WILLIAM ETTY (York, Great Britain, 1787 - 1849). "Young... Lot 13

WILLIAM ETTY (York, Great Britain, 1787 - 1849). "Young Man at Rest, 1828. Oil on canvas glued to panel. It has craquelure and restorations on the pictorial surface. There are losses and damage to the frame. Signed and dated in the lower right area. Measurements: 57 x 78 cm; 75 x 96 cm (frame). No British painter of historical subjects has devoted himself to the representation of the human form as assiduously as William Etty, and in particular to the female nude. Among his contemporaries, who marvelled at the depth and corporeality of his figures, he was known and highly praised for his ability to capture the human form and reproduce flesh tones. Etty was born in York and left school at the age of twelve to work as an apprentice in a print shop. He completed his apprenticeship after seven years and moved to London, where in 1807 he began training at the Royal Academy under Thomas Lawrence. Despite the admiration of his contemporaries for his technical skill, such as his friend John Constable, Etty struggled to gain public recognition early in his career, and it was not until 1821, with the exhibition of Cleopatra's Arrival in Cilicia (National Museums Liverpool) at the Royal Academy, that he finally received the acclaim he craved. Critics marvelled at Cleopatra's "languid, exuberant beauty" and described the painting as belonging to the "highest class" of art. Etty followed this success by exhibiting a succession of important mythological works over the next few years, which established Etty as one of Britain's most important historical painters in the early 19th century. With the advent of the twentieth century, Etty's important contribution to British art had been almost entirely forgotten, and an Arts Council exhibition in 1954 sparked only a brief revival of interest. Today, however, unfettered by the dictates of 19th century artistic discourse and morality, we can appreciate the beauty of Etty's art for what it is. As explored in the recent exhibition "William Etty: Art & Controversy" at the York Art Gallery, Etty's art was the result of a lifetime of serious engagement with the traditions of European painting, dedication to the study of the pattern of life, and commitment to an independent artistic spirit.