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FROM THE DORSETSHIRE CLIFFS
By JOHN BRETT, A.R.A. (1830-1902)
IN THE TATE GALLERY, LONDON
Compared with many famous artists, Brett began his serious studies late in life, although he was not long in making his mark. In 1853 he was a student at the Academy Schools, and five years later he exhibited " The Stone-breaker," which called forth the enthusiasm of Ruskin. He was strongly influenced by the Pre- Raphaelite movement, and his well-known picture, the " Val d'Aosta," was an attempt to carry out the teaching of the Pre-Raphaelites in landscape painting. This picture was exhibited in 1859, and from that time he was a regular contributor to the Royal Academy, but confined his work more and more to studies of sea and coast scenes in Cornwall and the South of England. Upon these paintings, by which he is best known and which caused him to be elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1881, his fame with the general public is likely to rest. Two of them are hung in the Tate Gallery -the present picture, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1871, and presented to the nation by Mrs. Brett in 1902; and " Britannia's Realm," showing a wide stretch of sea dotted with vessels, which was shown at Burlington House in 1880, and was purchased for the nation by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest the same year. These admirable studies of luminous skies and summer seas, although they lack tenderness, derive an added charm from their very virility,
From the book "Famous Paintings" Volume 2 printed in 1913.
Large files of this public domain print are available at Stock Photos at Songs of Praise
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Online "Name the Painting"
John Brett Biography
at Wikipedia
John Brett
works at Art Net.com
John Brett Online
at ArtCyclopedia
Famous Paintings in this Series
