,,british ,,artists ,,john ,,pettie1 ,r4,a41 ,h4,r4,s4,a4 ,illustration3 ,bonnie ,prince ,charlie 7,cover ,page7 ,,in ,,the ,,same ,,series ,,birket ,,foster1 ,r4,w4,s4 ,,kate ,,greenaway ,,george ,,morland ,a4 ,,and ,c4 ,,black 4 #d ,,soho ,,square 4 ,,london1 ,w4 ,,agents ,,america ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company #fd #ff ,,fifth ,,avenue1 ,,new ,,york ,,australasia ,,oxford ,,university ,,press #bje ,,flinders ,,lane1 ,,melbourne ,,canada ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company ,,of ,,canada1 ,,ltd4 #bg ,,richmond ,,street ,,west1 ,,toronto ,,india ,,macmillan ,,company1 ,,ltd4 ,,macmillan ,,building1 ,,bombay #cji ,,bow ,,bazaar ,,street1 ,,calcutta ,illustration3 ,portrait of ,john ,pettie ,,john ,,pettie ,r4,a41 ,h4,r4,s4,a4 ,,sixteen ,,examples ,,in ,,colour ,,of ,,the ,,artist',s ,,work ,,with ,,an ,,introduction ,,by ,,martin ,,hardie1 ,b4,a41 ,a4,r4,e4 ,illustration ,,published ,,by ,a4 ,c4 ,,black #d1 #e #f ,,soho ,,square1 ,,london ,,mcmx ,,list ,,of ,,plates ,,owner ,,of ,,original #a4 ,portrait of ,john ,pettie ,tate ,gallery #b4 ,the ,vigil #c4 ,the ,step ,kenneth ,m4 ,clark1 ,esq4 #d4 ,a ,drum-head ,court-,martial ,mappin ,art ,gallery1 ,sheffield #e4 ,treason #f4 ,rejected ,addresses ,the ,rt4 ,hon4 ,baron ,faber #g4 ,ho6 ,ho6 ,old ,noll6 ,w4 ,j4 ,chrystal1 ,esq4 #h4 ,a ,sword-and-,dagger ,fight ,corporation ,art ,gallery1 ,glasgow #i4 ,two ,strings to her ,bow ,a#aj4 ,bonnie ,prince ,charlie ,charles ,stewart1 ,esq4 #aa4 ,disbanded ,fine ,art ,institution1 ,dundee #ab4 ,portrait of ,sir ,charles ,wyndham as ,david ,garrick ,sir ,charles ,wyndham #ac4 ,the ,clash of ,steel ,john ,jordan1 ,esq4 #ad4 ,a ,storm in a ,teacup ,colonel ,harding #ae4 ,grandmother's ,memories ,trustees of the late ,alex4 ,rose1 ,esq4 #af4 ,the ,chieftain's ,candlesticks ,by permission of the late ,mrs4 ,morten ,a ,on the cover ,,john ,,pettie1 ,r4,a4 ,like many great painters1 ,john ,pettie was of humble origin4 ,born in ,edinburgh in #ahci1 he was the son of a tradesman who1 having reached some prosperity1 purchased a business in the village of ,east ,linton and moved there with his family in #aheb4 ,the boy was born with art in his blood1 and ,nature never intended him for the dull and respectable vocation to which his father was anxious that he should succeed4 ,more than once1 when despatched on an errand to storeroom or cellar1 he was discovered making drawings on the lid of a wooden box or the top of a cask1 totally oblivious of his journey and its object4 ,a portrait of the village carrier and his donkey1 done when he was a boy of fifteen1 struck neighbouring critics as being almost uncanny1 and overcame even his father's objections to art as a possible career4 ,greatly daring1 his mother carried off her son to ,edinburgh1 a bundle of drawings beneath his arm1 to visit ,mr4 ,james ,drummond1 one of the leading members of the ,royal ,scottish ,academy4 ,much better make him stick to business1 was his verdict1 after listening to the mother's story4 ,but his tone changed when he had seen the drawings4 ,not a word was uttered while he turned them over2 but then1 handing them back1 he said3 ,well1 madam1 you can put that boy to what you like1 but he'll die an artist6 ,with every encouragement ,pettie now entered the ,trustees' ,academy1 where he became a student under ,robert ,scott ,lauder1 ,r4,s4,a4 ,among ,pettie's fellow-students were ,george ,paul ,chalmers1 ,w4 ,q4 ,orchardson1 ,j4 ,mac,whirter1 ,hugh ,cameron1 ,peter ,graham1 ,tom ,graham1 and ,w4 ,mc,taggart4 ,they were destined to form a ,school which breathed new life into ,scottish art and inaugurated a fresh epoch4 ,all of them gave free expression to their own personality1 but one and all made beautiful colour their highest ideal4 ,in #aheh ,pettie exhibited his first picture at the ,royal ,scottish ,academy2 and in #ahfj made his first venture at the ,royal ,academy in ,london with ,the ,armourers1 which was hung on the line4 ,it was followed in #ahfa by ,what d' ye lack1 madam8 a picture of the saucy 'prentice in ,scott's ,fortunes of ,nigel4 ,with the exhibition of this picture his success was assured1 and the encouragement he received led him to leave the ,north and seek his future in the greater world of ,london4 ,in #ahfb we find ,pettie sharing a studio in ,pimlico with ,orchardson and ,tom ,graham4 ,a year later1 taking ,c4 ,e4 ,johnson in their company1 they moved to #cg1 ,fitzroy ,square1 a house afterwards tenanted by ,ford ,madox ,brown4 ,i have before me a solemn agreement dated ,september #ah1 #ahfc3 ,we1 ,w4 ,q4 ,orchardson1 ,j4 ,pettie1 and ,t4 ,graham1 agree to each other that we shall pay the following proportions of rent for house1 ,no4 #cg1 ,fitzroy ,square 7,w4 ,q4 ,orchardson1 ,l#ff #acs42 ,john ,pettie1 ,l#ef #acs42 ,t4 ,graham1 ,l#da #acs471 or in these proportions whether of increase or reduction4 ,here they lived a happy ,bohemian existence1 with guinea-pigs running about the studio floor2 their cash-box an open drawer where bank-notes1 gold and silver were mixed in cheerful confusion with bottles of varnish and tubes of colour2 their general factotum one ,joe ,wall1 a retired prize-fighter1 who had been model to ,landseer and ,frith4 ,to the two years spent in ,fitzroy ,square1 and to the ten years following1 belong several of ,pettie's finest works4 ,his keen perception of dramatic incident1 his fine sense of colour1 and his brilliance of craftsmanship1 soon drew the attention they deserved4 ,in #ahfe his ,drum-head ,court-,martial was one of the pictures before which visitors clustered daily when it hung on the ,academy walls4 ,it is a dashing picture1 full of spirit in idea and design2 and the artist seldom painted anything better1 or more full of character1 than the heads of those commanders sitting in judgment4 ,in the following year1 at the early age of twenty-seven1 he was elected an ,associate of the ,royal ,academy1 winning the coveted honour eighteen months before his friend and companion1 ,orchardson4 ,with ,treason1 exhibited in #ahfg1 he burst into a triumph of dramatic intensity and glowing colour4 ,the picture has a grip and unity of conception that places it on a higher level than any of his previous works4 ,to the three following years belong such fine subjects as ,the ,sally and ,the ,flag of ,truce1 which1 with ,treason1 are now in the ,mappin ,art ,gallery1 ,sheffield2 the ,tussle with a ,highland ,smuggler2 and ,touchstone and ,audrey4 ,rejected ,addresses1 exhibited in #ahgj1 has all ,pettie's charm of colour and fluent brushwork4 ,among other comedies in little1 touched with light fancy and the joy of life1 are ,a ,storm in a ,teacup and ,two ,strings to ,her ,bow4 ,the latter is one of ,pettie's happiest pieces of pure sentiment1 persuasive in its natural charm and its touch of romance4 ,light-hearted gaiety and the ecstasy of existence sing in rippling music from lines and colours vibrant with joy4 ,in #ahgd ,pettie was elected a ,royal ,academician1 filling the vacancy caused by the death of ,sir ,edwin ,landseer4 ,his first exhibits were two of his finest works1 ,a ,state ,secret1 and ,ho6 ,ho6 ,old ,noll6 ,the scene in the latter is a tennis-court where two cavaliers are looking on with a chuckle of amusement at the spirited caricature which a third has made upon the wall4 ,ho6 ,ho6 ,old ,noll is the work of a master draughtsman4 ,the light pose and easy grace of the cavalier who makes the sketch1 the foreshortening of his arm1 the hand that holds the chalk--so lightly that it seems to move--are all superbly rendered4 ,two years later1 in #ahgf1 he exhibited ,the ,step1 a picture of a little girl with golden hair1 in a pale blue dress1 dancing before her grandmother4 ,the same old lady1 with spinning-wheel and high-backed chair1 formed the subject of a picture titled ,grandmother's ,memories4 ,a ,sword-and-,dagger ,fight1 exhibited in the following year1 is one of many pictures that show ,pettie's dramatic perception and his power of representing physical exertion and momentary movement4 ,almost at the same time was painted ,disbanded1 a rough and ragged but stalwart ,highlander1 without doubt a rebel of the '#de on his return from ,culloden4 ,this is one of many subjects for which the artist sought inspiration in the novels of ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,the ,clash of ,steel1 painted in #ahhh1 obviously owes its origin to the first chapter of ,the ,fortunes of ,nigel4 ,it depicts the time when the cry of ,clubs6 ,clubs6 ',prentices6 often echoed along a ,london street4 ,the ,chieftain's ,candlesticks1 of #ahhf1 will puzzle those who do not recall the scene in ,scott's ,legend of ,montrose4 ,angus ,m',aulay1 a proud ,highlander1 on a visit to his friend1 ,sir ,miles ,musgrave1 in ,england1 had six candlesticks of solid silver set before him on the table at dinner-- ,sae they began to jeer the laird1 that he saw nae sic graith in his ain poor country2 and the laird1 scorning to hae his country put down without a word for its credit1 swore1 like a gude ,scotsman1 that he had mair candlesticks1 and better candlesticks1 in his ain castle at hame1 than were ever lighted in a hall in ,cumberland4 ,when the laird welcomed the ,englishman on an unexpected visit shortly after1 his purse and credit were both at stake1 for he had nothing of more value than some tin sconces4 ,but ,m',aulay was helped out of the dilemma1 to his own surprise1 by his retainer1 ,donald3 ',gentlemans1 her dinner is ready1 and her candles are lighted1 too1' said ,donald4 ,the two ,english strangers1 therefore1 were ushered into the hall1 where an unexpected display awaited them4 ,behind every seat stood a gigantic ,highlander1 holding in his right hand his drawn sword1 and in the left a blazing torch4444 ',lost1 lost1' said ,musgrave gaily--'my own silver candlesticks are all melted and riding on horseback by this time1 and ,i wish the fellows that enlisted were half as trusty as these4' ,another ,scott scene1 chosen from ,waverley1 was painted in #ahib1 and shows ,bonnie ,prince ,charlie at the moment when the young chevalier is entering the ballroom at ,holyrood1 with flowers strewn at his feet4 ,this1 one of the last of ,pettie's works1 is one of the most brilliant and energetic in its colour scheme4 ,the last years of ,pettie's life were lean years for the painter of genre4 ,the period preceding #ahij marked the climax of the prejudice against the literary idea in paint4 ,it was a prejudice somewhat unjust1 for there is nothing to prevent the subject-picture from being true art1 any more than the subject-poem from being poetry4 ,at the same time there was a natural reaction after the banalities of the mid-,victorian painters of genre on the one hand1 and the over-wrought preciousness of the pre-,raphaelites on the other4 ,pettie had often painted portraits for his own pleasure1 and in these lean years they became to some extent a necessity4 ,his portrait work is naturally not so well known as his subject-painting1 yet now and then he produced things that in sheer power and interest of colour and technique rank among his highest achievements4 ,one of them is his own portrait1 now in the ,tate ,gallery1 which is masterly in its brushwork1 with a ,rubens-like quality in its rich impasto of brilliant colour1 its fine amber tones1 and its translucent carnations4 ,another of his finest portraits is that of ,sir ,charles ,wyndham1 in his character of ,david ,garrick at the moment of recognizing ,ada--,if ,i had but known4 ,it is not only a brilliant portrait1 but a magnificent piece of characterization1 summing up and seizing all the intensity of the actor's emotion at the most dramatic moment of the play4 ,it required a great actor so to express1 almost in silence1 by the look of a moment1 that world of sorrow and regret4 ,it was a great painter who could catch and throw upon his canvas the poignant emotion of an instant made eternity4 ,the greatness of ,pettie's art owes much to his strong personality4 ,his art was the immediate response to his own vigorous nature1 and rarely has an artist's temperament been more absolutely reflected in subject as well as style4 ,a painting of action was to ,pettie1 vigorous and robust1 as natural a fulfilment of his own spirit as was an exquisite dreamy nocturne to ,whistler1 the fragile man of nerves and sentiment4 ,nature and inclination led ,pettie to the dramatic motive1 the treatment of anecdote1 the representation of the brute incident4 ,he loved romance2 he delighted in costly stuffs1 in frills and ruffles1 silks and satins1 the glitter of a sword1 the sheen of military accoutrements4 ,his work shows the possession of that quality which the formal critics of literature call vision4 ,he actually saw the things that he painted1 as they really were1 in their own atmosphere1 whether of the seventeenth century or of fifty years ago1 whether they were things of ,state1 plots and deep-laid treachery1 or things of romance--the tragedies and humours of life1 whether in palace1 camp1 or country lane4 ,his pictures are quick and alive--une tranche de la vie4 ,it is no mean art that can give on one canvas the whole spirit and circumstance of a period in history4 ,though ,pettie's subjects make a universal appeal1 his claim to greatness must rest on something higher than this4 ,the great picture depends for its greatness not on its subject1 but on a combination of inherent qualities of line1 form1 colour1 and chiaroscuro4 ,the greatest of these1 the very language of the painter1 is colour2 and in colour ,pettie excelled4 ,as a young student in ,edinburgh he used to visit ,george ,paul ,chalmers at his lodgings1 and stay talking with him till he had to remain all night4 ,so they would retire to bed1 still talking1 till they fell asleep2 and1 says ,chalmers' biographer1 their talk was all of colour4 ,whether in shadow or light1 ,pettie's colour has1 in a high degree1 those qualities of resonance and vibration which distinguish the masters of this essential of the painter's craft4 ,he loved colour not only for its full brilliance1 its magnificent contrasts1 its satisfying opulence1 but also for its suave delicacy1 its possibilities of subtle orchestration4 ,it is as a great colourist that he will live4 ,in a brief note like this1 intended mainly as an introduction to an admirable series of reproductions of ,pettie's work1 it is impossible to picture the man1 or to analyze adequately his work and his methods4 ,i should like1 however1 to add here two extracts from unpublished letters by him1 which have recently come into my hands and throw some light on the man and his attitude towards his work4 ,to a question about the number of versions of his picture ,the ,laird1 he writes as follows3 ,in ,april1 #ahgh1 ,i sold to ,mr4 ,e4 ,f4 ,white1 the dealer1 three canvases1 one a blot of colour1 my first idea1 a few inches long4 ,the second was a finished sketch1 which was carried on at the same time as the picture2 and the third1 the picture now in ,manchester4 ,it was my habit at that time 7and is so still1 to some extent7 to design my subject-pictures first by a blot of colour1 then by a large study1 generally half the size of the picture4 ,on this ,i try any alterations or variety of effect during the progress of the larger picture1 sometimes finishing as highly as the principal one4 ,the second letter1 of ,march #aa1 #ahgc1 shows him indignant at an opinion1 quoted to him by ,sir ,frederick ,mappin1 that he was getting into the hands of dealers and hurrying his work under pressure from them3 ,fortunately1 or unfortunately1 members of my profession who make any mark at all are the subject of much criticism and talk which is often presumptuous1 wrong1 or utterly foolish4 ,none knew this better1 ,i dare say1 than ,john ,phillip1 your old friend4 ,i have never desired the favour of critics and newspaper men1 thinking1 with ,byron1 that 'a man must serve his time to every trade save censure4 ,critics all are ready-made4' ,i have to look to members of my own profession for position and honour in it4 ,it is therefore with me a matter of the highest importance that my pictures should be as good as ,i can make them1 and thoroughly well studied4 ,i should be unworthy indeed if money influenced me in the smallest degree as regards the quality of my work4444 ,in conclusion1 let me assure you that while ,i am by no means inclined to be self-confident in my own powers1 yet ,i have judgment to see that being consciously true to my art ,i need not fear in the long run to receive my due from my profession and from the public as well4 ,some critics--by no means all1 for he had his meed of praise--have abused ,pettie's work in his lifetime and since2 the storied idea always their stumbling-block4 ,but painters--and ,i have spoken with many whose own art is at the opposite pole to ,pettie's in aim and method--are always enthusiastic in their homage to his colour and workmanship4 ,i venture to think that no painter1 however modern1 and no critic1 however biassed1 could stand in front of that little portrait head in the ,tate ,gallery and honestly refrain from admiration and respect4 ,pettie need not fear to receive his due4 ,i have said little of the man himself4 ,by his death in #ahic the world lost not only a fine painter1 but one of the most honest1 loyal1 and generous of mankind4 ,when writing ,pettie's biography a year or two ago1 ,i asked a well-known artist1 who had been his life-long friend1 for any recollection that would lend atmosphere to my memoir4 ,he gave me several reminiscences1 telling tale after tale of ,pettie's cheeriness1 loyalty1 and unselfishness1 and he ended3 ,have you ever seen ,john ,pettie's portrait of himself in the ,aberdeen ,gallery8 ,it's all pure and luminous1 all rich coral and amber and gold4 ,that's the atmosphere you must suggest4 ,pettie was pure and honest through and through4 ,his nature was all amber and gold4 ,,martin ,,hardie4 ,illustration3 ,the ,vigil ,illustration3 ,the ,step ,illustration3 ,a ,drum-head ,court-,martial ,illustration3 ,treason ,illustration3 ,rejected ,addresses ,illustration3 ,ho6 ,ho6 ,old ,noll6 ,illustration3 ,a ,sword-and-,dagger ,fight ,illustration3 ,two ,strings to her ,bow ,illustration3 ,disbanded ,illustration3 ,portrait of ,sir ,charles ,wyndham as ,david ,garrick ,illustration3 ,the ,clash of ,steel ,illustration3 ,a ,storm in a ,teacup ,illustration3 ,grandmother's ,memories ,illustration3 ,the ,chieftain's ,candlesticks