Miguel Antonio Smith Irisarri (29 September 1832 – 24 May 1877) was a Chilean landscape painter, engraver, caricaturist and art teacher.

Biography

His father, Jorge, was a native of Scotland and served as the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

in Santiago. His mother, Carmen, was the daughter of independence leader

Antonio José de Irisarri Antonio José de Irisarri Alonso (; February 7, 1786 – June 10, 1868), was a Guatemalan statesman, journalist, and politician who served as Interim Supreme Director of Chile in 1814. He is considered one of the fathers of Chilean journali ...

and the sister of poet

Hermógenes Irisarri Hermógenes Irisarri Trucíos (April 19, 1819 – July 22, 1886), was a Chilean poet, journalist, diplomat and political figure. He was born in Santiago, the son of Antonio José de Irisarri Alonso and of Mercedes Trucíos y Larraín. He studied ...

. His family wanted him to be a lawyer. With his own money, he purchased brushes and paints, but they were thrown away. Poeta Eusebio lillo

He continued to insist so vehemently that, in 1849, his family gave in and allowed him to study at the new Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile), founded by President Manuel Bulnes. His first teacher there was the Director, an Italian-born artist named Alejandro Ciccarelli, who worked to instil the

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

style in his students.Brief biography
@ Artistas Plásticos Chilenos. Smith wanted to paint landscapes instead of mythological subjects, but Ciccarelli was adamant in his opposition. In 1851, thoroughly frustrated, Smith left the school to paint on his own. A year later, unsuccessful, he enlisted in a squadron of mounted grenadiers. He was stationed in

Chillán Chillán () is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new � ...

, where he got married and abandoned his military career at the end of his five-year enlistment. On his return to Santiago, he became an employee of a savings bank managed by a former classmate of his, , who would later become a well-known diplomat. After only a year, he quit and became an illustrator for the political daily ''El Correo Literario'', which was critical of the

Conservative Republic In Chilean historiography, the Conservative Republic was a period of Chilean history that extended between 1826 and 1861, characterized by the hegemony of the conservative party, whose supporters were called ''pelucones''. It began with the def ...

. Although handicapped by old, malfunctioning equipment and a dearth of decent supplies, he created a huge number of portrait caricatures of notable people (including his old nemesis, Ciccarelli), with humorous captions or poems by . As might be expected, there was much official opposition. President

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. Biography Montt was born in Petorca, Valparaíso R ...

called on them to stop publishing "esos monos groseros" (those crude monkeys). After less than a year of operation, they had to close up shop, at least temporarily.

Time abroad

The failure of the Revolution of 1859 forced him to emigrate. He decided to go to France and, after a short time, became reasonably successful. However, the

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

lifestyle he had adopted caused him to squander his money, so he had to go to the United States to seek financial assistance from his grandfather, Antonio José, who at that time was a diplomat in New York. He then went to Italy, where he spent a year working with the landscape painter Carlo Marco. After that, he decided to return to Chile, despite the dangers involved in sea travel during the

Chincha Islands War The Chincha Islands War, also known as Spanish–South American War ( es, Guerra hispano-sudamericana), was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 1865 to 1879. The ...

. In 1866, following a difficult six-month voyage, he landed at

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

and joined a group of firefighters from Santiago, although he did not remain with them for long. Serious cultural reforms were sweeping the country, but he was amazed to see how little had changed at the Academy. That is, Ciccarelli was still in charge, so Smith established his own teaching workshop. In 1869, Ciccarelli was replaced by Ernst Kirchbach, a German painter who was more amenable to Smith, and they began sharing students. Some of his best-known students include Alfredo Valenzuela Puelma, Pedro Lira, Alberto Orrego Luco,

Onofre Jarpa ''Onofre'' is a genus of Brazilian jumping spiders that was first described by G. R. S. Ruiz & Antônio Domingos Brescovit in 2007. it contains only three species, found in the Amazon basin of Brazil: '' O. carnifex'', '' O. necator'', and '' ...

and Cosme San Martín. Although an excellent teacher, he was very disorganized, painting when the mood struck him. As a result, many of his works were done quickly or left unfinished. His many imitators often make it difficult to assign authorship with certainty. The majority of his paintings are in private collections.

Landscapes

File:''Paisaje con cordillera y laguna'', 1870 .jpg,

Cordillera A cordillera is an extensive chain and/or network system of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly u ...

and Lake File:Rio cachapoal2.jpg,

Cachapoal River Cachapoal River is tributary river of the Rapel River in Chile located in the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region. The river gives its name to the Cachapoal Province. Cachapoal Valley The valley takes its name from the Cachapoal River th ...

File:Antonio Smith, Crepúsculo marino.jpg, Twilight on the Shore

References

External links

Posthumous portrait of Antonio Smith
by Manuel Thomson Ortiz (1875-1953) @ SurDoc
Revista Topaze
"Political Cartooning in Chile" {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Antonio 1832 births 1877 deaths Landscape painters People from Santiago Chilean cartoonists 19th-century Chilean painters 19th-century Chilean male artists Chilean male artists Chilean male painters Male painters Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile) alumni

Biography

Time abroad

Landscapes

References

Further reading

External links