Some people succeed through life through hard work and determination, others seem to have natural skills and talents, often visible from an early age. Some people just seem to be good at whatever they turn their hand to: Emily Brontë, for example, not only wrote what some people (me included) would say is the greatest novel of all time, she was also one of the greatest poets of the century, a woman who mastered French in a matter of weeks, a fine pianist and the best bread maker in Haworth to boot.
Emily Brontë was also a very accomplished artist from an early age – something she shared with her siblings. Their father Patrick recognised their talents and arranged for them to have art lessons with celebrated Keighley artist John Bradley. They also learnt by meticulously copying art they found in books and magazines. In this post we head into our own private art gallery with six paintings by the Brontës, all completed in their teenage years or earlier.
Charlotte Brontë
After the deaths of Maria and Elizabeth Brontë, Charlotte became the oldest sister. It was a role she took seriously, which is why she dedicated her thatched cottage, drawn when she was twelve, to her eight year old sister Anne.
Branwell Brontë
Branwell tried to become a portrait painter in Bradford, but it was a job that had lots of competition and not one that he could make a career out of. As a teenager Branwell liked drawing scenes from nature, such as this goshawk.
Emily Brontë
Emily could be a brilliant artist drawing from life, as her portraits of pets Keeper, Grasper and Nero show. This drawing of a young woman was made when Emily was just 12 years old.
Anne Brontë
Like her sisters, Anne was a talented artist from an early age. At the head of this post is a young Anne’s sketch of a cottage with trees drawn in 1829 when she was 9 years old. As a 16 year old she painted this finely detailed scene of a man with a dog before an Italianate villa.
I hope this post has inspired some of you to look up your pens, pencils and brushes and get creative – painting by numbers is my level. I hope to see you next week for another new Brontë blog post.