John I Smart

Smart was born in Norfolk, though little is known about his early life beyond the fact that he had a sister. In 1755, he placed second to Richard Cosway in an under fourteen drawing competition organized by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. That same year, he moved to London to attend the new drawing school of William Shipley, studying alongside Cosway and Richard Crosse. He began exhibiting with the Society of Artists in London in 1762 and eventually served as its president in 1778. Seeking broader opportunities, Smart traveled to India in 1788, where he secured numerous commissions. He returned and settled in London in 1797, living latterly in Fitzroy Street until his death in 1811. In his personal life, Smart married Edith Vere, and they reportedly had a single son, who died in Madras in 1809. Known for his simple habits, Smart was a member of the Society of Sandemanians.

Working primarily in watercolor on ivory, Smart consistently signed and dated his miniatures, a practice that has aided art historians in tracking his career. His artistic approach stands in stark contrast to the flamboyance of Richard Cosway. Smart's palette was quiet and grey, and he modeled flesh tones with exquisite subtlety. He possessed a profound knowledge of human anatomy, rendering his portraits with greater anatomical accuracy and distinction than any other miniature painter of his time. A number of his preparatory drawings and sketches survive, showcasing his careful process.

While Smart produced a vast output of miniatures over his lifetime, specific surviving works include his 1766 portrait of Miss Eliza Booth, an 1782 watercolor on ivory portrait of a lady at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and several portraits at the Victoria and Albert Museum, including works from 1767, 1779, 1780, and a 1787 portrait of a member of the Tayler family. The most significant collection of his work is held by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, donated by John W. and Martha Jane Phillips Starr. This notable collection includes a signed and dated miniature for every year of his career from 1760 to 1811, allowing scholars to trace the full progression of his technique. Additionally, many of his pencil drawings remain in the possession of the descendants of his sister's friend, and several miniatures survive in Australia within a cadet branch of his family.

Smart's foundational training came under William Shipley at his London drawing school, where Smart studied alongside fellow miniaturists Richard Cosway and Richard Crosse. As an established artist, Smart taught portrait painting to Isabella Beetham, who became one of Britain's foremost silhouette artists in the eighteenth century.

Smart's posthumous legacy is firmly secured by the comprehensive Starr Collection at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which provides an unparalleled chronological archive of his work from 1760 to 1811. His commitment to clearly signing and dating his miniatures has ensured that his contributions to the art of the portrait miniature remain easily identifiable and academically valuable for tracing the evolution of the medium. His reputation endures through the distinct anatomical accuracy and refined modeling that set his work apart from his contemporaries.