painting

Exhibition of Women Artists at Tate Britain

/ davidrpharmer / 8 Comments

Magnificent exhibition at Tate Britain entitled Now You See Us is on until early next month. I wish I had gone sooner as this is an exhibition that needs more than one visit. It covers the work of women artists from 1520 – 1920, during ages obviously when women were subservient to men in most walks of life. Their work very often epitomises their struggle for recognition.

One of the earlier examples, a self portrait by Artemesia Gentileschi, an Italian artist working in London during the reign of Charles I, In London she worked for Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, and two works in this exhibition are from the Royal Collection. The other one is Susannah and the Elders, a popular Old Testament sory who was observed bathing by two of the elders, and sexually assaulted. The usual story, the elders tried to make out she was a whore but later her innocence was proved.

There were an amazing number of artists represented working through the ages. Very few did I recognise. Gwen John was one, and her self portrait was used in the exhibition publicity. In fact the work of hers shown was in my view some of the least inspiring.

During the 18c the work of the Royal Academy centred round oil paintings. Other media was looked down upon. Joshua Reynolds was especially sniffy about watercolour, pastel, embroidery and any sort of craft as being work that women did at home for their own amusement.

Gradually, and as we move into the c19 women are starting to meet men on equal ground. Two paintings which greatly impressed me were:

Colt Hunting in the New Forest by Lucy-Kemp Welch

The Roll Call by Elizabeth Butler, a painting of Guards Regiment in the Crimea. This painting was summoned to the palace for a special viewing by Queen Victoria. It sold for the staggering sum of £1200

Both of these were sensations in the art world at the time. Both were hung “on the line”, which means they were hung at eye-level, a great tribute by the hanging committee of the Royal Academy

Colt Hunting in the New Forest which is an enormous painting

The Roll Call by Elizabeth Butler

My photographs are not very good alas, done quickly avoiding other viewers.

Finally. a painting by Anna Airy, commissioned by the Imperial War Museum, Shop for Machining 15″ Shells, shows women doing factory work in 1918. This was the old Singer sewing machine Company factory on Clydebank. Important work and an important painting

Singer Sargent and Fashion

/ davidrpharmer / 2 Comments

We went to the exhibition of Singer Sargent’s work at Tate Britain recently . His work is stunning. He was without doubt the leading society portrait painter of his day

This was one of the first paintings that Sargent made after moving to London from Paris,and it helped make his reputation in Britain, when it was purchased for the nation by the Chantrey Bequest The painting was made over two years, mostly painted outdoors, when the light was as Sargent wanted it. He painted the work in the Cotswolds, in Broadway at the home of the Millets, who were friends of his.The sight of Chinese lanterns hanging in the trees and beds of lilies was his initial inspiration. The two girls were added later. The white dresses were made especially for the painting known as Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

I never knew how much attention to detail he made with the costumes of his sitters. He would apparently visit their home and go through their wardrobe and almost dress the sitter in the way that he wanted them. He created roughly 900 oil portraits and approximately 1200 watercolours. He was highly prolific adding drawings and charcoal sketches to this list

Born in Florence to North American parents, he was truly international.. Working first in Paris and then in London, he was successful as a career portraitist. His work was characterised by drawing with the brush which was novel, and drew admiration. He was also drawn to Impressionism for a short time and was a guest of Monet. He traveled widely after training in Paris with Carolus-Duran, visiting Spain where he was greatly influenced by Velazquez and later to Italy where he sketched in preparation for Venetian genre street scenes,

His works and influences are too numerous to mention. London became his home and he died there in 1925. He is interred in Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, about ten minutes from where I live as it happens. I don’t know why he was brought out from London to be buried. He had no links with this area as far as I know. Brookwood is a vast cemetery probably the largest in Britain, built as an overflow to the overcrowded graveyards of London. Maybe that was the reason. I have not been able to find out