Hercules Brabazon Brabazon (1821-1906) [Aw48]
VIEW OF THE GRAND CANAL, VENICE
Watercolour and body colour over black crayon on grey paper; signed lower right with initials: HBB (H. 24 cm, W. 32 cm)
After completing a degree in mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1844, Hercules Brabazon Brabazon (born Sharpe) left England to study art and music in Rome. He developed his skills by making precise sketches from nature, looking to the work of artists such as David Cox (see cat. no. 26) and Peter De Wint (see cat. no. 19) for technical guidance. Upon gaining financial independence in 1847, he devoted his life to travel, painting, and the study of art. He would return from his trips with hundreds of sketches, building a corpus of watercolours made from direct observation in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Egypt, and India. Through the study of Old Masters in the museums of Europe, as well as modern painters, Brabazon developed his own colourful and dramatic style that drew the admiration of Ruskin and was an important influence on John Singer Sargent (1856–1925). In 1867, Brabazon was elected a member of the Burlington Fine Arts Club, where he formed a close friendship with Ruskin. Despite this involvement with the Club, Brabazon did not exhibit or sell his watercolours until the 1890s, when he was in his seventies.
In this watercolour, loose washes of brilliant blue and pale yellow are contrasted with licks of fiery orange. The style of Brabazon’s watercolours, and his use of colour, show a clear debt to JMW Turner (see cat. no. 17). This scene – with its gondolas, Gothic tracery windows, and a campanile in the background – is immediately recognisable as a view of Venice, but this particular group of buildings cannot actually be found anywhere in the city. Such Venetian “capricci” (imaginary views) became popular in the eighteenth century and are particularly associated with Francesco Guardi (1712–1793).
Provenance: Bequest of Colonel Arthur Brooke, 1954