Agostino Brunias
Encyclopedia
Agostino Brunias was a London-based Italian painter from Rome
. Strongly associated with West Indian art, he left England at the height of his career to chronicle Dominica
and the neighboring islands of the West Indies. Painted in the tradition of verite ethnographique, his art was as escapist as it was romantic.
, Rome, where he won Third Prize in the Second Class for painting in 1754. An early oil painting of his was exhibited in Rome two years earlier.
, who was on a Grand Tour
of Europe, he studied the "magnificent ruins of Italy" between 1756 and 1758. He became employed as a draughtsman by Adam, joining him in England in 1758, and painted many of Adam’s architecturally elegant buildings in England. Adam, praising his works, called Brunias a "bred painter". His paintings of murals and paintings covered many English stately homes. By 1762, Brunias resided in Broad Street, Carnaby Market
, London. In 1763 and 1764, he exhibited at the Society of Artists
in London.
In 1770, he left London at the height of his career. He traveled with Sir William Young, 1st Baronet
, the first British Governor of Dominica
, then one of Britain's newest colonies in the Lesser Antilles, and settled in Roseau
. Brunias submitted two of his drawings in that year to the Society of Artists' exhibition from the West Indies. Young had hired him as his personal painter and Brunias accompanied him on his travels in the Lesser Antilles.
He was also hired by wealthy British estate owners, mainly to paint people, especially the mulatto
, the mixture of European, African and Creole races. His paintings of Dominica, St.Vincent, St. Kitts, and Barbados
provide a valuable insight into life on these islands during the colonial period. One of his works, Free Women of Color with their Children and Servants in a Landscape, (c. 1764–96), an oil painting on canvas, depicts colonial women of color as privileged and prosperous, and is now in the Brooklyn Museum
. It depicts the influence of a diverse European
, Caribbean
, and African cultures prevalent in the 18th century Caribbean.
Toussaint Louverture liberator of Haiti
and one of Brunias' supporters, wore eighteen buttons on his waistcoat decorated with reproductions of Brunias' paintings. But in the British colonial society on St. Vincent and the other ceded islands, Brunias was an outsider; he was neither Englishman nor Scotsman, and as a Roman Catholic did not belong to the established Church of England. In addition, his status as a draughtsman placed him on a low social level in terms of occupation.
After returning to England in 1773 Brunias visited the European continent; he exhibited three paintings of West Indian scenes at the Royal Academy
. In the late 1770s, three paintings were shown at the Royal Academy; these paintings were used to decorate the breakfast room at Kedleston Hall
, and are now exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum
. He followed this accomplishment by publishing a series of six of his West Indian paintings. At Stowe House
he created wall paintings of "Caribbean aborigines" in its Ante Library. After these paintings were published in 1779 and 1780, Brunias oversaw engraved editions.
who concentrated on the new culture of the mulatto in the West Indies by creating romanticized images depicting communities of color that obscured the realities of colonial domination and plantation slavery.
. Engravings of his designs were published posthumously in England and France in 1804 and 1810. Harvard University's
Fogg Museum and the Yale Center for British Art
have exhibits of his works.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Strongly associated with West Indian art, he left England at the height of his career to chronicle Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
and the neighboring islands of the West Indies. Painted in the tradition of verite ethnographique, his art was as escapist as it was romantic.
Early years
Brunias was born in Rome c. 1730; the exact date is uncertain. His first name has been spelled in various ways including Abraham, Alexander, August, or Austin, while his surname has been recorded as Brunais and Brunyas. Brunias was a student at the Accademia di San LucaAccademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
, Rome, where he won Third Prize in the Second Class for painting in 1754. An early oil painting of his was exhibited in Rome two years earlier.
Career
After Brunais met the Scottish architect Robert AdamRobert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
, who was on a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
of Europe, he studied the "magnificent ruins of Italy" between 1756 and 1758. He became employed as a draughtsman by Adam, joining him in England in 1758, and painted many of Adam’s architecturally elegant buildings in England. Adam, praising his works, called Brunias a "bred painter". His paintings of murals and paintings covered many English stately homes. By 1762, Brunias resided in Broad Street, Carnaby Market
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
, London. In 1763 and 1764, he exhibited at the Society of Artists
Society of Artists
The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established Paris salons....
in London.
In 1770, he left London at the height of his career. He traveled with Sir William Young, 1st Baronet
Sir William Young, 1st Baronet
Sir William Young, 1st Baronet was a British politician and sugar plantation owner. He served as President of the Commission for the Sale of Lands in the Ceded Islands, and was appointed the first colonial governor to Dominica in 1770....
, the first British Governor of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, then one of Britain's newest colonies in the Lesser Antilles, and settled in Roseau
Roseau
-Architecture:The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space situated within the city, and this is even more so today, as many of the courtyards which was once commonplace within the city...
. Brunias submitted two of his drawings in that year to the Society of Artists' exhibition from the West Indies. Young had hired him as his personal painter and Brunias accompanied him on his travels in the Lesser Antilles.
He was also hired by wealthy British estate owners, mainly to paint people, especially the mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
, the mixture of European, African and Creole races. His paintings of Dominica, St.Vincent, St. Kitts, and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
provide a valuable insight into life on these islands during the colonial period. One of his works, Free Women of Color with their Children and Servants in a Landscape, (c. 1764–96), an oil painting on canvas, depicts colonial women of color as privileged and prosperous, and is now in the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
. It depicts the influence of a diverse European
Culture of Europe
The culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures. Whether it is a question of North as opposed to South; West as opposed to East; Orthodoxism as opposed to Protestantism as opposed to Catholicism as opposed to Secularism; many have claimed to identify cultural...
, Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and African cultures prevalent in the 18th century Caribbean.
Toussaint Louverture liberator of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and one of Brunias' supporters, wore eighteen buttons on his waistcoat decorated with reproductions of Brunias' paintings. But in the British colonial society on St. Vincent and the other ceded islands, Brunias was an outsider; he was neither Englishman nor Scotsman, and as a Roman Catholic did not belong to the established Church of England. In addition, his status as a draughtsman placed him on a low social level in terms of occupation.
After returning to England in 1773 Brunias visited the European continent; he exhibited three paintings of West Indian scenes at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. In the late 1770s, three paintings were shown at the Royal Academy; these paintings were used to decorate the breakfast room at Kedleston Hall
Kedleston Hall
Kedleston Hall is an English country house in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately four miles north-west of Derby, and is the seat of the Curzon family whose name originates in Notre-Dame-de-Courson in Normandy...
, and are now exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
. He followed this accomplishment by publishing a series of six of his West Indian paintings. At Stowe House
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
he created wall paintings of "Caribbean aborigines" in its Ante Library. After these paintings were published in 1779 and 1780, Brunias oversaw engraved editions.
Style
Although Brunias was initially commissioned to depict upper-class plantation life, his works assumed what was considered to be a subversive political role in the Caribbean, endorsing a free, anti-slavery society, and exposing the artificiality of racial hierarchies in the West Indies. He was particularly adept at painting Negro festivals, dances, markets, and other related cultural traditions and producing paintings showing interaction between the natives and the wealthy colonial settlers. Considered to be in the tradition of verité ethnographique, his art was as escapist as it was romantic. A prolific artist, Brunias' collected works show him to be predominantly a figure painterFigure painting
Figure painting is a form of the visual arts in which the artist uses a live model as the subject of a two-dimensional piece of artwork using paint as the medium. The live model can be either nude or partly or fully clothed and the painting is a representation of the full body of the model...
who concentrated on the new culture of the mulatto in the West Indies by creating romanticized images depicting communities of color that obscured the realities of colonial domination and plantation slavery.
Personal life
While Brunias primarily resided in Dominica, he was also known to have lived in St. Vincent, and he spent time on Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts, and Tobago. Mention is made that he sired a family while in Dominica, where he died on April 2, 1796, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery on the site of Roseau CathedralRoseau Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven of Roseau, originally known in French as ',Sometimes called the "Catholic Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption" is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Roseau, the capital city of Dominica in the Caribbean...
. Engravings of his designs were published posthumously in England and France in 1804 and 1810. Harvard University's
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Fogg Museum and the Yale Center for British Art
Yale Center for British Art
The Yale Center for British Art is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut at Yale University which houses the most comprehensive collection of British Art outside the United Kingdom...
have exhibits of his works.