early life and training Charles Howard Hodges (1764–1837), a british painter, was born in portsmouth. He began his artistic journey as a pupil of john raphael smith, a renowned artist of the time. In 1788, hodges visited amsterdam, which would later become his adopted home. Hodges’ formative years were marked by meticulous observation and disciplined study under smith's tutelage, absorbing classical principles that would underpin his subsequent artistic endeavors. This initial training instilled in him a profound understanding of anatomy, perspective, and composition—skills crucial for captur…