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George Frederic Watts
On the morn of this day in Marylebone, London, a piano maker and his ailing wife gave birth to another son whom they would call George Frederic, as he shared the same birthday as George Frederic Handel. As Handel had many years before composed some of music's greatest works, Watts would carve his path too in the world of art and symbolism. -
Pauper Portraitist
G.F. Watts’ father is very conscious of his son’s artistic talents as a portraitist at a very early age. As his family was quite poor, Watts begins to support his family with the money brought in by his commissioned works. -
Shaping Sculptures
At age 10 he begins to study sculpture, more specifically, the Parthenon “Elgin” Marbles. (Ancient sculptures excavated and stolen from Athens by a Earl of Elgin & brought back to Britain) Watts carefully studied the form, depth, and beauty of each sculpture until his mind was sure it could flawlessly recreate it. He attriubutes his sculpting succes to these marbles. -
The Royal Academy of Art
G.F. Watt’s is sent to hone his skills at the Royal Academy of Art at 18. He is stated to have desired to return home prematurely, saying he already possessed the knowledge and skill base they were teaching there. It sounds quite arrogant to hear from talent so young, but his self-portrait painted at age 17 shows he certainly had skills and was an artist in his own right. -
Surfacing of Symbolism
Watts first exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1837 with 2 portraits and his first humanitarian and symbolic piece, The Wounded Heron. Watts believed that killing birds for sport and fashion were crimes against humanity and a problem in Victorian Society. This painting depicts the suffering of a stricken creature, and yet is also created to show the helplessness of life under violence and the tragedy that is death or for some, life. -
Creative Quest
In 1842 Watts won a competition held by the Royal fine Arts Commission by submitting a mural sized drawing for the New Westminster palaces. With his prize of £300, Watts travels to Italy visiting Paris, Milan, Rome, Perugia, Naples, Pompeii, Vesuvius, and ended in Florence. This changed his outlook on art and culture to more about antique paintings and sculptures from biblical scenes and ancient Rome. -
Concern for Condtions
Watts returns to London and sees that the historic artistic climate has shifted. He is surrounded by poverty, which has resulted in an increase of suicides there. Watts is deeply concerned with these social conditions and begins to use his paintings to express this. -
Watts and the Women
The 1860s begin another change in Watt’s paintings. He begins painting a line of portraits of women in a new light. A young actress by the name of Ellen Terry who was just 16 served as a muse for his new art. He first intended to adopt her, but then decided to marry her despite the 30-year difference. They married on February 20, 1864 and the marriage failed within the year, but Watts is said to have continued to work on paintings of her years after. -
Allegorical Art
In the 1880s Watts painted some of his most memorable symbolic images like Hope and Mammon. These works showed his feelings on how hope can be found so closely intertwined with despair and his protest against society’s greed that he believed to be the destructive force. On 20 November 1886 he married Mary Seton Fraser-Tytler, a sculptor and artist who shared his passion and vision. -
Crossing the Bar
n 1890 Watts and Mary built a house in Compton, then soon after adopted an orphan named Lillian and began creating an addition to their home for a gallery to house all his paintings. During this time Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was a great friend of Watts, died on 6 October 1892. He had requested his poem “Crossing the Bar” on his epitaph. Watts offers to create a massive sculpture to be placed at his memorial and catches a chill while working, that he never could rid himself of. -
"In a Great Cause, Almost Anyone Can Be Great"
In 1903 Watts moved all his paintings from Little Holland House Gallery to the Compton gallery, which opened to the public on 1 April 1904. Watts died on 1 July 1904. He had lived long enough to see his gallery open, his works displayed in Paris, the Metropolitan in the US, and many displayed at the Tate here in London.
