley was born into the family of an Irish immigrant named Richard Copley and his wife Mary Singleton Copley. Though no record of the birth was made, the date is believed to have been July 3, 1738. His parents owned and ran a tobacco shop in Boston. By 1748, Richard Copley had died, though the exact date of this is also unknown, but on May 22, 1748 his widow married Peter Pelham, an engraver and teacher, and moved with her son to a quieter and more respectable part of Boston.
Copley¡¯s stepfather, Peter Pelham, played an enormous part in the future artist¡¯s education. First of all, general education ¨C reading, writing and math ¨C were available right at home in Pelham¡¯s school. Most importantly, however, Copley had the opportunity to work in his stepfather's shop, where he was taught the art of engraving, as well as forming friendly contacts with several Boston-based painters, whose studios Copley could visit. Unfortunately, this situation did not last long ¨C Peter Pelham died in 1751 when Copley was only 13.
The boy pursued the artistic trade. All alone, he learnt from engravings of artwork from Europe, imitating them and borrowing different elements to create his own works, from dress to landscapes in the background. At the age of 15 Copley started his career as a portraitist. His earliest works, such as a portrait of his stepfather Peter Pelham (1753), or the portrait of his stepbrother Charles Pelham and the portrait of Mrs. Joseph Mann (1753) are still immature and stiff, and depended on liberal borrowing from other artists' work, but nevertheless are impressive if we take into consideration the young painter's age and training.
In 1755 the British painter Joseph Blackburn, settled in Boston, bringing with him the latest European fashion: Rococo. Learning first hand from live paintings was the next stage in Copley¡¯s artistic development. Very quickly, he picked up the skill of depicting graceful poses and rendering rich draperies and jewelry.
By 1758, Copley had produced about 40 portraits, which record his rapid progress in mastering the craft. During these years he came to the attention of high Boston society. One of the best works of the first five years of his career is the double portrait of two sisters, Mary MacIntosh Royall and Elizabeth Royall, daughters of one of the wealthiest New England citizens, Isaac Royall. With his depictions of beautiful girls, fine lace, the folds of silk dresses and background draperies, the 20-year-old painter was showing off, eager to demonstrate his skills at rendering texture.
In the early 1760s, Copley tried his hand at pastels, a media very popular at the time, and his pastel portraits rank among the very best of the 18th century. By the mid-1760s Copley had be.... |
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