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While Born in Ireland, Joy might be more correctly included with English artists as he worked mostly in England and had such a British outlook. He pursued his career mostly in England. When he returned to London from Paris, he soon established himself as an important history and genre painter and had a long career, although he seems to worked less after the-turn-of the 20th century. Several of his paintings are useful to HBC. He sometines painted religious impages, but primarily Joy is know for his historical images which were ardently pro-British, such as his painting, 'The Kings drums' (figure 1). It also illustates Joy's real forte--the depiction of heroism. Joy never forgot his early military expectations. We see that in his paintings and entered the Artists Rifles where he was known as an excellent shot, representing Ireland on several occassions. Joy was an unflinching proponent of Britain. We see this in his depiction of a British court room. Now while English common law has been a great source for good and important component of Western civilization, it is also the case that British law was used as an oppresive instrument in Ireland. His painting of another Brirish drummer boy also shows is admiration for the British. We note one painting of Bonny Prince Charlies which when he painted would have been seen as basicaly aro-Nritish pean to Scotland. Joy also did a few portraits.
While Born in Ireland, Joy might be more correctly included with English artists as he worked mostly in England and had such a British outlook. He pursued his career mostly in England. When he returned to London from Paris, he soon established himself as an important history and genre painter and had a long career, although he seems to worked less after the-turn-of the 20th century. Joy won medals at the Royal Academy, the Paris Salon, Munich, St Petersburg and Chicago. His evocative work on popular subjects resulted in a steady supply of dealers and customers. He exhibited widely in Europe, but Britain was always his primary market. Many of his works still hang in numerous British regional museums.
Several of his paintings are useful to HBC. He sometines painted religious impages, but primarily Joy is know for his historical images which were ardently pro-British, such as his painting, 'The Kings drums' on the previous page. It also illustates Joy's real forte--the depiction of heroism. Joy never forgot his early military expectations. We see that in his paintings and entered the Artists Rifles where he was known as an excellent shot, representing Ireland on several occassions. Joy was an unflinching proponent of Britain. We see this in his depiction of a British court room. Now while English common law has been a great source for good and important component of Western civilization, it is also the case that British law was used as an oppresive instrument in Ireland. His painting of another Brirish drummer boy also shows is admiration for the British. We note one painting of Bonny Prince Charlies which when he painted would have been seen as basicaly aro-Nritish pean to Scotland. Joy’s more mature work shifts focus. He concerned himself with the depiction of the human form in both narrative and allegorical subjects. He draws from a range of historical, Classical, literary and religious sources. Joy also did a few portraits.
Joy sometines painted religious impages, but primarily Joy is know for his historical images which were ardently pro-British, such as his painting, 'The Kings drums' on the previous page. The full name of the paintng was 'The King's drum shall never be beaten for rebels'. The setting is the Irish Rebellion of 1798 during the French Revolutionary period. Notice how the depiction of the rebels is rather sinister. We are not sure about their clothing. It looks French to us, but we are not sure how the rebels dressed. Joy clearly had no sympathy for the rebels. The painting also illustates Joy's real forte--the depiction of heroism. Joy never forgot his early military expectations. We see that in his paintings and entered the Artists Rifles where he was known as an excellent shot, representing Ireland on several occassions.
Britsh naval hero, Lord, Nelson was a popular subject. Joy did a touching portrait, 'Nelson's first farewell.' The full title was 'Thirty Years before Trafalgar: Young Nelson and his Grandmother. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1883. Joy imagines imagines the 12-13 year-old Nelson saying goodbye to his grandmoter who raised him. His mother died when he was only 9 years old. He is outfitted in his new midshipman's uniform and saying farewell to his grandmother on his first departure for the (1771). The original oil is in the main entrance hall of the Royal Hospital School at Holbrook, Suffolk, where the accompanying label states it is the picture exhibited at the Academy and reproduced in Arthur Mee's 'Children's Encyclopaedia'. The Royal Museums Greenwich with a copy describes it as "... a well-painted example of the 'When did you last see your father' school of Victorian fictional history painting ...."
Joy also painted an imagined image of the young Wellington, the other great British military hero. It was apparently was comparable to his painting of the young Nelson. While w have found the Nelson painting, al we have found so far is a referenc to the young Wellington painting. We do not eve know what museum holds it. If readers know anythig about this portrait, please let us know,
Joy was an unflinching proponent of Britain. We see this in his depiction of a British court room. Now while English common law has been a great source for good and important component of Western civilization, it is also the case that British law was for a long time used as an oppresive instrument against Catholic in Ireland. The painting is to proclaim how British law protects the powerless and innocent which, however, is not how it often operated in Ireland.
Joy's painting of another Brirish drummer boy in 1902 also shows is admiration for the British (figure 1). Here there is no historical context as in the 'The Kings drums'. The British Army at the time was fighting the Bohrs in South Africa, but we are not sure wgat was on Joy's mind when he painted it and the plain background tells us very little. . One source suggests the boy is with the Royal Scotts Dragoons.
Major General Charles George Gordon was an army officer who became a major figure of the Victoria era, associated with the British Empire. He became known variouly as Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum. He first saw action in the Crimean War as a junior officer. He became famous because of his service in China. He was gicen command of the "Ever Victorious Army" a force of Chinese soldiers led by European officers (early-1860s). Gordon's commnd played a role in putting down the widespread Taiping Rebellion. They commoly faced much larger forces. As aresult he became a hero of Victorian Britain ad known as "Chinese" Gordon. He was awarded honors from both the Emperor of China and the British Army. He next entered the service of the Egyptian Khedive (1873). The British government concerned with the Suez Canal approved. The Brutisg wre also cincerned with suppresing the African slave trade and Gordon's effot added to his reputation in Britain, but not in Aran world where slavery had Koranic justification. Gordon was appointed Governor-General of the Sudan, part of a British-Egyptian condeminium. The slave trade was even more pronounced in the Sudan. The work was hllnging and an exhausted Gordon resigned (1880). Sudanese support for the slave trade was strong. And British efforts to suppres it stirred up resistance. As a result, after Gordon left, a revolt then broke out in the Sudan, led by a Muslim religious leader and self-proclaimed Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad. It grew into a major revolt which threaened the British-Egyptian presence in Sudan. At the time Prime Minister Gladstone who had opposed the expansion if the British Empire on moral grounds wnted no part of a colonial war. The Brutish public, however, demanded action. Finally he authorized sending Gordon back to Khartoum, but with instructions to secure the evacuation of Britsh subjects and loyal Egyptians and Sudaese soldiers and civilians and to leave with them. He began by evacuating about 2,500 British civilians, but in defiance to those instructions, he decided to make a stand in the city, thinking this would force the Prime Minister's hand and force him to send a relief force. Grdon retained a small group of soldiers and non-military men and preared for battle. The two adversaries corresponded, each attempting to convert the other to his faith, but of course neither agreed. Despite the massive forces the Mahdi mustered around besieged Khartoum, Gordon managed to organized a defence which held out nearly a year. Gordon had calculated correctly. He became emensly popular in Britain and the public demand to save him finlly forced the Government to reluctanly send a relief force. It arrived 2 days after the Mahdi had taken the city and killed Gordon. Joy painted a heroic image of the end, although the exact circumstances are unknow. It emhaszes the heoic idea of a lone English manding up for God, king, and country and efforts to end the slave trade. Joy painted his work soon after Gordon was killed as a paen to the British Empire. The British left after finding Gordon dead. The British did not return until 1896 and a small force with modrn weapond destroyed the huge Mahdist army. The force was commanded by Lord Kitchener and included a Lieutenant Winston Churchill who prticipated in some of the last cavalry carges in British militry history.
We note one painting of Bonnie Prince Charlie,Charles Edward Stuart which when he painted would have been seen as basicaly pro-British pean to Scotland. The Scottish rising led by the Prince, known at the time as the Young Pretender. He instigated th Jacobite (Stuart) Rebellion of 1745 whuch totally surprised the English abd the Scottish Jacobin army drove south into England. The rebellion was decisely defeated at Culloden which effectively ended the the Jacobite cause which had promoted the Stuart claim to the English throne and the divine right of kings which had been ended by the Glorious Revolution. Charles's flight from Scotland escaping the english turned him to him into a romantic figure. Charles was assisted by supporters like the pilot Donald Macleod of Galtrigill, Captain Felix O'Neill of the O'Neills of the Fews dynasty and Flora MacDonald. Flora helped him escape to the Isle of Skye by taking him in a small boat disguised as her Irish maid, Betty Burke. Flora was born at Milton on South Uist where her father was a tenant farmer. She completed her schooling in Edinburgh and was an unknown young Scotts Girl. Hapenstance propelled her into the pantheon of Scottish heros. She was visiting her brother in South Uist when she was asked to assist none oher than Bonnie Prince Charlie (1746). He was on the run from the British after the devestating defeat of the Jacobite Uprising at Culloden. Flora seems to have hought the scheme 'fantastical' but was persuaded make the attempt, it is believed by the Prince himsel. They rowed from Benbecula to Skye (June 27). They hid overnight in a cottage and then travelled, over the next few days, overland to Portree. They managed to evade some Redcoat troops. When the Prince left to travel to the island of Raasay and a ship to take him back to France, the Prince gave Flora a locket with his portrait, saying "I hope, madam, that we may meet in St James's yet" but she never saw him again. Flora for her part in the Prince's escape was arrested and imprisoned in Dunstaffnage Castle. She also spent some time in the Tower of London, but was eventually released in 1747 under a general amnesty. She married Allan Macdonald of Kingsburgh, a kinsman, a common practice at the time (1750). The romantic view of the Jacbite rising.developed long after Culloden as a romantic view of Scotland was created by Scottish authors which caught the imaginstion of Princess Victoria.
Joy also did a portraits. We notice one of HRH Princess Alice of Albany.
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