Portrait of Son
Pencil on paper
15 x 15 cm
5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in
5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in
A child prodigy, John Everett Millais became - at just eleven years old - the youngest student to enter the Royal Academy Schools. A leading light and founding member of...
A child prodigy, John Everett Millais became - at just eleven years old - the youngest student to enter the Royal Academy Schools. A leading light and founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), Millais became the best-known and most successful British painter of the late nineteenth century. Recognised for his powerful realism, and detailed studies of nature, Millais is remembered today as perhaps the most academically skillful artist in art history.
Alongside commissions to paint some of Britain’s most eminent and powerful politicians, poets, and writers, Millais also sketched members of his family. This portrait appears to depict artist’s son, John Guille Millais, who would go on to become an artist in his own right. Millais’ characteristically soft sketching style is combined with a sensitivity that suggests tenderness towards the sitter, whose long nostrils and thick hair he himself shared. Testament to the value of Millais’ recently reclaimed late works, this image of a thoughtful young man is sensitive without being sentimental, and shows Millais undiminished skill in his later years.
Alongside commissions to paint some of Britain’s most eminent and powerful politicians, poets, and writers, Millais also sketched members of his family. This portrait appears to depict artist’s son, John Guille Millais, who would go on to become an artist in his own right. Millais’ characteristically soft sketching style is combined with a sensitivity that suggests tenderness towards the sitter, whose long nostrils and thick hair he himself shared. Testament to the value of Millais’ recently reclaimed late works, this image of a thoughtful young man is sensitive without being sentimental, and shows Millais undiminished skill in his later years.