James Smetham (1821-1889) was an English painter, poet and teacher, who produced over 500 artworks, as well as poems. Born in the Yorkshire countryside to a devout, middle-class Wesleyan-Methodist family, Smetham understood and revelled in nature and the teachings of God. At eight years of age, he already started his ventures into the creative arts by writing poetry and copying paintings. Earning a modest living in his twenties and early thirties as a travelling, commercial portraitist, Smetham became a disciple and good friend of several Pre-Raphaelites.
We are grateful to Third Year History of Art students at Oxford Brookes University for creating this exhibition as part of their 'Curatorial Practice' module.
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Riders in a Landscape
Riders in a Landscape
James Smetham (1821–1889)
Oil on panel
H 8.8 x W 29 cm
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
Image credit: The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
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Self Portrait 1855
This self-portrait was completed a year after Smetham’s marriage to Sarah Goble. Their relationship prospered from their united passion for Methodism, art, and literature. However, their affinity was interrupted by the shadow that followed Smetham throughout his life. The darkness that half-shrouds Smetham’s face represents the silent suffering behind his gentle and courteous demeanour. This hardship would lead to Smetham living in seclusion for 14 years until his death.
James Smetham (1821–1889)
Oil on board
H 10 x W 7 cm
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
Image credit: The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
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Lives in Landscapes brings forth the characters and narratives seen in the paintings produced by Smetham. We explore Smetham’s life and how it connects to these figures within the frame. Are the lives of the characters resemblant of Smetham’s own life? Why did Smetham paint landscapes and how did these stories reflect his own interests and thoughts? How did literature and devotion provide Smetham comfort from his troubled mind in isolation?
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The Organ Grinder
The Organ GrinderThe organ grinder was painted by Smetham as an ode to his love of music and landscapes. There is a wide-eyed young organ grinder, poorly dressed and weathered by the sea, standing on the shoreline. His gaze is locked with the flying seagull. The flight of the bird reflects the inspiration and freedom of nature in the young man’s eyes, capturing Smetham’s own fascinations.
James Smetham (1821–1889)
Watercolour with pen & ink on paper
H 12.1 x W 19.7 cm
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
Image credit: The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
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The Lobster Pot Mender
The Lobster Pot Mender 1821–1889Smetham’s art provides intimate insights into his mental health. This painting shows the humble nature of a man living a simple life, mending lobster pots and telling stories to his children. The man sombrely reflects on his life as he watches the waves washing over the shoreline. This depiction expresses Smetham’s own reminiscence of his past and draws on Smetham’s love and passion for coastal life and exploration.
James Smetham (1821–1889)
Watercolour on paper
H 18 x W 50 cm
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
Image credit: The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
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Smetham and Literature
Many of Smetham’s works were based on Romantic poetry. Additionally, Geoffrey Chaucer and William Blake, both poets, authors and artists, who were highly revered by the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, are included in this exhibition through the works of Smetham. The circle with which Smetham surrounded himself and its influence impacted his choices in his works. The production of artworks intertwined with poetical narratives was very popular amongst the Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite artists. Having moved across the country at a young age due to his Minister father’s job, as well as his travels when painting portraits, Smetham’s view of nature and the countryside allowed him to capture the Romantic qualities described through the words of poems.
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John Wesley, founder of the Wesleyan Church, annotated works of Shakespeare. Thus, through his Church, Smetham was further inspired by both faith and environment to explore romantic language through visualization. In William Blake’s ‘Song of Innocence’ where a piper is “Piping down the valleys wild”, the story tells us of the piper attempting to capture the child angel’s innocence through art and is incapable of such. These thoughts are considered when Smetham himself, in late life, regretted his own misdeeds at youth and how his innocence of his childhood is no longer capturable.
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‘Piping down the valleys wild’
‘Piping down the valleys wild’ c.1876This landscape was inspired by a line in a poem by William Blake: ‘Piping down the valleys wild’. Smetham was a great admirer of Blake’s poetry and as a poet himself, endeavoured to capture the meaning of innocence in art, conveyed in Blake’s poetry: ‘Pipe a song about a Lamb! / So I piped with merry chear’. This painting encapsulates the natural world and the relationship between love and nature.
James Smetham (1821–1889)
Oil on canvas
H 14.5 x W 34.5 cm
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
Image credit: The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
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A Pilgrim at Stonehenge
A Pilgrim at Stonehenge c.1875Smetham uses watercolour and chalk to depict the dream-like evening hues of Wiltshire’s rugged landscape and the monolithic rocks representing Stonehenge, the prehistoric temple aligned with the movements of the sun. This painting conveys Smetham’s journey as a Methodist and his battle in finding peace with the natural world and himself. The evening gloom of the scene emphasises the psychological darkness within Smetham’s mind.
James Smetham (1821–1889)
Watercolour & coloured chalks
H 10.2 x W 34.3 cm
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
Image credit: The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
