John Brett (artist) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
John Brett (8 December 1831 – 7 January 1902) was a British artist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement, mainly notable for his highly detailed landscapes.
Brett was born near Reigate on 8 December 1831, the son of an army vet. His sister Rosa Brett was also an artist and during 1850 and 1851 they shared a studio. In 1851 he began lessons in art with
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery's Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource
includes three paintings by John Brett.
The Pre-Raph PackOnline exhibition for John Brett
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, John 1831 births 1902 deaths 19th-century British astronomers 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters Landscape artists Pre-Raphaelite painters Associates of the Royal Academy Sibling artists Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists
Life
Brett was born near Reigate on 8 December 1831, the son of an army vet. His sister Rosa Brett was also an artist and during 1850 and 1851 they shared a studio. In 1851 he began lessons in art with James Duffield Harding
James Duffield Harding (1798 – 4 December 1863) was a British landscape painter, lithographer and author of drawing manuals. His use of tinted papers and opaque paints in watercolour proved influential.
Life
Harding was born at Deptford in 17 ...
, a landscape painter. He also studied with Richard Redgrave. In 1853 he entered the Royal Academy Schools, but was more interested in the ideas of John Ruskin and William Holman Hunt, whom he met through his friend the poet Coventry Patmore. Inspired by Hunt's ideal of scientific landscape painting, Brett visited Switzerland, where he worked on topographical landscapes and came under the further influence of John William Inchbold
John William Inchbold (29 August 1830 – 23 January 1888) was an English painter who was born in Leeds, Yorkshire. His style was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was the son of a Yorkshire newspaper owner, Thomas Inchbold.
Bi ...
.
In 1858 Brett exhibited ''The Stonebreaker'', the painting that made his reputation. This depicted a youth smashing stones to create a road-surface, sitting in a brightly lit and brilliantly detailed landscape. (The treatment provided a strong contrast with Henry Wallis
Henry Wallis (21 February 1830 – 20 December 1916) was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter, writer and collector.
Wallis was born in London on 21 February 1830, but his father's name and occupation are unknown. When in 1845 his mother, Mary ...
's painting of the same name, exhibited the same year.) The precision of the geological and botanical detail in Brett's version greatly impressed Ruskin, who praised the painting highly, predicting that Brett would be able to paint a masterpiece if he were to visit the Val d'Aosta in Italy. Partly funded by Ruskin, Brett made the trip to paint the location, exhibiting it in 1859, again to high praise from Ruskin, who bought the painting. Other critics were less effusive, one describing it as a "gravestone for post-Ruskinism".
Brett continued to paint carefully detailed landscape views, staying in Italy on many occasions in the 1860s. He was always keen to stress the scientific precision of his rendering of nature, but often infused it with moral and religious significance, as recommended by Ruskin. In his later years he painted more coastal subjects and seascapes, subjects he came to know well due to his ownership of a 210-ton schooner, ''Viking'' (which had a crew of twelve), on which he travelled the Mediterranean.
During summers in the 1880s Brett rented the castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
at Newport, Pembrokeshire to use as a base for his large family while he painted, sketched and photographed the south and west coasts of Wales. An exhibition in 2001 at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, entitled ''John Brett - a Pre-Raphaelite on the Shores of Wales'' brought together many of the major works from this period of his career.
Brett was also a keen astronomer, having studied the subject from childhood. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1871. Brett was a founder member of the Art Workers' Guild and elected Master in 1890.
See also
*List of Pre-Raphaelite paintings
This is a list of paintings produced by members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and other artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelite style. The term "Pre-Raphaelite" is used here in a loose and inclusive fashion.
PRB members James Collinson
...
- including the works of John Brett.
*''The Stonebreaker
''The Stonebreaker'' is an 1857 oil-on-canvas painting by Henry Wallis. It depicts a manual labourer who appears to be asleep, worn out by his work, but may have been worked to death.
The painting was first exhibited in 1858 at the Royal Acade ...
'' - Henry Wallis
Henry Wallis (21 February 1830 – 20 December 1916) was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter, writer and collector.
Wallis was born in London on 21 February 1830, but his father's name and occupation are unknown. When in 1845 his mother, Mary ...
' painting on the same theme as Brett's.
References
Sources
* *External links
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery's Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource
includes three paintings by John Brett.
The Pre-Raph Pack
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, John 1831 births 1902 deaths 19th-century British astronomers 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters Landscape artists Pre-Raphaelite painters Associates of the Royal Academy Sibling artists Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists