Known for his highly detailed landscapes and influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement, John Brett studied under James Duffield Harding and Richard Redgrave before joining the Royal Academy in 1853.
Inspired by Pre-Raphaelite ideals on scientific landscape painting he visited Switzerland in 1858 where he painted The Val d’Aosta (below).
The “Stonebreaker” became his most celebrated work, depicting a young boy smashing stones in a brightly-lit and highly detailed landscape. Embodying a moral message about child labor, the Stonebreaker was lauded by famed art critic John Ruskin.
Travelling the Mediterranean during the 1860s, Brett painted many landscapes with scientific precision.
In the 1870s and 1880s, he painted scenes of Cornwall, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight, and most notably the coastline of Wales.
Val d’Aosta 1858John Brett – The Stonebreaker, 1858Near Sorrento, 1863
Massa, Bay of Naples, 1864John Brett – February in the Isle of Wight, 1866Net Day at St. Ives by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1872View on the Beach at St. Agnes by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. (1873)
St. Ives by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1872John Brett – Southern Coast of Guernsey, 1875John Brett – Caernarvon, 1875St Ives Bay by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. (1878)Porth Gwarra by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1880
Summer Mists off Tol Pedn by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1880John Brett – Man of War Rocks, Coast of Dorset, 1884John Brett – Seascape, 1887John Brett – A North-West Gale off the Longships Lighthouse, 1902
Ivan Aivazovsky (1817 – 1900) loved the sea. Considered one of the greatest marine artists in history, during his 60-year career he created an astonishing 6,000 beautiful paintings.
Sweeping seascapes, golden sunsets, moonlit nights—Aivazovsky surprises and delights.
He paints mighty ships of the line ploughing through rough waters at full sail, or drifting in the stillness of a calm sea.
He captures the grandeur of the Imperial Russian fleet at anchor in the Black Sea ports.
He caresses the canvas with delicate brushwork and translucent layers of diffuse light.
Warmed by the rising sun, great buildings appear from behind morning mists. Anchored tall ships sit shrouded in glowing fog. Incandescent moonlight shimmers across the calm waters of Black Sea bays.
So admired was his work by Russians, that the saying “worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush” described something “ineffably lovely.”
Press “play” to add atmosphere to your sea voyage as you scroll through Aivazovsky’s beautiful paintings.
Sunset in Crimea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1865The Bay Golden Horn by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1845Parade of the Black Sea Fleet by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849Sunset – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1866Near Crimean coast – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1890Shipwreck near Gurzuf – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1898
Lunar night by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1857Moon Path by Ivan AivazovskyReval – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1844Calm Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1863Ayu-Dag on a foggy day by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1853
Morning at Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849The Bay of Naples at moonlit night. Vesuvius by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1870The Great Roads at Kronstadt by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1836The sunset on sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1848Smolny Convent by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849Farewell by Ivan Aivazovsky
Kerch by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1839The Bay of Naples in the morning by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1843Russian squadron on the raid of Sevastopol by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1846View of Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1850Ships at anchor by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1851
Windmill on the Sea Coast by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1851Fishermen on the coast of the sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1852Constantinople by Ivan AivazovskyIcebergs by Ivan Aivazovsky c.1860A Lunar night on Capri by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1841Searching for Suvivors by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1870Tempest on the sea at night by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
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Further Reading
Discover more about Ivan Aivazovsky at Wikipedia.org
Lev Lagorio (1828–1905) loved the way light plays with the beauty and drama of sea and mountains.
Known for his seascapes, Lagorio studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Influenced by the great marine artist Ivan Aivazovsky, Lagorio went on a sea voyage in 1845 aboard a Russian warship, where he studied the arrangement of ships—many of which feature in his work.
He spent eight years in Italy, his paintings of which earned him a professorship on returning to Russia.
In his later years, Lagorio painted coastal views of Finland and Norway.
1. Caucasian canyon, 1893
2. Normandy Beach, 1859.
3. Landscape with trees, houses and river, 1878
4. Moon light on the Neva, 1898
5. On the Caucasus Mountains, 1870
6. On the island of Capri. Coastal cliffs. 1859
7. On the island of Capri. Fisher’s house, 1859
8. Batum (a seaside city on the Black Sea coast), 1881
9. Defense of Bayazet during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878
