There are few artists that have had the impact on architectural and landscape drawing than that of 19th Century British artist Samuel Prout (1783–1852). We are lucky enough to have an extensive collection of the artist’s works which will be included in our Summer Art Auction. This collection will feature drawings, watercolours and lithographs, depicting ancient European architecture, landscapes and preliminary sketches. The collection also features a selection of works by his son Samuel Gillespie Prout (1822-1911),and nephew John Skinner Prout (1805-1876).
Samuel Prout was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 17 September 1783. He exhibited an interest in drawing at a young age, creating sketches and copying prints. He pursued this interest with the encouragement of his headmaster and received lessons. Following a meeting of budding antiquary, John Brittan, Prout went on a sketching tour of Cornwall, and upon seeing his potential, Britton persuaded Prout to move to London in 1802. There he entered a circle of illustrators and copied the works of leading watercolourists, including J.M.W. Turner, William Alexander, John Sell Cotman, Thomas Girtin and Thomas Hearne, the last three having a particular influence on his work.
Following his introduction to this artistic circle and new influences, Prout began to reach his artistic potential. He continued his sketching tours for various publications and went on to exhibit at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Associated Artists in Water Colours (becoming a member in 1810). Now beginning to establish himself as a drawing master, Prout began teaching and producing a series of instructive drawing books for beginners. He was prolific in his output, issuing fourteen publications over the following three decades.
Although an established teacher, it was as an exhibiting artists that Prout drew the most pride, showing work at the Society of Painters in Oil and Water-Colours in 1815, and becoming an associate in 1817 and a member in 1819. In order to expand his subject matter, throughout the 1820s Prout travelled through Europe. A great deal of his works from this period are focused on the buildings and scenery within France, Germany (including the Rhineland and Bavaria), and Italy (specifically Venice). Passionate about recording ancient architecture in great detail, during this period Prout began working in lithography as opposed to aquatint.
Today, Samuel Prout is known as one of the leading topographical British artists, referring to the accuracy in which he represented the exact arrangement of the natural and artificial features of an area. He achieved this through his exploration of different mediums, expansive subject matter and learned techniques. It was his ability to encapsulate everything from the simplicity of country life to the vastness of monumental architecture that set Prout apart. This ability has ensured that European cityscapes and countryside’s alike have been expertly captured – as a form of living history.
For more important art, visit our Curated Corner Gallery at Hegarty’s in Bandon. This sales gallery currently features work by Kitty Wilmer O’ Brien, Marie Carroll, John Butler Yeats and Markey Robinson, and is open every Saturday from 11am – 4pm.