Window in Venice, during a Festa

1830

Begins painting figures from memory

After his return from Paris Etty’s style began to change: whereas he had painted figures from studies of models made in the studio or at life classes, he now worked from memory and the figures became more idealised, in one biographer’s view conforming less to the particular model than to a preconceived notion of what the model ought to look like.

1830

Decides that remaining unmarried is for the best

In his diary in 1830 Etty noted that it was best he had not married, since he had no noisy children and could have nice books and pictures. Extremely shy, he rarely socialised and often sat silent through dinner parties, and he never married.

7 January 1830

Death of his mentor Thomas Lawrence

Thomas Lawrence died on 7 January 1830. Etty was devastated by the loss and was one of those considered to succeed Lawrence as President of the Royal Academy, although in the event he did not stand for election.

1830

Paris during the July Revolution

Etty arrived in Paris in early July 1830 and found the city unpleasantly hedonistic, writing to Betsy that he would not wish to bring up a daughter there. When the July Revolution broke out at the end of the month he was moved by the death and destruction around him but kept copying at the Louvre, and on 31 July he abandoned his planned onward journey to Brussels and Antwerp and set off for London with the five copies he had made.

30 July 1830

Death of his mother

Etty’s mother, Esther, died on 30 July 1830, the second loss that year after Lawrence, and he was devastated.

1830s

Turns to portraiture and still life

In the 1830s Etty began to branch out into the more lucrative but less respected field of portraiture, and later became the first English painter to paint significant still lifes. He continued to paint both male and female nudes, which drew severe criticism and condemnation from parts of the press.