Step into a nineteenth-century world of art and adventure in this captivating exhibition at the National Trust’s Mottisfont in Hampshire, featuring over 80 original artworks by three extraordinary Victorian watercolourists.
Albert Goodwin, Hercules Brabazon Brabazon and Walter Tyndale were not just artists; they were intrepid explorers who travelled widely, often to places viewed as exotic and inaccessible.
Their depictions of foreign lands and the remarkable stories of their encounters abroad were keenly embraced by the newly wealthy and literate middle classes of late 19th and early 20th century England who eagerly embraced the delights of travel. Three Victorian Artists brings together scenes from the vast continents of Europe, Africa and Asia – a lost world, seen through the eyes of these great Victorian watercolourists who captured in paint and words their extraordinary travels:
Discover bustling Middle Eastern markets and picturesque Italian harbours, shadowy Cape Town docks lit by moonlight and Cairo’s medieval hulking Citadel, drenched in sunlight under an intense blue sky.
“Rosetta [in Egypt] came up to my expectations as a sketching ground… The bazaars were at their best; some of the stalls were laden with fruit both from Syria and the surrounding country… The fruit stalls first attracted my brush. Oranges and lemons were in place heaped up in great piles to be sold by auction to the retailers; huge clusters of dates, baskets overflowing with pomegranates, stacks of sugar cane, and bundles of artichokes, gave one the whole range of the palette to play with.” Walter Tyndale, 1907
Each artist interpreted their experiences in their own unique style. Gentleman traveller Brabazon produced luminous, loosely handled watercolours, which can be seen in his painting of the Egyptian city of Edfu and the Santa Maria Della Salute in Venice. Brabazon’s work was admired by eminent critic John Ruskin who identified him as an heir to JMW Turner. His modernity was later recognised by a younger generation of artists including John Singer Sargent and Walter Sickert.
Albert Goodwin, also supported by Ruskin, produced artworks full of atmosphere, evident in the slightly menacing and shadowy depiction of Cape Town docks, and the mysterious ‘Benares by Moonlight’, which Goodwin painted from a houseboat on the Ganges.
Walter Tyndale was one of the most popular and influential watercolourists working at the turn of the 20th century. He travelled widely, from Damascus to Japan and his work captured the detail of daily life, from the women fruit sellers at Manduilla Market in Jamaica to a Cairo barber tending to his client’s head. Alongside the paintings on show are a number of personal items belonging to Walter, including his suitcase, which reveals travelogues, scrapbooks of preliminary drawings, and diaries. Walter’s Hampshire-based granddaughter Judy recalls: “Walter’s early watercolour commissions for travel books on Wessex and the New Forest led to a career writing and illustrating extensive travel guides, from the South of France to as far afield as Japan. Although successful, money remained tight and family legend has it that he left his wife and three small boys to live on credit until his return, when the commissioned book would be sold and the original paintings sold. Walter originally trained as an oil portrait painter, but this changed when teaching a young lady watercolours, and a new career was formed combining his observational skills with a thirst for adventure. He loved meeting people and his illustrated travel books are full of local characters and incredible experiences. My mother was very fond of Walter and remembers him as a generous man. In later life, he hosted my parents’ wedding reception during World War Two, in the blackout, paying all costs from his home in Church Street, Kensington.”
Helen Potts, Visitor Experience Manager: “‘This exhibition provides a delightful burst of warmth on a chilly spring day. The vibrant colours and incredible detail – awe-inspiring architecture, bustling markets and ancient cities – really draw you in. We’ve included some of the artists’ personal recollections too, captured during their travels, which really give these scenes life. They’re a vivid expression of a world that no longer exists.”
For more information visit nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/hampshire/mottisfont/victorian-travellers-exhibition-at-mottisfont or call 01794 340757.
Top Photo: A Cairene Barber by Walter Tyndale ©Chris Beetles Gallery London AG697
