John Brett (British painter) 1831 - 1902
John Brett was an English landscape painter; he was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Movement and notable for his highly detailed landscapes. Brett began his art education under James Harding and Richard Redgrave before entering the Royal Academy in 1853. However, his interest in landscape painting was more scientific and topographic, following the approach of John Ruskin and William Holman Hunt who he met whilst at the Academy. This emphasis compelled Brett to travel to Switzerland to observe and produce landscapes in a suitably scientific manner. Stonebreaker(1858) was the painting that made Brett’s reputation and won the praise of Ruskin; consequently Ruskin commissioned Brett to paint the Val d’Aosta in Italy, resulting in the Val d’Aosta (1859). Brett continued in his style of scientific landscape painting, utilizing landscapes of Italy and the Mediterranean. In his later years he painted more coastal subjects and seascapes, subjects he came to know intimately due to his ownership of a 210 ton schooner: 'Viking'. In the latter part of his career he continued to paint subjects in the UK as well as across Europe. Amongst these British landscapes, notable were his John Brett, Mountain Scene 23rd June 1858, and Mist Rising in the Highlands. His mature works invariably displayed a concern for the topographical and geological aspects of the landscape; examples of the former tendency include Britannia's Realm (1880) and Ramsgate Sands (1894). A notable late work was Trevose Head in 1897. He passed away in 1902. Some of his works can be found at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery; The Stonebreaker and the Trevose Head can be found in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. * * * Rosa Brett (British painter) 1829 - 1882 Rosa was a daughter of an army surgeon, she was largely self-taught. Brett produced oils and watercolours for exhibition throughout her life, but never gained a reputation. Her brother John (1831-1902) was the well-known Pre-Raphaelite landscape painter. Brett's first exhibit The Hayloft (1858) was shown under the masculine pseudonym Rosarius, which she used until 1862. Brett spent limited time in the company of other artists in London. This may have been because of her domestic duties (she was an unmarried daughter), which contributed to her marginalised position as an artist.
