Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith (1846-1923)
Frederic
Marlett Bell-Smith was born in London, England and died in Toronto, Ontario.
His earliest training was under his artist father. He then attended the
South Kensington School of Art under Alexander Hamilton until his family
emigrated to Montreal, Quebec in 1867. Subsequently, he studied in Paris
at the Academie Colarossi under Joseph-Paul Blanc, Gustave Courtois, and
Edmond-Louis Dupain. The artist arrived in London, Ontario in 1881 where
he was appointed Art Director of Alma College (St. Thomas) and the following
year, Drawing Master at Central Public School. In 1888, he moved to
Toronto where he was named principal of the western branch of the Toronto Art
School. He continued to serve at Alma College until 1901.
Bell-Smith was a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists, the Ontario Society of Artists, and the Western Art League. He was elected an Academician in the Royal Canadian Academy and played important roles in many local and national artistic associations.
His works were very popular in his lifetime. He painted portrait, genre, and landscape subjects in both oil and watercolor in the impressionistic, picturesque, and sublime styles of the 19th century. Bell-Smith also won many international honors in his career.
His known White Mountain paintings are titled Woods, North Conway (1883); White Mountains at Sunset (1886); and Crawford Notch from Mount Willard (1895).
Signature Example
References
Loch Gallery: Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary