The Last of England (painting)

The Last of England (painting)

Infobox Painting


title=The Last of England
artist=Ford Madox Brown
year=1855
type=Oil-on-panel
height=82.5
width=75
height_inch=32
width_inch =29
museum = Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
city =
Birmingham, England

"The Last of England" is an 1855 oil-on-panel painting by Ford Madox Brown depicting two emigrees leaving England to start a new life abroad.

Background

Brown began the painting in 1852 inspired by the departure of his close friend, the Pre-Raphaelite sculptor, Thomas Woolner, who had left for Australia in July of that year. Emigration from England was at a peak, with over 350,000 people leaving that year. Brown, who at the time considered himself "very hard up and a little mad", was himself thinking of starting over in India with his new family.

Painting

Although Ford Madox Brown was never a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, "The Last of England", like many of his paintings, exhibits all the characteristics of the movement.The painting depicts a man and his wife leaving England for the last time. The two main figures, based on Brown and his wife, Emma, stare ahead, stony-faced, ignoring the white cliffs of Dover which can be seen disappearing behind in the top right of the picture. The clothing indicates that family are middle class, so are not leaving for the reasons that would force the emigration of the working classes; Brown's writing touched on the same theme:

The fair-haired child in the background behind the man's shoulder is Brown and Emma's child, Catherine, who was born in 1850. The hand of the baby, which can be seen clasped by the woman, is supposedly that of their second child, Oliver.

In order to mirror the harsh conditions in the painting Brown worked mostly outside in his garden, and was happy when the weather was poor — he recorded his feelings of delight when the cold turned his hand blue, as this was how he wanted it to appear in the painting. He was seen as strange by his neighbours who saw him out in all kinds of weather. He composed a short verse to accompany the painting in which the woman is depicted as hopeful for the future:

Two finished versions of the picture exist, one in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the other in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. A watercolour replica of the painting in Birmingham produced between 1864–6 is held by the Tate Britain. A fully worked study also exists, and a detailed compositional drawing. All are in the form of round panels, a rarely-revived Renaissance format called a tondo, but differ in colouring.

The picture was voted Britain's eighth favourite picture in a poll carried out by BBC Radio 4.

External links

* [http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1891P24 Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery, Last of England Online]

References

*cite book|title=1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die|author=Stephen Farthing (Ed.)|publisher=Quintet Publishing Ltd|location=London|date=2006|id=ISBN 1-84403-563-8
*cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/vote/greatestpainting/winner.shtml|title=Greatest Painting Vote | publisher=BBC|accessdate=28 December|accessyear=2006


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Last of England — refers to:* The Last of England , a painting by Ford Madox Brown * The Last of England , a film by Derek Jarman, whose title was inspired by the above. * The Last of England , a 1970 poetry book by Peter Porter …   Wikipedia

  • (the) Last of England — The Last of England [The Last of England] the best known painting (1855) by Ford Madox Brown. It shows a young couple on a boat leaving England, and was painted at a time when many people were leaving the country to start a new life abroad …   Useful english dictionary

  • The Last of England (film) — Infobox Film name = The Last of England image size = caption = director = Derek Jarman producer = James Mackay Don Boyd writer = Derek Jarman narrator = Nigel Terry starring = Tilda SwintonNigel TerryJonathan PhillipsSpencer LeighSpring Mark… …   Wikipedia

  • Last of England — the best known painting (1855) by Ford Madox Brown. It shows a young couple on a boat leaving England, and was painted at a time when many people were leaving the country to start a new life abroad. * * * …   Universalium

  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — This article is about the film. For the video games, see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (video game). Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Theatrical poster by Drew Struzan …   Wikipedia

  • The Benedictine Order —     The Benedictine Order     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Benedictine Order     The Benedictine Order comprises monks living under the Rule of St. Benedict, and commonly known as black monks . The order will be considered in this article under… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Creation (Haydn) — The Creation (German: Die Schöpfung) is an oratorio written between 1796 and 1798 by Joseph Haydn (H. 21/2), and considered by many to be his masterpiece. The oratorio depicts and celebrates the creation of the world as described in the biblical… …   Wikipedia

  • England (Before the Reformation) —     England (Before the Reformation)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► England (Before the Reformation)     This term England is here restricted to one constituent, the largest and most populous, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Irish (in Countries Other Than Ireland) —     The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     I. IN THE UNITED STATES     Who were the first Irish to land on the American continent and the time of their arrival are …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Vatican —     The Vatican     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Vatican     This subject will be treated under the following heads:     I. Introduction; II. Architectural History of the Vatican Palace; III. Description of the Palace; IV. Description of the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”