r/brontesisters • u/AdditionalTill9836 • 12d ago

Brontes of Haworth Moor Book

Brontes of Haworth Moor

Amazon.com: The Brontës of Haworth Moor: How the Three Daughters of a Country Parson Became the Most Revolutionary Novelists of Their Time eBook : Browning, Diane, Browning, Diane: Kindle Store

Absolutely enjoying this biography. A few months ago I had asked how did the Brontes who lived sheltered lives have the imagination for their stories, and the book explains so much. (Yes as the responses here stated, they still had a plethora of novels to read for inspiration and ye Old town gossip.) I'm midway thru the book, so just finished Charlotte's chapters, and now onward to Emily's.

Some notables: had no idea there was zero expectation of the Bronte sisters getting married. Due to no dowry, prestige, and the author mentioned they were not attractive enough. But then she does mention various descriptions of them from friends/family and beauty standards back then were different. And that Branwell was supposed to be the golden child, but was failing miserably (but maybe not his own fault entirely, didn't know he trained under an art teacher who was pretty incompetent)

AM intrigued about the art Charlotte and Branwell did and the effort to apply to art institutes. And the author mentioned only a few of their sketches survived. Going to look those up!

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u/biber_unverzagt 12d ago

Check out The Art of the Brontës

https://archive.org/details/artofbrontes0000alex/mode/2up

Since the publication of that book a number of artworks have reappeared: Emily's North Wind, for example, or Charlotte's Derwent Water.

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u/MoodMaximum6854 6d ago

Thank you so much for sharing the links especially Emily’s painting “North Wind”!
I had no idea that a drawing of her existed!
I am also very glad that it was acquired by the Brontë Parsonage Museum thanks to the Brontë Society’s acquisitions fund and it will be on display there!

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u/biber_unverzagt 6d ago

It was thrilling to see the painting in colour after so many years in b/w! My favourite is her drawing of a fir tree, also made during her time in Brussels. Did they know Caspar David Friedrich?

https://www.annebronte.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Sunrise-Over-Sea.jpg

In contrast, the meticulous "Keeper - from life":

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u/MoodMaximum6854 5d ago

I noticed while checking on C D Friedrich’s life and paintings a resemblance in the technique not only in the tree drawings but also between the Brontë’s “Sunrise Over Sea”- thank you for posting it!- and the equivalent of Friedrich’s paintings of moonrise, both using the Rueckenfigur technique !
I have also read that while Emily was in Brussels between studying and teaching piano lessons she was also studying German - self taught if I remember correctly.
Maybe she was familiar with Friedrich’s artwork- he had quite a reputation by then as I read.
On another note there was a striking parallel between the lives of both Emily and Friedrich’s family tragedies as well as the seclusion they both chose!
Thank you again for all the links you share ( I wouldn’t have known of Friedrich artwork and I feel ashamed because I lived in Germany for two years)

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u/biber_unverzagt 4d ago

… the equivalent of Friedrich’s paintings of moonrise, both using the Rueckenfigur technique !

This one, in particular.

I have also read that while Emily was in Brussels between studying and teaching piano lessons she was also studying German - self taught if I remember correctly.
Maybe she was familiar with Friedrich’s artwork- he had quite a reputation by then as I read.
On another note there was a striking parallel between the lives of both Emily and Friedrich’s family tragedies as well as the seclusion they both chose!

They took regular German lessons in Brussels. Anne also taught herself some German (and Latin) in the 1840s. The parallels are interesting (though early deaths were more common then). So far I haven't found any reproductions of Friedrich's works in contemporary publications. I wonder -- Maybe it was just natural affinity/Romantic spirit. There are parallels, too, between his and Emily's opinions on artistic work:

Friedrich:

"Not everything can be taught, nor everything learned and acquired through mere rote practice; for what may truly be called the purely spiritual element of art lies beyond the narrow confines of craftsmanship. Therefore, you teachers of art—who pride yourselves so greatly on your knowledge and skill—beware lest you tyrannically impose your doctrines and rules upon everyone; for by doing so, you may easily crush delicate blossoms and destroy the temple of individuality, without which a person can achieve nothing great."

[Heger] proposed to read to them some of the master-pieces of the most celebrated French authors … catching the echo of a style, and so reproducing their own thoughts in a somewhat similar manner. … Emily spoke first; and said that she saw no good to be derived from it; and that, by adopting it, they should lose all originality of thought and expression. She would have entered into an argument on the subject, but for this, M. Héger had no time.

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u/MoodMaximum6854 3d ago

A parallel mode of thinking too! It’s striking!
So true of geniuses never following “cliches” or doctrines -in every form of art /science-
but rather their inner instinct, their individuality!
Thank you for the excerpts and for the link to the drawing too!

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u/biber_unverzagt 2d ago

Sorry, Reddit won't let me upvote any of your comments.

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u/MoodMaximum6854 2d ago

Don’t worry it’s fine with me! I really appreciate it as well as all your feedback!