Artwork
Poet
Poet is an ink print by the Romanticist artist John Hamilton Mortimer. It dates from 1775 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper center in plate: POET.; lower left in plate: Published May 20 1775 by J. MORTIMER, Norfolk Street, STRAND; lower center in plate: The Poets eye in a fine frenzy rowling / Doth glance from heav'n to earth, from earth to heav'n, / And as imagination bodies forth / The forms of things unknown the Poet's pen / Turns them to shape and gives to airy nothing / A local habitation and a name; lower right in plate: Midsummer Nights dream Act V. Scene I.
About this work
Overview
Poet is an etching on wove paper created by John Hamilton Mortimer in 1775. The work features a contemplative figure, identifiable as a poet or writer, set against a dark background.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, dressed in a white shirt with puffy sleeves and a scarf, holds a feather quill pen and wears feathers in his hair. These elements convey creativity and a literary profession, capturing the figure in a moment of introspective thought.
Technique & Style
Mortimer employed bold lines and a predominantly dark color scheme to create a dramatic and intense atmosphere, characteristic of his engagement with dramatic compositions inspired by Salvator Rosa.
History & Provenance
Created in 1775, Poet reflects Mortimer's thematic interests of the 1770s, which included literary and historical subjects. Mortimer, who served as President of the Society of Artists in 1774, passed away in 1779 at the age of 39.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
John Hamilton Mortimer (17 September 1740 – 4 February 1779) was a British figure and landscape painter and printmaker, known for romantic paintings set in Italy, works depicting conversations, and works drawn in the…
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