“Art For A Sunday” – Artist John Brett (1831-1902) – Presented by Junzi Fine Art

John Brett was born near Reigate on 8 December 1831, the son of an army vet. 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.

Science Was The Artist’s Inspiration

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.

Brett Known For His Detailed Landscapes

Brett painted 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.

Monumental Exhibition of Brett’s Works

During summers in the 1880s Brett rented the castle at Newport, Pembrokeshire to use as a base for his large family while he painted, sketched and photographed the south and west costs 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.

A True Rennaissance Man

A true rennaissance man, Brett was also a keen astronomer, having studied the subject from childhood. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1871.

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