View of Tivoli 

Hercules Brabazon Brabazon made this watercolor and gouache view of Tivoli, Italy, sometime in the late 19th century. It is a loose, suggestive rendering, and it reflects the changing aesthetic values of its time. In the 1880s, the old hierarchy of genres in painting - which placed history painting at the top and landscape at the bottom - was finally collapsing. Artists freed themselves to paint subjects from direct observation. Brabazon, who came from a wealthy family, found himself financially free to choose painting as a pastime. He aligned himself with the New English Art Club, which stood for a new aestheticism in British Art. Brabazon's view is a far cry from the picturesque landscapes that were exhibited at the Royal Academy. It reflects the values of art for art’s sake and the interest in continental impressionism. To find out more about how social forces influenced the making of this work, look into exhibition reviews and artist’s correspondence from the period.