Chagford (A moorland scene)
Date1878
Artist
John Brett
(British painter, 1831–1902)
MediumOil on pasteboard mounted to wooden panel
Dimensions7 1/2 × 14 1/2 in. (19.1 × 36.8 cm)
frame: 12 7/8 × 19 7/8 in. (32.7 × 50.5 cm)
frame: 12 7/8 × 19 7/8 in. (32.7 × 50.5 cm)
Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund, 2022
Object number2022-92
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextInfluenced by Ruskin, Brett was devoted to painting with remarkable precision. Like Ruskin, Brett was interested in geology. Ruskin demanded that rock studies be "portraits" that were just as individualized as portraits of people. Here, Brett follows Ruskin’s guidance in representing boulders in Chagford, Devon. He exquisitely rendered the cracks, moss, and lichen, attending closely to areas of wear and flaking, and to passages where overhanging crags cast shadows.
