Evensong, by Henry Stacy Marks R.A., R.W.S., H.R.C.A. (1829-1898). 1871. Watercolour on paper. 19 9/16 x 15 5/16 inches (49.8 x 38.9 cm). Private collection.
Marks exhibited this watercolour at the Winter Exhibition of the Society of Painters in Water Colours [Old Water Colour Society] in 1871, no. 10. Evensong is a church service in the Catholic and Anglican faiths held every day near sunset to mark the passing of another day in faith. Marks's watercolour shows a pious elderly woman holding her rosary and bible in her right hand while seated worshipping in a simple church. Her costume of a brown dress, tan cloak, and white wimple is beautifully rendered and Marks has caught well the pathos in her facial expression. George Williamson in Bryan's Dictionary had these comments about Marks's work: "His pictures charm by their very simplicity and artlessness; they were bright in colour, simple in design, straightforward in workmanship and cleverly varied in treatment. He had not much feeling for ideal beauty, but a love for grotesque form, quaint style, and the quiet labour of a book-hunter"(287). These comments can easily be appreciated in this watercolour.
When this work was shown at the Old Water Colour Society in 1871, F. G. Stephens in The Athenaeum had these comments: "Mr. H. S. Marks has contributed liberally to this gallery: his Evensong (10) shows an old woman, seated in a brown cloak, at vespers; it is pathetic in its expression, and much broader and softer than most of his works" (693). The critic of The Art Journal felt Marks had treated this subject in a masterly fashion: "Evensong (10) H. S. Marks, A.R.A., is a head of an old woman, with an excellent arrangement of white drapery – simple, but masterly" (26). The Illustrated London News commented on this work by Marks, and particularly on his being a newly elected member of the O.W.S.: "Only one new member has been elected since the last exhibition – Mr. H. S. Marks… Mr. Marks presents nearly the same characteristics in water colours as in oil. His principal contribution is a half-length study of an aged nun, entitled Even-song (10); the face has character, but of rather prosaic order, without pathos; the colouring is a little clayey" (502).
Closer view of the Sister's face, wimple and the upper part of her habit.
Marks had obviously used this same elderly lady as a model previously. The Spectator, when reviewing the Winter Exhibition of the O.W.S. in 1871, remarked "Every one will be glad to renew acquaintance with the grand old woman (10), who was the principal figure in a picture painted a few years since by Mr. H. S. Marks" (1430). It is uncertain, however, which picture the critic is referring to. Evensong might have been influenced by Robert Campin's Portrait of a Woman of c.1435 that was acquired by the National Gallery in London in 1860 (inventory no. NG653.2).
Links to Related Material
- The Conventual Life and Victorian Culture
- Reverie and the Contemplative Woman
- Women's Religious Orders in Victorian England
Bibliography
"Art. Sketches and Studies of the Water-Colour Society." The Spectator XLIV (25 November 1871): 1430-31.
"Fine Arts. Sketches and Studies at the Old Water-Colour Society." The Illustrated London News LIX (25 November 1871): 502.
"Society of Painters in Water-Colours." The Art Journal New Series XI (1872): 26.
Stephens, Frederic George. "Winter Exhibition of the Society of Painters in Water Colours." The Athenaeum No. 2300 (25 November 1871): 693-94.
Williamson, George C. Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, Vol. III. London: George Bell & Sons, 1904.
Created 24 October 2023