William Pars (28 February 1742 – 1782) was an English watercolour portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and illustrator.

Life and works

Pars was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, the son of a metal engraver. He studied at "Shipley's Drawing School" (in the

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa *Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street, ...

), St. Martin's Lane Academy, and also in the Duke of Richmond's Gallery. In 1761, at the age of 17, he exhibited a portrait and miniatures at the

Incorporated Society of Artists The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established P ...

, and became a member of the Free Society of Artists in 1763. In 1764, he obtained the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

' medal for an historical painting. In June 1764, he was selected by the

Dilettanti Society The Society of Dilettanti (founded 1734) is a British society of noblemen and scholars that sponsors the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, and the creation of new work in the style. History Though the exact date is unknown, the Society is b ...

to accompany, as draughtsman, Richard Chandler and

Nicholas Revett Nicholas Revett (1720–1804) was a British architect. Revett is best known for his work with James "Athenian" Stuart documenting the ruins of ancient Athens. He is sometimes described as an amateur architect, but he played an important role in t ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. The result was published in ''Ionian Antiquities'' (4 volumes) which was illustrated from Pars's drawings. Pars returned to England on 2 December 1766, and soon after accompanied

Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston, FRS (4 December 1739 – 17 April 1802), was a British politician. Life Temple was a son of Henry Temple (son of Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston) and Jane, daughter of Sir John Barnard, Lord Mayor ...

, to the continent, making drawings in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, the

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Em ...

, and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

. In 1769, he contributed seven views from Greece to the first exhibition of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

. He was elected an associate in 1770, and in the following year, he sent eight European views, chiefly of Switzerland and the Tyrol, together with one portrait. He contributed regularly (chiefly portraits) to the academy exhibitions till 1776. Temple of Venus and Rome from the Colosseum by William Pars

Temple of Venus and Rome from the Colosseum by William Pars

In the summer of 1775, he travelled to Rome on a

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...

of the Dilettanti Society, where artists such as

John Warwick Smith John "Warwick" Smith (26 July 1749 – 22 March 1831) was a British watercolour landscape painter and illustrator. Life and work Smith was born at Irthington, near Carlisle, Cumberland, the son of a gardener to the Gilpin family, an ...

Francis Towne Francis Towne (1739 or 1740 – 7 July 1816) was a British watercolour painter of landscapes that range from the English Lake District to Naples and Rome. After a long period of obscurity, his work has been increasingly recognised from th ...

(a friend of Pars, who took some instruction in drawing from him) John Robert Cozens, and Thomas Jones were working.Matthew Hargraves. ''Great British watercolors: from the Paul Mellon collection at the Yale '' (Yale University press, 2007) p34 ff. He remained there till the autumn of 1782, when he died of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

(his wife having died in the city in June 1778). A selection of Pars' Greek drawings was engraved by William Byrne for the Dilettanti Society; five of his Swiss drawings, including the ''Mer de Glace'', were engraved by William Woollett; and several other drawings were

aquatint Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. It has also been used ...

ed by

Paul Sandby Paul Sandby (1731 – 7 November 1809) was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Life and work Sandby was ...

. Pars' elder brother Henry Pars (1734–1806) was a draughtsman and metal engraver, becoming the principal of Shipley's Drawing School. His sister

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...

showed some talent as a

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

list, as well.Profile of Anne Pars
at the ''Dictionary of Pastellists Before 1800''.

References

External links

*
William Pars online
(ArtCyclopedia)

(handprint.com - scroll down page)

("History of Art")
William Pars, A Sepulchral Monument at MylasaSt Peter's Rome
(1770s Watercolour - V&A)
Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pars, William 18th-century English painters English male painters English portrait painters English watercolourists English illustrators Landscape artists 1742 births 1782 deaths Associates of the Royal Academy 18th-century English male artists

Life and works

See also

References

External links