Hercules Brabazon Brabazon
Encyclopedia
Hercules Brabazon Brabazon (born Hercules Brabazon Sharpe, November 27, 1821, Paris
-May 14, 1906, Sedlescombe
) was an English artist, accomplished in Turner
manner watercolours.
Initially raised in Paris
, he moved with his family to Oaklands, an estate near Sedlescombe
, East Sussex
, in 1832. He attended Harrow School
, the École Privat, Geneva
, and Trinity College
, Cambridge
, graduating with a B.A. in mathematics in 1844. His father then wanted him to study law, but instead he left England and went to Rome
to study music and art, enrolling at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia
and Accademia di San Luca
.
His father attempted to make him return by reducing his allowance, but in 1847, on the death of his elder brother, he gained financial independence when he inherited family estates in Connaught
, the will requiring that he change his surname to Brabazon. From then on he led a life of travel, art study and painting, inspired by the works of artists such as Velázquez
and Turner. In 1858 he inherited Oaklands, whose management he left to his brother-in-law while he continued to travel - mostly in Europe, but with trips to Africa and India - always returning with his watercolours
.
Describing himself as living "for Art and Sunshine", he viewed himself as a gentleman amateur
, and did not show or try to sell his work until his mid-seventies. With the encouragement of artist friends, particularly John Singer Sargent
, he began to exhibit, first at the New English Art Club
, followed by successful one-man exhibitions at the Goupil Gallery in Bond Street. He died at the height of his success in 1906, and is buried at Sedlescombe.
Due to financial problems with the family estate, in 1926 Brabazon's relatives sold the works that they had inherited. The quantity, 3199 over 27 months, seriously devalued their price and Brabazon's reputation. Since the 1980s, however, the art dealership Chris Beetles Ltd has led a revival, and many major museums have examples of his work.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-May 14, 1906, Sedlescombe
Sedlescombe
Sedlescombe is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located north of Hastings.The parish lies within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The River Brede and its tributary the River Line flow through it; and Powdermill Reservoir is...
) was an English artist, accomplished in Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
manner watercolours.
Initially raised in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he moved with his family to Oaklands, an estate near Sedlescombe
Sedlescombe
Sedlescombe is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located north of Hastings.The parish lies within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The River Brede and its tributary the River Line flow through it; and Powdermill Reservoir is...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, in 1832. He attended Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, the École Privat, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, graduating with a B.A. in mathematics in 1844. His father then wanted him to study law, but instead he left England and went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to study music and art, enrolling at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy.It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western...
and Accademia di San Luca
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
.
His father attempted to make him return by reducing his allowance, but in 1847, on the death of his elder brother, he gained financial independence when he inherited family estates in Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, the will requiring that he change his surname to Brabazon. From then on he led a life of travel, art study and painting, inspired by the works of artists such as Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
and Turner. In 1858 he inherited Oaklands, whose management he left to his brother-in-law while he continued to travel - mostly in Europe, but with trips to Africa and India - always returning with his watercolours
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
.
Describing himself as living "for Art and Sunshine", he viewed himself as a gentleman amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
, and did not show or try to sell his work until his mid-seventies. With the encouragement of artist friends, particularly John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
, he began to exhibit, first at the New English Art Club
New English Art Club
The New English Art Club was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy.-History:Young English artists returning from studying art in Paris mounted the first exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1886...
, followed by successful one-man exhibitions at the Goupil Gallery in Bond Street. He died at the height of his success in 1906, and is buried at Sedlescombe.
Due to financial problems with the family estate, in 1926 Brabazon's relatives sold the works that they had inherited. The quantity, 3199 over 27 months, seriously devalued their price and Brabazon's reputation. Since the 1980s, however, the art dealership Chris Beetles Ltd has led a revival, and many major museums have examples of his work.
External links
- Hercules Brabazon Brabazon, Tate Collection