Although he came from an army family, Brett nearly became an astronomer.
However, enthusiasm for Pre-Raphaelitism
led to a meeting with Hunt in 1853. Under his influence, Brett produced 'The stonebreaker'. Ruskin was so taken
with the background landscape that he persuaded ('hectored', saysReynolds) Brett
into becoming a 'geological topographer' (as Reynolds puts it). In this
endeavour he replaced Millais, whose
portrait of Ruskin (painted in 1853) was
also distinguished by a meticulous rendering of the rocks behind the sitter.
Maybe the painful associations of that picture persuaded Ruskin that someone
else should become the 'landscape wing' of the PRB.
In any case, Brett's knowledge of optics suited him for the post. Many of his
paintings have a carefully selected 2:1 aspect ratio: their width corresponds to
the human visual field of 60° and their height to a band 15° above and
below the horizon, which Brett considered to contain "all the paintable
phenomena in nature".
Successful sales of land- and seascapes enabled Brett to buy a schooner in 1883 and a large house, 'Daisyfield' (complete
with a tower and telescope to satisfy his inner astronomer) in 1887; but he overreached himself and declining
demand for the Pre-Raphaelite style led to financial problems in his final
years.
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Works by
Brett
at
Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum
Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery
The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery
Complete list of pictures
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