Artist John Stobart met Os Brett in 1965 and the two hit it off immediately; they remained fast friends for half a century. John recently shared some of his memories and reflections on Os’s life and art, on their relationship, and on the great artist’s legacy. While an admirer of many of his remarkable paintings, John particularly appreciates some of Os’s early efforts. The examples below, he notes, show his extraordinary natural talent as a young man who had no formal art education. After years of perfecting his craft through constant work sketching and painting everywhere he went, Os was already an established artist when John first met him. As a young man, trying to make it in the art world, John Stobart left Os Brett and John Stobart his home in England and eventually landed in New York City by way of Toronto. He had been advised to visit a gallery not far from Grand Central Station after he arrived in Manhattan by train with four canvases rolled up as his portfolio. Upon hearing that he sought to paint all the American ports, the gallery owner immediately sent him over to South Street Seaport to meet Peter Stanford, who was working to save the historic waterfront in lower Manhattan. John recalled: “Suddenly, I’m in a ramshackle office in a soon-to-be demolished building and not only meet Peter Stanford, but also serendipitously find Os Brett there. The whole place vibrated with enthusiasm, and now Peter had in front of him not one but two marine artists ready to do battle in painting pictures that will support his cause. The instant I met Os I felt a mutual understanding or what I call a blend of chemistry. Our friendship blossomed, and as my thirst for understanding shiphandling practice grew, Os became my savior. From his late boyhood to early manhood, Os had crewed on sailing ships in the last days of commercial sail and on freighters and troop ships during World War II. He had fond and strong memories of his time onboard the freighter MV Malaita and RMS Queen Elizabeth, the latter carrying 25,000 troops across the Atlantic, heading for the war in Europe.
courtesy captain howard hill
A Lifelong Friendship: John Stobart on Os Brett—
The Barque William Manson, 1878, oil on canvas, 5 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches Os painted this when he was just sixteen years old, having had no formal art education. He began painting ships in Sydney Harbor when he was a teenager and sold them for about five shillings a piece. “I never had to advertise,” he explained. “It was all word of mouth and there was no shortage of willing buyers.” By the time he was seventeen, people were approaching him with commissions. About this early work, Os said, “It was a boy’s work, but I had no difficulty in selling paintings like this.” “Os made it clear that my seeking out his firsthand knowledge would be no burden and that we could enjoy a lasting personal relationship. He told me a hundred stories about being at sea, the most harrowing—in my mind, not his—about his going aloft aboard the replica of Endeavour when he was in his late 70s. This wonderful friend became the catalyst in my lifelong mission to record with a modicum of accuracy the bygone age of the sailing era. Without his friendship and ever readiness to help, I would have been at a total loss. His influence proved an enormous factor in my success in my own career, for which I will be eternally grateful. I miss him greatly.” —John Stobart (right) Three-inch dual purpose gun, aft in MV Malaita, 1941. The RAN gunner stands abaft the emergency steering gear. He trained the crew from among the Malaita’s sailors. The gun dates from circa 1917; sketched on the spot. —OB Os had a pile of drawings from his time in MV Malaita. These were sketched underway during his off-watch time, on a deck often pitching and wet. This drawing gets to me very quickly because of the technical accuracy in the details, which is important to me in my own work. —JS Ships and the Sea: The Art and Life of Oswald Brett, (Halstead Press, 2014) is replete with images of his paintings, sketches, and personal photos. Limited copies are available through the NMHS Ship’s Store at www.seahistory.org. See page 35 for details. SEA SEAHISTORY HISTORY161, 161,WINTER WINTER2017–18 31 2017–18 31