The Isles of Skomer and Skokholm, just outside Milford Haven

Artist John Brett (London, England, 1831 - 1902)

Date1891

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 107.1 cm, Width: 213.4 cm
Frame: Height: 147.4 cm, Width: 253.9 cm

AcquisitionPresented in 1936.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG002634

Keywords

About MeJohn Brett is best known for his painting 'The Stonebreaker' which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1858. At that point he was an associate of Millais, Rossetti and Holman Hunt and his work was initially praised by Ruskin, the great Victorian art critic.

Brett moved away from his early subject matter however, devoting his later career to painting the sea. One of Brett’s finest seacapes, this dramatic scene is a view of the Isles of Skomer and Skokham. A paradise for sea birds and bird lovers these islands lie off the Pembrokeshire Coast in North Wales. Brett was a keen sailor and often sketched the Welsh shoreline from his yacht, the Viking. He enjoyed many happy family holidays in Wales. His love for the Welsh shore - which he described as ‘in short the only really satisfactory seaside place on the whole British coast’ and his passion for the sea and for sailing is all captured in paintings such as this.