In his first important work in this genre, Watson and the Shark (1778), Copley used what was to become one of the great themes of 19th-century Romantic art: the struggle of man against nature. While there are many shark paintings floating around, let's try to figure out what makes this one in particular feel so terrifying, and also so timeless. Directed by Mike Kelley. The West Building will reopen on Friday, May 14! Other apparent influences are Renaissance art, and the ancient statue of Laocoön and his Sons, which Copley may have seen in Rome. Watson and the Shark is a series of oil paintings by John Singleton Copley 1778-1782 The original of three versions by Copley 1778 is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1778, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1778. The injured Watson’s deathly pale body rises from the depths, naked and vulnerable, with blood swirling around his leg. 7th St and Constitution Ave NW The composition contains ten figures and a tiger shark, a carnivorous fish so large that its body extends beyond the confines of the painting. Watson led quite a life, including a stint as the “peg-legged mayor of London.” This painting depicts a dramatization of the 1749 shark attack on teenager Brook Watson, a seaman’s apprentice, in Havana harbor. Before this, John Singleton Copley painted portraits. Stay up to date about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers. Copley and Brook Watson became friends after the American artist arrived in London in 1774. Sculpture Garden Closed. Copley continued to paint portraits to support his family, but his real ambition was to undertake narrative history painting, the equivalent of painting’s heavyweight division. Copley, then living in London, painted three versions. The painting depicts the moment when the shark is coming by for his third and possibly final attempt to make a meal out of Watson. John Singleton Copley, Image Download Watson and the Shark is an oil painting by the American painter John Singleton Copley, depicting the rescue of the English boy Brook Watson from a shark attack in Havana, Cuba. However, in order to preserve the scholarly record of the print publication, all original image … 1). “Royal Academy Exhibition,” Saint James’s Chronicle; or British Evening-Post (April 25–28, 1778): 4. Based on this work and a portrait of his family from the year before, in 1779 Copley he won election to London’s prestigious Royal Academy. Download a digital image of this work, John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778, oil on canvas, Ferdinand Lammot Belin Fund, 1963.6.1. The chilling aspect about this dramatic painting is that it is of a real event. Two shipmates stretch desperately to reach the boy flailing in the turbulent waters. West Building Copley produced a second, full-size replica for himself the same year, which is now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It was the first of a series of large-scale historical paintings that Copley would concentrate on after settling in London. Copley's pictorial account of the traumatic ordeal shows nine seamen rushing to help the boy, while the bloody water proves he has just lost his right foot. The facial expressions show a marked resemblance to those in Charles Le Brun's Conférence de M. Le Brun sur l'expression générale et particulière, an influential work published in 1698; they portray a range of emotions, from fear to courage. John Singleton Copley, The Death of the Earl of Chatham, 1779, oil on canvas, Gift of Mrs. Gordon Dexter, 1947.15.1. At his death, Watson bequeathed the 1807 painting to Christ's Hospital, with the hope that it would prove "a most usefull Lesson to Youth". Watson and the Shark is a disaster movie, but it’s also a documentary. Watson and the Shark cemented Copley’s reputation. Watson went on to be chairman of Lloyd's of London, a Member of Parliament, and Lord Mayor of London. Watson and the Shark is a large oil painting on canvas measuring 183.51 x 229.55 cm (fig. Watson eventually bequeathed the painting of his adolescent triumph over adversity to a London school for disadvantaged youth, believing it would offer moral inspiration. Make a prediction based on what you see in the painting. …important work in this genre, Watson and the Shark (1778), Copley used what was to become one of the great themes of 19th-century Romantic art: the struggle of man against nature. “Watson and the Shark” by John Singleton Copley “Watson and the Shark” by John Singleton Copley depicts the rescue of the boy from a shark attack in Havana harbor, Cuba. At the time Watson was only fourteen years old. Various elements of composition were changed as the painting progressed. His third and smaller version, with a vertical format produced by extending the view of the sky above, is in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Copley, then living in London, painted three versions. A Black sailor forms the apex of the composition, holding a rope for the victim who later famously defended the slave trade in the West Indies. Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley depicts the shark attack on an orphan cabin boy in Havana Harbor. The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. He was a longtime friends of many radicals, including Hancock, Paul Revere, and Sam Adams, but his in-laws and many socially prominent clients were hard-core Loyalists. Watson, an orphan, had unwisely decided to take a dip from a skiff while the ship on which he was crewing docked in Havana Harbor. On a warm day in 1749, 14-year-old Brook Watson dove into Havana Harbor for a swim. Watson and the Shark is an oil painting by the American painter John Singleton Copley, depicting the rescue of the English boy Brook Watson from a shark attack in Havana, Cuba. The school later moved to Horsham, Sussex, where it was hung in the Dining Hall. The sailors' expressions are believed to have been modeled after engravings by seventeenth-century French artist Charles LeBrun, who published an influential book of facial expressions that inspired artists for the next three centuries. Watson and the Shark (1778), by John Singleton Copley, exhibits the moment when Brook Watson, a London merchant, was attacked by a shark and the attempt to rescue him. Jacob Gardner's discussion of Copley's Watson and the Shark, 1780. When he married in 1769, he was prosperous enough to afford a 20-acre farm with three houses on Beacon Hill next to his friend John Hancock’s property. Brook Watson, then a 14-year-old cabin boy on the Royal Consort,[1] lost his leg in the attack and was not rescued until the third attempt, which is the subject of the painting. His English paintings grew more academically sophisticated and … In September 1819 the school's committee of almoners voted to accept the painting and place it in the great hall. Watson and the Shark's exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1778 generated a sensation, partly because such a grisly subject was an absolute novelty. There is furthermore the feature of realism that gives ``Watson and the Shark'' its vivid power and that particularly reflects Copley's American sensibility. Copley depicts the boy’s climactic rescue: just as the shark zeroed in for its third strike, a determined crewmate armed with a boat hook drove it away. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1779. In 1749, Brook Watson was a member of a crew on his uncle’s trading ship, and while swimming alone in Havana harbour, he was attacked by a shark. The pictured attack had occurred some 30 years earlier. By the 1790s his powers had started to decline and in the new century his work was considered unfashionable. Copley was probably also influenced by Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe, and the growing popularity of romantic painting. When he was sixteen years old, Brook Watson went swimming in Havana’s harbor in Cuba—that’s why he was naked—when he was bitten by a shark. The shark here incarnates evil, its open jaws recalling the gaping mouth of hell. I recently watched Steven Spielberg's Jaws... so, when I saw John Singleton Copley's Watson and The Shark which is allegedly based on a real life story -- this painting felt like a home run. John Singleton Copley, The Copley Family, 1776/1777, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Fund, 1961.7.1. From National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark (1778), Oil on canvas, 181.2 × 229.7 cm and the "draught of fishes", Albrecht Dürer, Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon, probably c. 1496/1498 (published 1511), woodcut, Rosenwald Collection, 1980.45.456.rr, Giulio Romano, Saint Michael, c. 1527/1528, pen and brown ink, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1973.5.1, Israhel van Meckenem, Saint George and the Dragon, c. 1465/1470, engraving on laid paper, Gift of the 50th Anniversary Gift Committee, 1991.97.1, Raphael, Saint George and the Dragon, c. 1506, oil on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.26, Rogier van der Weyden, Saint George and the Dragon, c. 1432/1435, oil on panel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1966.1.1, Jacopo Bassano, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, 1545, oil on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 1997.21.1. The beautiful Boy, just disentangled from the ravenous bloody Monster, which had tore away one of his Legs, cries for that Assistance, which every one of the honest Tars hurries to give without Loss of Time. The political tensions that would soon trigger the Revolutionary War were bad for Copley’s business and his social life. The erotic encounter between Lautreamont's antihero, Maldoror, and his first love a female shark. The painting is romanticised: the gory detail of the injury is hidden beneath the waves, though there is a hint of blood in the water. By the time Watson surfaced again, his mates had nearly reached him. With Kallean de Castelbajac, Louis-Marie de Castelbajac. John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark (detail), 1778. Watson and the Shark, Copley’s first attempt, drew favorable attention despite upending the hallowed traditions of the genre by treating a recent event—sensational no less, not moral—in a contemporary rather than classical style and form. A full-scale copy that Copley made for himself is owned by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Watson commissioned him to create a painting of the 1749 event, and Copley produced three versions. When Watson and the Shark was exhibited in 1778, the war had taken a turn for the worst for Britain as France and American were allies and the British had lost some key battles, like the Battle of Saratoga. The 1778 version is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. A second, full-size 1778 replica is now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a third, smaller, 1782 version with a more vertical composition, is in the Detroit Institute of Arts. He left Boston for Europe in early 1774, eager to see if his New World art met Old World standards. After studying in Italy for a year, Copley settled in England, where his family joined him, and launched his second career. The painting depicts the moment when the shark is coming by for his third and possibly final attempt to make a meal out of Watson. Reluctant to take sides, Copley instead took flight. Watson and the Shark, infrared reflectogram detail Note: Some of the images of artworks presented on this platform were not sourced from the original print publication. A fastidious artist who eagerly stayed abreast of developments in English art, mostly through mezzotints, Copley soon earned wealth and fame for his sophisticated, penetrating, and accurate likenesses. The painting Watson and the Shark tells a dramatic story. Watson and the Shark Research Papers Watson and the Shark painting was commissioned by an Englishman named Watson who had been attacked by a shark in Havana harbor and had been lucky enough to be rescued. The composition contains ten figures and a tiger shark, a carnivorous fish so large that its body extends beyond the confines of the painting. The composition of the rescuers in the boat shows hints of Peter Paul Rubens's Jonah Thrown into the Sea, and both Rubens's Miraculous Draught of Fishes and Raphael's painting of the same name. Copley imparted a broader meaning to the scene by casting Watson’s rescue as a then-modern tale of salvation, as it was viewed by Watson, who went on to a successful business and political career and very likely commissioned the painting. Images of Saint Michael, Saint George, He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1779. This incident occurred in 1749, yet the painting was created in 1778 directly after the Boston Tea Party of 1773. Watson, an orphan, had unwisely decided to take a dip from a skiff while the ship on which he was crewing docked in Havana Harbor. Copley had never visited Havana, and it is likely that he had never seen a shark, much less one attacking a person. In 1749, 14–year–old Brook Watson had been attacked by a shark while swimming in Havana Harbor. The boat, too, appears to be modeled after those in earlier representations of the New Testament’s miraculous “draught of fishes.” Such allusions to religion and art served to make a scene otherwise deemed too minor, sensationalist, and contemporary into a fitting subject for history painting. As he floated surrounded by merchant ships, a shark sank its teeth into his leg, pulling him beneath the waves in a vicious, sustained attack that severed his right foot. Watson and the Shark cemented Copley’s reputation. The 1778 version is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. A second, full-size 1778 replica is now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a third, smaller, 1782 version with a more vertical composition, is in the Detroit Institute of Arts. The boy surfaced briefly before the shark dragged him under a second time, severing his right foot. Indeed, it is a painting filled with drama and action. The shark is less convincing and includes anatomical features not found in sharks, such as lips, forward-facing eyes that resemble a tiger's more than a shark's and air blowing out from the animal's "nostrils". Copley wanted Watson and the Shark to be a political statement, although he depicted the shark in such a way that both the colonists and the British could relate to it- for the colonists, the shark was the British, from whom the Continental Army (symbolized by the crewmembers in the rowboat) would save them. The shark attacks (detail), John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778, oil on canvas, 182.1 x 229.7 cm (National Gallery of Art). Fourteen-year-old Brook Watson, an orphan serving as a crew member on a trading ship, was attacked by a shark while swimming alone in the harbor. It challenged the stringent conventions of history painting and was an important progenitor of 19th-century romanticism. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, East Building © 2021 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy, John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778, Images related to Copley's "Watson and the Shark", in the National Gallery of Art collection. The shark attacks (detail), John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778, oil on canvas, 182.1 x 229.7 cm (National Gallery of Art) Indeed, it is a painting filled with drama and action. We are a little bit blues, a little bit folk, a little bit alternative, a little bit rock, and a lot Watson and the Shark He may have gleaned details of Havana harbour from prints and book illustrations: he includes the real landmark of Morro Castle in the background on the right. Watson & the Shark. The faces of the wind-whipped crewmen—derived from models of emotional expression developed by 18th-century French artist Charles LeBrun—convincingly register a range of responses: contempt (the harpooner); dread (the sailor at far left); compassion (the West African); and astonishment (the older sailor). Watson and the Shark | Detroit Institute of Arts Museum Brook Watson had been sent to sea at fourteen; he decided to go for a swim while his ship was docked in the shark-infested waters of Havana Harbor. A shark attacked him, biting his right leg and pulling him under. The English boy Brook Watson… Copley saw himself as both an artist and a historian, and he continued his success with two more innovative modern history paintings: The Death of the Earl of Chatham, which combines the tropes of history painting and portraiture, and the dynamic Death of Major Peirson (1782–1784). Inset images: Charles Le Brun, Dread, Astonishment, Contempt , three engravings from Conférence de M. Le Brun sur l'expression générale et particulière, Paris, E. Picard, 1698. Copley, an American artist who moved to London amid the tensions of the Revolutionary War, here takes the pictorial representation of terror to new heights. Watson lost his right leg below the knee but miraculously survived. But Watson, symbolic of the British Empire, survived the attack and lived a successful life. Watson and the Shark was inspired by an event that took place in Havana, Cuba, in 1749. 6th St and Constitution Ave NW In the scene a tiger shark circles back for a third strike on the hapless Brook Watson. In 1749, 14–year–old Brook Watson had been attacked by a shark while swimming in Havana Harbor. Infrared analysis shows that the old boatswain was originally a young man, and preliminary sketches reveal that the black sailor at the rear of the boat, who also appears as the subject of Copley's Head of a Negro painted around the same time, was originally envisioned as a white man with long, flowing hair. The paintings are based on an attack that took place in Havana harbour in 1749. With Watson and the Shark, at one of the most troubling stages of the American Revolutionary War, John Singleton Copley elevated the image of the common sailor from mere participant in history to active savior of the British nation as embodied by Brook Watson. [2] Watson, having had a military career and become a successful merchant, commissioned the painting from Copley a quarter of century after the event. So much so, it made the painter famous. John Singleton Copley’s dramatic rendering of a shark attacking 14-year-old Brook Watson caused a sensation when it was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy in 1778. Watson and the Shark was the first large-scale history painting he executed. In 1963, it sold the painting to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[3], "Spotlight Biography: Artists: John Singleton Copley", "Biography of John Singleton Copley (1738–1815)", The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781, The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Watson_and_the_Shark&oldid=1014256917, Paintings of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Collections of the National Gallery of Art, Paintings of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 March 2021, at 01:35. It depicts the future Lord Mayor of London, Brook Watson, who, as a teenager, lost his leg to a shark while swimming in Havana harbor in 1749. He died of a stroke, debt-ridden, in 1815. The dramatic composition depicts the attack of a shark on fourteen-year-old cabin boy Brook Watson in the waters of Havana Harbor in 1749. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Fredericton, Canada) has a miniature version of this piece, attributed to Copley. He made a name for himself portraying leaders like Myles Cooper, Thomas Gage, and Paul Revere. It challenged the stringent conventions of history painting and was an important progenitor of 19th-century romanticism. Sir Brook Watson, 1st Baronet (7 February 1735 – 2 October 1807) was a British merchant, soldier, and later Lord Mayor of London.He is perhaps most famous as the subject of John Singleton Copley's painting Watson and the Shark, which depicts a shark attack on Watson as a boy that resulted in the loss of his right leg below the knee. 221 likes. Copley began taking on larger projects, including one huge work, The Siege of Gibraltar (1783–1791), that took years to complete and was not warmly received; his reputation suffered as a result. A full-scale copy that Copley made for himself is owned by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Brook Watson had been sent to sea at fourteen; he decided to go for a swim while his ship was docked in the shark-infested waters of Havana Harbor. As the huge shark’s gaping jaws close in, Watson looks back in shock and grasps futilely for the lifeline cast by a West African crewman, whose prominent position in the picture and sympathetic rendering were extraordinary for the time. The second bite took off his right foot. On the first strike the shark had dragged the fourteen-year-old 100 yards away shredding his right leg at the calf. Artist Information Copley decided to depict the dramatic scene where Watson was about to be attacked for the third time by a … His shipmates, who had been waiting on board to escort their captain ashore, launched a valiant rescue effort. 4th St and Constitution Ave NW Boston-born John Singleton Copley was the foremost 18th-century American artist. Copley trained with his stepfather, an engraver who had emigrated from England, and by the late 1750s was well established as a portrait painter. The figure of Watson is based on the statue of the "Borghese Gladiator", by Agasias of Ephesus, in the Louvre. A shark attacked him, biting his right leg and pulling him under.The boy surfaced briefly before the shark dragged him under a second time, severing his right foot. Paper Masters Can help you critique art such as the painting Watson and the shark by John Singleton Copley. 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