| Method | Mezzotint |
| Artist | Sir Frank Short after George Frederick Watts |
| Published | London, Published October 28th 1901 by Robt. Dunthorne, 5, Vigo Street, London W. |
| Dimensions | Image 471 x 374 mm, Plate 495 x 390 mm, |
| Notes |
Signed in pencil by artist and engraver. An atmospheric mezzotint of 'Hope' by George Frederick Watts. The scene shows the figure representing 'Hope' sat on a globe, blindfolded. Her head is lowered to the lyre she cradles in her left hand, her right plucking the only remaining string. The plain background is highlighted by a single shooting star seen above the figure. The painting received warm reception from members of the Aesthetic movement and the general public but critics argued that 'Despair' would have been a more appropriate title. Watts clarified: 'Hope need not mean expectancy. It suggests here rather the music which can come from the remaining chord.' Watts painted at least four different versions of this scene, the second of which is the most known and on display at the Tate Britain. Sir Frank Short (1857 - 1945) was born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire. He trained as an engineer but abandoned this career for art. He studied at South Kensington (later the Royal College of Art) and Westminster Schools of Art, London. He won gold medals at the Paris Salon for engraving and from 1891, until his retirement in 1924, he taught engraving at the Royal College of Art. The discipline he required from his students was largely responsible for the excellence of British etchings in the inter-war period. From 1910 to 1939 he was President of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, and in this capacity he was awarded a knighthood. In all, he produced some 209 etchings and drypoints and his subject matter included seascapes and foreshores from around Bosham and Rye in Sussex, the Mersey in the North West of England, Polperro and Seaford in Cornwall, as well as views in Holland. He worked directly from nature onto the plate which as the artist Martin Hardie observed makes demands upon the nerves and which gives the line a tremendous quality. His atmospheric nocturnes show something of his admiration for the work of James McNeil Whistler. George Frederic Watts (1817 – 1904) was a popular English Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist and Pre-Raphaelite movements. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as Hope and Love and Life. These paintings were intended to form part of an epic symbolic cycle called the 'House of Life,' in which the emotions and aspirations of life would all be represented in a universal symbolic language. His large allegorical works on universal themes appealed deeply to the Victorians, and he was considered to be the greatest English artist of his age. Condition: Horizontal crease and in fill to sky area. Creasing to sheet. Light toning from previous mount. Framed in a period oak frame. |
| Framing | framed |
| Price | £950.00 |
| Stock ID | 52934 |