Ford Madox Brown and The Last of England

'The Last of England' (1855) by Ford Madox Brown; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham

Although very much a Pre-Raphaelite painter in style and colour, English artist Ford Madox Brown, born on 16 April 1821 and died on 6 October 1893, was never a member of the Brotherhood. He became closely involved with the movement because of his friendship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Born in Calais, he had been regarded as an outsider in the British art world, even though his parents were British. He studied drawing in Europe and became friends with German painters of the Nazarene movement. His work bears the influence of Johann Overbeck and Peter von Cornelius. During his life, Brown never made much money out of painting and he was largely ignored by his contemporaries. He had problems finishing his paintings and would retouch them constantly, even after they had been sold. Today's painting The Last of England is actually the only painting by Brown that I myself am familiar with, probably because it's his most famous work. It is an image of a couple of immigrants leaving England forever. The expression on their faces tell you their state of mind on leaving and I think Brown succeeded in making this a very strong depiction.