Richard Dadd (August 1, 1817 – January 7, 1886) was an English painter of the Victorian era, noted for his depictions of fairies and other supernatural subjects, Orientalist scenes, and enigmatic genre scenes, rendered with obsessively minuscule detail. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair Orientalism refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers designers and artists and can also refer to a sympathetic stance Most of the works for which he is best known were created while he was incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital.
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Life and work
Dadd was born at Chatham, Medway in Kent, England, the son of a chemist. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland His aptitude for drawing was evident at an early age, leading to his admission to the Royal Academy of Arts at the age of 20. This article refers to an art institution in London For other meanings of Royal Academy see Royal Academy (disambiguation. With William Powell Frith, Augustus Egg, Henry O'Neil and others, he founded The Clique, of which he was generally considered the leading talent. William Powell Frith ( January 19, 1819 &ndash November 9, 1909) was an English painter specialising in portraits and Augustus Leopold Egg ( 21 May 1816 in London, England &ndash 26 March 1863) was a Victorian artist best known for his modern Henry Nelson O'Neil (1817 Russia - 1880 was an historical genre painter and minor Victorian writer For the band see The Clique (band. For the book see The Clique (novel The Clique was a self-described group of Victorian artists [1]
In July 1842, Sir Thomas Phillips, the former mayor of Newport, chose Dadd to accompany him as his draftsman on an expedition through Europe to Greece, Turkey, Palestine and finally Egypt. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. In November of that year they spent a gruelling two weeks in Palestine, passing from Jerusalem to Jordan and returning across the Engaddi wilderness. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Ein Gedi (עין גדי lit Kid Spring (as in young goat KJV Bible Engedi) is an Oasis located west of the Dead Sea, close Toward the end of December, while travelling up the Nile by boat, Dadd underwent a dramatic personality change, becoming delusional and increasingly violent, and believing himself to be under the influence of the Egyptian god Osiris. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River Osiris ( Greek language, also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously transliterated Asar, Aser, Ausar, Ausir His condition was initially thought to be sunstroke. Hyperthermia, in its advanced state referred to as heat stroke or sunstroke, is an acute condition which occurs when the Body produces or absorbs more
On his return in the spring of 1843, he was diagnosed to be of unsound mind and was taken by his family to recuperate in the countryside village of Cobham, Kent. Cobham is a Village and Civil parish in the Gravesham District of Kent, England. In August of that year, having become convinced that his father was the Devil in disguise, Dadd murdered him with a knife and fled for France. The Devil is the This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. En route to Paris Dadd attempted to murder another tourist with a razor, but was overpowered and was arrested by the police. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Dadd confessed to the murder of his father and was returned to England, where he was committed to the criminal department of Bethlem psychiatric hospital (also known as Bedlam). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Bethlem Royal Hospital of London, which has been variously known as St
Which condition he suffered from is unclear, but it is usually understood to be a form of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia ( from the Greek roots schizein (σχίζειν "to split" and phrēn Alternatively, it is sometimes claimed that he suffered from what is now known as bipolar disorder. He appears to have been genetically predisposed to mental illness; two of his siblings were similarly afflicted, while a third had "a private attendant" for unknown reasons. [2]
In the hospital he was allowed to continue to paint and it was here that many of his masterpieces were created, including his most celebrated painting, The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, which he worked on between 1855 and 1864. The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke is a Richard Dadd painting It was commissioned by George Henry Hayden who was head steward at Bethlem Royal Hospital Also dating from the 1850s are the thirty-three watercolour drawings titled Sketches to Illustrate the Passions, which include Grief or Sorrow, Love, and Jealousy, as well as Agony-Raving Madness and Murder. Like most of his works these are executed on a small scale and feature protagonists whose eyes are fixed in a peculiar, unfocused stare. Dadd also produced many shipping scenes and landscapes during his incarceration, such as the ethereal 1861 watercolour Port Stragglin. These are executed with a miniaturist's eye for detail which belie the fact that they are products of imagination and memory.
After 20 years at Bethlem, in July of 1864, perhaps because Bedlam was overcrowded, Dadd was moved to a new lunatic asylum at Broadmoor, outside London. Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security Psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in Berkshire, England. Here he remained, painting constantly and receiving infrequent visitors until January 7, 1886, when he died, "from an extensive disease of the lungs. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common "
Legacy
The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke inspired a song of the same name by the rock band Queen. Queen II is the second album by English rock band Queen, originally released in 1974 Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Come unto these Yellow Sands, a play based on his life, was written by Angela Carter. Angela Carter ( May 7, 1940 – February 16, 1992) was an English novelist and journalist known for her Feminist, Oliver Knussen considered naming his piece Flourish with Fireworks after The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, as its composition owes a lot to the small, exquisite, quirky details in the painting and contains a similar attempted correlation of large and small scale. The Wee Free Men, a novel by Terry Pratchett, edited in 2003, was in a central part inspired by The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke. For The Wee Free see the Free Church of Scotland. The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003 is the second Story of The Discworld Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Neil Gaiman includes a reference to Dadd in Sandman. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and The Sandman is a Comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo The painting also is a plot element in The Witches of Chiswick by Robert Rankin. The Witches Of Chiswick is a novel by the British author Robert Rankin, the title parodying that of The Witches of Eastwick by John Robert Fleming Rankin (born 27 July 1949) is a prolific British humorous novelist
In 1987 a long-lost watercolour by Dadd, The Artist's Halt in the Desert, was discovered by Peter Nahum on the BBC TV programme "Antiques Roadshow". Antiques Roadshow is a British Human interest Television show in which Antiques appraisers travel to various regions of Made while the artist was incarcerated, it is based on sketches made during his tour of the Middle East, and shows his party encamped by the Dead Sea, with Dadd at the far right. The Dead Sea (יָם הַמֶּלַח, "Sea of Salt"البَحْر المَيّت, "Dead Sea" is a salt lake between (http://www.leicestergalleries.com/art-and-antiques/detail/11795) It was later sold for £100,000 to the British Museum. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London.
Notes
References
- Allderidge, Patricia (1974). Richard Dadd. New York and London: St. Martin's Press/Academy Editions.
- Allderidge, Patricia (1974). The Late Richard Dadd 1817-1886. London: The Tate Gallery.
- Greysmith, David (1973). Richard Dadd The Rock and Castle of Seclusion. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. , Inc.
- Marc Demarest (2007-05-24). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned The Richard Dadd Page.
See also
External links
- Tate online: Richard Dadd (by Patricia H. Allderidge)
- Dadd's portrait of Alexander Morison
- Biography of Richard Dadd
- Richard Dadd's Contradiction: Interactive
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