Alsy, Tilly Kettle Portrait of Charles and Captain John Sealy, 2014

Alsy, Tilly Kettle Portrait of Charles and Captain John Sealy, 1773

Inspired by Tilly Kettle, Portrait of Charles and Captain John Sealy, 1773.

I really liked the brothers’ pose and their suave clothes: the pose shows that they are relaxed, rich and share a strong bond. I found out that the brothers were painted while posted in India, Charles was a captain and the other was a sea merchant.

In my own work, I wanted to express the brotherly bond, as I have an older brother with whom I have a strong bond. Through objects showing emotions, I represented our bond. All the images were taken digitally, I took the objects outside and photographed them in the studio.

My final work has seven images, as seven years separate me and my brother in age. The images are arranged around a colour image of a flower, where the petal curled around the stem shows protection. The other images of the flower show it disintegrating, which represents me and my brother’s sometimes rougher relationship. Finally, the rock symbolises the aggression we have around each other. All the images are arranged in a panel to show the variability of our relationship, going through all these emotions.

Inspired by:

Tilly Kettle, Portrait of Charles and Captain John Sealy, 1773.

Tilly Kettle, Portrait of Charles and Captain John Sealy, 1773

This portrait was painted in Calcutta in 1773, where Charles (on the left) was Registrar of the Mayor’s Court. His brother John was Captain of the Northington (a ship trading with the East Indies). Tilly Kettle was the first professional British artist to establish himself in India. Despite the distant palm trees, the pose and format of the portrait follow a tradition developed to show English gentlemen in their landed estates.