William Etty
The Life and Art
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About the Book
English painter William Etty (1787–1849) believed women were “God’s most glorious work.” His determination to present that glorious work in its finest light led to criticism in his day for his choice of nudes as subjects. Today, Etty deserves recognition for his place in the history of English art.
The life and work of William Etty are thoroughly explored and generously illustrated in this biography. Chapters detail his family background and childhood, his home in York, his life in London and at the Royal Academy of Arts, and his struggles to make a living. His studies in Italy and France and his career as a painter are explored as are his work with the York School of Design in his final decade, his place in the fine arts market and his emulators. An appendix examines Etty’s relationship with his niece Betsy, his caretaker, housekeeper and assistant.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Leonard Robinson
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 523
Bibliographic Info: 101 photos, (28 color glossy photos) appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [2007]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6775-4
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
List of Illustrations xiii
Foreword by Tom Etty 1
Preface 3
Introduction 5
CHAPTER ONE
The Etty family, Etty’s birth and early years 19
The shape of things to come 31
Education 34
CHAPTER TWO
“One of the fairest of England’s cities” 39
“Servitude and slavery” 47
CHAPTER THREE
Life in London 52
A second apprenticeship 58
A rewarding pupilage 69
CHAPTER FOUR
Unsettled and solitary 74
Finding his way 76
Slow beginnings and widening horizons 80
Death of his father 88
Success at home 90
CHAPTER FIVE
The Grand Tour—A second attempt 95
“The spell is broken” 96
Success in Venice 99
“Fever of heart” 108
A confession? 110
CHAPTER SIX
Further successes and material improvements 113
“An honor conferred” 118
Further recognition—Meeting with Delacroix 119
A troublesome patron 123
Revisiting York 125
“We must keep the foreigners from fooling us!” 126
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I have triumphed!” 132
A familiar allegory reworked 135
A fair exchange? 143
His mother’s death 144
“The Vandals strike again” 146
Between pages 152 and 153 are 16 color plates containing 28 illustrations
CHAPTER EIGHT
“An irreparable loss” 153
Mixed reactions 156
A change of Academic patronage 162
Unpleasant experiences in France 165
“An affair of the Heart” 169
Etty and politics—Reactions to reform 170
CHAPTER NINE
A tour of the north 173
“A general allegory of Human Life” 178
Defender of antiquities 181
The letters of Ridolfi 184
A second Ridolfi 188
A variety of portraits 191
CHAPTER TEN
“The War of the Walls” 197
“Some great moral on the heart” 207
A missed opportunity 209
Illness and convalescence 210
An exhibition in York 216
A strange appointment 222
More advice from Ridolfi Minor 223
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Divergent opinions 227
“Beauty, action, masculine vigour” 232
The National Gallery 235
“A nasty little pokey hole” 239
An important appointment—The Schools of Design 241
CHAPTER TWELVE
A change of monarch, a change of style 246
A childlike humor 249
Critical appreciations 253
Painting the Lady Mayoress 260
Etty’s painting methods 263
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I am not a Protestant” … “I am not a Catholic” 267
“Premiums for Crime” 276
Etty and money 280
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A qualified tribute from one artist to another 288
Another important appointment—The National Gallery 289
“Nature supreme and over all” 291
Summer excursions 293
A prestigious appointment—The Houses of Parliament 296
A royal command 301
“Let Brotherly Love Continue” 304
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“The Judith of modern times” 314
York Minster again 320
Planning for retirement 324
“The new Maecenas” 327
Distinguished portraits 331
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Etty and his models 336
“Never to marry!” 349
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The York School of Design 357
Failing powers 364
Excursions and alarums 368
A reluctant departure 370
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Who bought Etty’s paintings? 375
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“A piece of egotism” 402
A curious intervention 404
Recognition by fellow artists 407
Praise from a famous poet 412
Increasing ill-health and other worries 413
A final imprudence 414
CHAPTER TWENTY
Final wishes unfulfilled 416
“A Sordid Topic” 419
A hurried sale 422
Posthumous appreciations 423
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Etty’s successors 431
Etty in the Twentieth Century 444
Summation 454
Appendix. Betsy 457
Chapter Notes
Abbreviations and Full References 477
The Notes 478
Bibliography 483
Index 487
Book Reviews & Awards
“thoroughly researched, clearly written, and beautifully illustrated…a massive work of scholarship that should be included in every art library”—Library Journal.
