Francis Cotes
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Francis Cotes (20 May 1726 – 16 July 1770) was an English portrait painter, one of the pioneers of English pastel painting (or drawing), and a founding member of the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
in 1768.


Life and work

He was born in
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, the eldest son of Robert Cotes, an
apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...
(Francis's younger brother Samuel Cotes (1734–1818) also became an artist, specialising in miniatures). Cotes trained with portrait painter George Knapton (1698–1778) before setting up his own business in his father's business premises in London's Cork Street—learning, incidentally, much about
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
to inform his making of pastels. An admirer of the pastel drawings of
Rosalba Carriera Rosalba Carriera (12 January 1673 – 15 April 1757) was an Italians, Italian Rococo painter. In her younger years, she specialized in portrait miniatures. Carriera would later become known for her pastel portraits, helping popularize the medium ...
, Cotes concentrated on works in pastel and crayon (some of which became well known as
engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...
s). After pushing crayon to its limit as a medium—although he was never to abandon it entirely—Cotes turned to oil painting as a means of developing his style in larger-scale works. In his most successful paintings, particularly those of the early 1760s, the oil paint is thinly applied, in imitation of his pastel technique, and imbued with charm, inviting comparisons with Allan Ramsay and Sir
Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...
. They have clarity and warmth and possess a remarkable attention to costume. In 1763, he bought a large house (later occupied by George Romney) in
Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public square, public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square ...
. He also painted ''The Young Cricketer''. After 1746, the costumes in his pictures were mostly executed by the specialist drapery painter Peter Toms. One of the most fashionable portrait painters of his day, Cotes helped found the Society of Artists of Great Britain and became its director in 1765. At the peak of his powers, Cotes was invited to become one of the first members of the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
, but died just two years later, aged 44, in Richmond. He also taught pastel skills to John Russell, who described Cotes' techniques in his book ''The Elements of Painting with Crayon''.


Gallery

File:Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester.jpg, Francis Cotes R.A. ''Portrait of Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester'' File:Francis Cotes - The young cricketer (1768).jpg, '' The Young Cricketer'', 1768


References

*Neil Jeffares.
Francis Cotes
' (Dictionary of pastellists before 1800, online edition)


Further reading

*


External links

*

(Artcyclopedia) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotes, Francis 1726 births 1770 deaths English draughtsmen Painters from London 18th-century English painters 18th-century English male artists English male painters English portrait painters Royal Academicians English pastel artists