Nikolai Johannes Astrup. Part 1.

When you think about Norwegian artists and famous Norwegian paintings, I think you will immediately think of Edvard Munch and his well-known painting entitled Scream. However, there were many great Norwegian artists and some of them have featured in my blogs such as the Romantic artist Thomas Fearnley, Peder Balke, Eilert Adelsteen Normann and Harriet Backer to mention just a few. Today I am looking at the life and works of another great Norwegian artist, Nikolai Johannes Astrup.

Nikolai Johannes Astrup (c.1910)

Nikolai was born on August 30th, 1880, in the village of Kalvag Bremanger, a municipality on the coast in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway but spent his early years in the nearby village of Ålhus.  He was the eldest of fourteen children.  His father, Christian Astrup, who came from a family of civil servants, became a parish priest at the Lutheran Ålhus Church in Jølster; his mother, Petra Konstanse Lodtz, was the daughter of Peder Mørch Lodtz, a glove manufacturer from Bergen. When Nikolai was three years old, the family moved to the municipality of Jølster following his father receiving the priesthood at the local church. The vicarage was both a residence and an ordinary working farm and Nikolai learned practical farm work as a boy. The vicarage was relatively poor and the farmhouse was partly rotten and run down.

Nikolai had a troubled childhood often rebelling against his father’s strict Christian morals.  He also suffered from ill health and had to endure a life of isolation but gained pleasure from his love of drawing.  

Nikolai’s father, Christian (1900)

His schooling started at home before, as a teenager, he went to live with his grandmother in Trondheim where from 1895 to 1897 he attended the cathedral school.  However, due to his continuous bouts of illness (asthma) and his general dislike of school, his school achievements were limited to the one subject, natural sciences.

Nikolai’s mother, Petra (c.1900)

It was expected that as the eldest son he would become a priest like his father or maybe a magistrate. This was a custom in the Astrup family and so his father allowed Nikolai to move to the cathedral school, which would then lead him to become a priest but unknown to his mother and father Nikolai had discounted that idea from an earlier age.

Nikolai Astrup painted by his friend Henrik Lund in 1900

Instead Nikolai had decided that he would become an artist. The year he attended the Cathedral School it was noted that due to ill health Nikolai missed a lot of the school year and his grades were the worst in the class, and among the worst that year. Astrup biographer Øystein Loge suggests that some of his abences were due to him missing classes to visit Trondhjems Kunstforening (TKF) which is described as:

“… a meeting place in Trondheim where art enthusiasts of all ages, professional artists and amateurs have a common arena to experience and create visual art, as well as share their art experiences…”

It was here that he could see the works of the great Norwegian artists. Prior to moving to Trondheim, he had little contact with the paintings of well-known artists but once living in the city he was able to visit museums and take in the works of famous painters.  The inevitable clash with his parents came after he completed his schooling but refused to join the priesthood saying his future lay in the world of art.  Living back with his family the war of words lasted for a couple of years during which time he was tasked with the tutorship of his young siblings. He also designed wall hangings to be woven by his mother.

Kjerringa med Lykta (Old Woman with a Lantern) by Nikolai Astrup (1895-99) One of his early paintings, Kjerringa med Lykta (Old Woman with a Lantern) was one of three Astrup created as a teenager who had little money and could not afford to buy canvases and instead used fabric from old trousers.

The painting depicts an elderly woman, dressed in black, hunched over, carrying a lantern which glows in the darkness. She is seen walking between two dark brown log cabins. It is a winter scene during heavy snowfall and we can feel the cold as we see long icicles hanging from the roof of the cabin on the right. The passage between the two cabins is filled with snow, and still more heavy snow falls on the cabins and on the woman. In his notebook Nikolai described the scene:

“…Early winter morning (fantasy) Snowdrifts. Grey on grey, white and blue, light grey sky with dark grey flakes. The only element not fitting into this grey scheme is a lantern carried by a dark grey figure. The pinkish light cast against the snow fuses with the lantern’s form. A vague suggestion of daylight [is] the only [thing] showing itself over the rounded snow shapes on a rooftop […] The grey probably contains some colors, but these are so subtle, they are not noticed, and nowhere is one stronger than another, to the extent that it sticks out!…”

“May Moon” (woodcut with hand-colouring. An example of Nikolai Astrup repeating several times a motif (Kollen) he painted for the first time as a child.

Finally, in 1899, aged 19, Nikolai was allowed to leave home and go to Kristiania (Oslo since 1924) where he spent just two weeks attending evening classes in printmaking at the Royal School of Drawing (Kongelige tegneskole), before he enrolled at Harriet Backer’s private painting school. Here he studied life drawing, worked in oil, and produced his first etchings. It was also here that he started to develop what was to become his Neo-Romantic style.  Nikolai did not receive any financial support from his family and struggled to survive and pay the course fees and yet his achievements at the drawing school were exceptional and Backer was suitably impressed with his progress and later described him as one of her most promising students:

“…I allowed him to work in the direction he wanted, as I understood he was the true genius of the school…”

He remained at the painting school until the autumn of 1901 when the Norwegian painter Kitty Kielland, a colleague of Harriet Backer, recommended Nikolai for the Olaf Schou’s travel scholarship which allowed him to travel through Germany to Paris, where he enrolled to study at the Académie Colarossi under the Norwegian painter Christian Kohg.  Although attending the academy for just one year he made an impression on his tutor.  Kohg commented:

“…When I speak of Mr. Nicolai Astrup as an artist, it cannot be the way an older artist speaks of a young artist as a ‘beginner’. Mr. Astrup is in no way a beginner even though he has been painting for a very short time. His unique talent has brought him past the first phase of development, a period where most people stay for at least ten years…”

Kvennagongsvatten by Nikolai Astrup (1916)

In Paris Nikolai took the opportunity to visit art museums and one of the artists who impressed him was the Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts artist Utagawa Hiroshige and he believed that his style could work when depicting the austere yet vivid landscape of his Norwegian homeland.  Now based in Paris he was able to journey to other European countries.  He became a lover of works by the French primitive painter, Henri Rousseau and the Swiss Symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin.  Of the latter he is recorded as saying:

“…It seems to me at the moment that there is no artist I understand as well as him, but maybe [he] is also easy for everyone to understand […] what is most exciting about his pictures is their unexpectedness, a moment that sends a shiver down one’s spine, and yet one can enjoy the sight of them for a long time afterward…”

So enamoured by the Swiss painter, he named his first son who was born in 1914,  Arnold Böklin Astrup !

From the Seine by Nikolai Astrup (1901)

Very few of Astrup’s Paris paintings, exist with the exception of his 1901 charcoal and watercolor on paperwork work entitled From the Seine. Whilst staying in Paris, Astrup took the opportunity to make short trips to Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg with the aim of visiting museums and studying their treasures.

Fjøsfrieri, (Courting in the Barn) by Nikolai Astrup (1904)

One of his paintings, Fjøsfrieri Courting in the Cowshed, was completed a couple of years after he returned home from Paris.  It depicts a view along the corridor of a wooden barn which is home to a herd of cows.  In the left foreground we see a young couple in a romantic embrace.  The young man is dressed in all black and we see a bottle of liquor poking out his jacket pocket.  Both his arms are wrapped possessively around the young girl who we see standing barefoot and wearing a green shirt, red dress, and a headscarf.   She is blushing and has one arm draped around the shoulder of the young man which adds to the amorous scene.  In the upper centre of the painting, we notice a man laying in the hayloft spying on the young couple. A look through a window at the back of the barn, we see a hill and, beyond that, a glimpse of vibrant green foliage of a Spring landscape along with clear blue skies.  The theme of love between two young people from a farming community was a foreshadow of Nikolai’s own fate and his love of his own farm girl, Engel, two years later.

It took Astrup three months before he was satisfied with the printing of “Fox Bells”. It was printed in at least five variants. Astrup cut down a couple of trees for the sake of the composition, the stumps are visible in the foreground.

Astrup only stayed in France for a short period returning to Norway in the Spring of 1902 and although we cannot see many of his Parisian work, his tutor at Académie Colarossi, Christian Krohg, was full of praise with what Nikolai had produced, saying:

“…His extraordinary talent has meant that he has, as if in a game, undergone the first development, which generally stops others for at least 10 years. (…) I believe that he will be the one who will best assert the position of Norwegian art both at home and abroad…”.

…………………to be continued.

Information for this blog was gleaned from various websites such as Wikipedia and:

London Overlooked

The Art Story

Life in Norway

Kode

Masterful Artists

Emzari Kiknavelidze.

In the past I have written blogs on two artists, the Colombian painter, Fernando Botero and the English artist, Beryl Cook whose figurative work has a similarity in the way their characters are depicted.

The Dancers by Fernando Botero (1987)

The Lockyer Tavern by Beryl Cook (1974)

Artwork comes in many shapes and forms.  To many, paintings range from magnificent to questionable, but it is all about “we like what we like”.   The artist I am looking at today has produced art which I would term eccentric and yet I cannot help liking it.  Let me introduce you to the Georgian artist Emzari Kiknavelidze.

Emzari Kiknavelidze.

Emzari Kiknavelidze was born on August 1st 1964 in the Western Georgia town of Zestafoni.   At the age of fifteen he studied sculpture for four years at the M. Toyadze Art School in Tbilisi and later studied architecture at the Institute of Architecture in Tbilisi from 1986 to 1991.  Maybe it is the fact that Emzari initially studied sculpture that led to the figures in his paintings being solid and sculpture-like and the background of his works often have a structural feel to them.

His life and thus his identity became a merging of two cultures – that of his homeland Georgia where he studied and remained until 1986 and the Ukrainian city of Odesa where he went to live and remains, which has a resonant tradition of theatricality, humour, cosmopolitanism and figurative art.  His career has been closely associated with this city.  His paintings are described as lyrical genre works, with a strong emphasis on people, relationships, everyday life and expressive imagery.  They combine a distinctly Georgian warmth and lyricism, while Emzari’s characters and settings can possess something of the colourful, theatrical atmosphere associated with the Ukrainian city.

One particular theme depicted in his paintings shows his fascination with “ordinary” professions and human activity which comes across in his compassionate depictions of tailors and other craftspeople.   His figures are nothing like photographic or realistic images but more those which lean towards typical cartoon-like figures often with extended comical dimensions.  In his depictions it is often the clothing worn by his figures and the vivid colours which is what we notice first.  There is a simplicity about his figures, almost an amusing naivete which attracts most viewers to his work.

Since moving to Odesa Emzari believes he has been inspired by the city and its culture and says:

“…I think that such paintings can only be made in Odesa. Everything that surrounds you here helps to do it: atmosphere, aura… It’s not like I sit down and make up a new story, but something catches my eye and stays with me somewhere deep inside. It constantly lives there, transforms, and ripens. Then, with time, it comes out, often in a quite modified form. And, apparently, this process of modification is called creativity…”

Osman Hamdi Bey

Today I am going to look at the life and work of a nineteenth century Orientalist painter who is regarded as the greatest Turkish artist in this genre.  Turkey has produced an abounding collection of artists whose works span from Ottoman-era realism to contemporary modernism, all leaving a lasting impact on both national and international art.   Osman Hamdi Bey was a key figure in redefining Ottoman art and establishing many of the empire’s cultural institutions.

Ibrahim Edhem Pasha, the artist’s father (1877)

Osman Hamdi Bey was born on December 30th, 1842. He was the eldest of four siblings.    He had two younger brothers, Halil Ethem, and İsmail Galip and a younger sister, Nazli.   He was the son of Fatma Hanım and Ibrahim Edhem Pasha.  His father, Ibrahim, had been born in a Christian Greek Orthodox village on the island of Chios.  In 1822, three-years-old Ibrahim was orphaned and captured by Ottoman soldiers during the massacre of the Greek population of Chios. He was sold into slavery, and transported to Constantinople, where he was adopted by Kaptan-ı Derya (Grand Admiral) Hüsrev Pasha who would later become Grand Vizier, the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world.   Not having his own children and family, Hüsrev Pasha raised about ten children who had been orphaned or bought as slaves, many of whom later ascended to important positions including Ibrahim, who rose in the ranks serving as Minister of Interior and was later appointed ambassador to Berlin and Vienna.

Osman Hamdi Bey as a youth

In 1856, Osman Hamdi studied law in Istanbul, and in 1860, aged eighteen, he went to Paris to continue his studies. It was whilst living in the French capital that he met the French Orientalist painters Jean-Léon Gérôme and Gustave Boulanger and his life changed.  He decided to pursue his interest in painting instead of law and left the Law programme and trained under French orientalist painters Jean-Léon Gérôme and Gustave Boulanger.   He began to study painting under their guidance and remained in Paris for nine years where he also studied archaeology, taking time to visit museums, and immerse himself in the cultural and social life of Paris.

Young girl reading the Qur’an by Osman Hamdi Bey (1880)

Young Woman Reading, known more commonly as Young Woman Reading the Qur’an, the 1880 painting by Osman Handi Bey, depicts a young woman sitting on her knees in front of the Qur’an.  On September 27th, 2019, the work was sold by Bonhams auction house in London for GBP 6.69 million, way above its estimate, making it the most expensive Turkish painting.  The palette is dominated by warm browns, creams, reds, and muted greens, giving the interior a warm, enclosed atmosphere. Light falls across the girl’s clothing and the surrounding architectural surfaces, helping to distinguish different textures. Her body is relaxed but her attention is concentrated on the text. We don’t see a dramatic facial expression; instead, the painting communicates emotion through stillness and posture. Her lowered head and absorbed concentration make the scene feel private, almost as though the viewer has momentarily entered a space of personal devotion.Rather than using dramatic illumination, Hamdi Bey uses relatively controlled light to create a contemplative mood. In the painting, we witness the self-contained pose of a young woman as she reads.  The painting has a decidedly formal aspect to it but also is a depiction which highlights the importance and intricacy of fabric and her dress and evokes the more modest harem pictures.  In many Orientalist paintings featuring lavish interiors there is a familiar eroticism associated with the harem but in this work, there is no such allusion to sexual happenings.  The depiction has been moderated by the buttoned-up clothing of the female figure and her self-contained pose.

Study at a Reading Desk by Frederic Leighton (1877)

Three years before Osman Handi Bey completed Young Woman Reading, the English painter Frederic Leighton had completed his work entitled Study at a Reading Desk.  Look at the similarity between the two works and one must wonder whether Osman had seen Leighton’s depiction.

The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey (1906)

One of Osman Handi Bey’s most well-known works is The Tortoise Trainer, which combines elements of Orientalism with a critical view of Ottoman society.  Osman Hamdi Bey’s The Tortoise Trainer (Kaplumbağa Terbiyecisi) is one of the most famous paintings of late Ottoman art. It was painted in 1906, in oil on canvas, and measures 221.5 × 120 cm. The original is now in the Pera Museum in Istanbul. We see an elderly, dervish-like man standing in an elaborately tiled interior, seemingly attempting to train several tortoises. He carries a ney (a reed flute) behind his back and a small nakkare drum. The setting has been identified as an upper chamber of Bursa’s Yeşil Camii (Green Mosque). The absurdity of the depiction is deliberate: tortoises are extraordinarily slow and difficult to command, while the trainer patiently tries to influence them through music rather than force.

So what does it all mean ? The most common interpretation is that the tortoises represent the slow pace of Ottoman reform. Hamdi Bey painted the work during a period of considerable political and social tension, and the apparently futile task of training the tortoises can be read as a satirical comment on attempts to modernise an increasingly troubled empire. There is an important ambiguity, though. The painting was not immediately understood simply as political satire. The interpretation became particularly powerful after the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, when viewers could read the old-fashioned figure and his hopeless task in the light of the Ottoman political crisis. The trainer depicted in the work may actually be Hamdi Bey himself. He frequently used photographs of himself as models for figures in his paintings, and the Pera Museum identifies the dervish-like figure as a self-representation. The painting also has a wonderfully paradoxical quality: the trainer is trying to bring about change through patience, culture and art, but his subjects barely respond. That makes the picture work simultaneously as a joke, a political allegory, and a reflection on the frustrating process of cultural reform.

The first version of Hamdi’s painting was exhibited at the Grand Palais in the 1906 Paris Salon, under the title L’homme aux Tortues (“Man with tortoises”). It was formerly in the collection of Turkish businessman Erol Aksoy. It was sold for US$3.5 million in 2004 and is currently displayed at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.

This painting was completed in two different versions.  

A year later he completed a smaller version which he dedicated to his child’s father-in-law, Salih Münir Pasha.

The Weapon Merchant by Osman Hamdi Bey (1908)

Osman Hamdi Bey’s painting entitled The Weapon Merchant uses the detailed setting almost like a stage. Weapons, costumes, architecture and textiles are meticulously observed, while the human interaction becomes the focal point of the work. Before us we see a bearded man on the left, which is believed to be Osman Hamdi himself.  His demeanour is one of a merchant. His posture is unusually authoritative: and is seen gesturing toward the younger man as if giving him advice.  According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture the two principal figures are Osman Hamdi and his son Edhem and interprets their relationship in terms of generations, continuation of the family line, and mortality. In the depiction we note that the son, Edhem, physical depiction is one of strength and is almost the opposite of his father’s demeanour. Edhem is upright, tense and energetic, while his father is seated and contemplative.  It is Edhem that holds the unsheathed sword which is a metaphor for power being passed from one generation to another. 

Osman Hamdi painted the work in 1908, just two years before his death.

The Carpet Merchant by Osman Hamdi Bey (1888)

The Carpet Merchant (Halı Taciri) is another painting by Osman Hamdi Bey, dated 1888. It is presently part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin collection.  It is a depiction of carpet merchants offering up their textiles to Western visitors in an Ottoman setting. We see one merchant standing in a yellow robe, holding up a richly patterned carpet, while another sits beside him. Several carpets are spread across the ground and hang in the background.  Osman Hamdi rendered their patterns with extraordinary precision, and art historians have identified particular carpets as Anatolian and Caucasian examples.  The encounter between the Ottoman merchants and Western visitors can therefore be read as a representation of the cultural and commercial relationship between East and West. The carpets function almost as a bridge between the two groups.

The Carpet Merchant by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1887)

There is also an interesting connection to Jean-Léon Gérôme, who was one of Osman Hamdi’s teachers. Gérôme painted The Carpet Merchant in Cairo in 1887, and Osman Hamdi’s composition similarly focuses on merchants, carpets, architecture, and highly detailed Orientalist imagery.

Chess by Osman Hamdi Bey

Osman Hamdi Bey’s painting entitled Chess is in the collection of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality City Museum.  This casual pastime invites interpretations involving intellect, strategy, contemplation, and the tensions of Ottoman society during a period of modernization.  Both opponents wear long Ottoman robes, rather than Western-style suits.  Their robes are made from richly patterned textiles, with contrasting layers and borders.  The men wear Ottoman-style turbans/head coverings associated with learned or elite men.  Their clothing deliberately evokes an earlier Ottoman period and Bey frequently used historical costumes in his paintings.

The floor is covered with an elaborate Oriental carpet, characteristic of the luxurious interiors Hamdi Bey depicted in many of his works of art.  Additional textiles, including cushions and draperies, support the sense of an elite Ottoman domestic or scholarly environment.   The painting was a good example of how Handi Bey wanted to portray Ottoman intellectual life and counter the exotic “Orient” often seen in European Orientalism.  One of the interesting aspect about Chess is that the setting is almost as important as the game. Hamdi Bey wasn’t just depicting two men playing chess; he was constructing an image of Ottoman intellectual and material culture.

Portrait of woman (His second wife Naile Hanim) by Osman Hamdi Bey

Osman Hamdi Bey was married twice, both times to French women he met during his years connected with Paris and Europe. His first wife was Agarite Gay, a French woman whom he met in Paris. They were married around the mid-1860s and remained together for roughly ten years. They had two daughters: Fatma who was born in 1866 and Melek who was born a year later.  Their marriage ended around 1875 and Agarite returned to France, while the couple’s daughters were divided between the parents: Fatma remained in Istanbul with her father, while Melek went to France with her mother.

Naile Hanım Portresi , Hamdi Bey’s second wife by Osman Hamdi Bey

His second wife was Marie Palyart, who was born in France in 1863. After marrying Osman Hamdi Bey, she became known as Naile Hanım. She is the wife whom he portrayed repeatedly in his paintings.  The couple had three children:  Leyla (1880–1950), Edhem (1882–1957) and Nazlı (1893–1958).  Naile Hanım survived Osman Hamdi by 33 years, dying in 1943. She spent her final years between Istanbul and Paris and was buried in the Feriköy Latin Catholic Cemetery in Istanbul.

Osman Hamdi Bey (c.1860s)

Osman Hamdi Bey was not just an Ottoman painter, he was an archaeologist, museum curator, and intellectual. He is one of the most important figures in 19th-century Ottoman art and museology.  In Archaeology he led important excavations, particularly at Sidon in present-day Lebanon, where the famous Alexander Sarcophagus was discovered.  His work at museums was of great importance with him becoming director of the Imperial Museum (Müze-i Hümayun) and played a major role in establishing modern archaeological preservation in the Ottoman Empire.

Osman Hamdi Bey died on February 24th 1910 aged 67.

James Proudfoot

James Proudfoot self portrait

The artist I am looking at today is the Scottish-born painter James Proudfoot.  Proudfoot was well-known for his beautifully crafted portraits of stage and screen actors and his haunting and wonderful landscapes and coastal scenes.  He was born in the Scottish city of Perth on March 3rd 1908 and grew up in a modest household.  There were no artists in his family. His father owned a carpet business in Perth.

Perth Rooftops in Snow by James Proudfoot (1936)

Proudfoot attended local schools and completed his education at the Perth Academy, and it was whilst studying here that he developed an initial interest in art amid a general academic curriculum.  After leaving Perth Academy he gained a place at St Andrews University. Once he had completed his degree course young James Proudfoot worked briefly at his father’s business.

River Landscape with Trees by James Proudfoot (1938)

His childhood in Perth and the surrounding Scottish countryside, opened up an environment that would later influence his landscape paintings. After a short time working for his father in the early 1930s he wanted to increase his artistic knowledge and travelled to London where he studied at Heatherley School of Fine Art in London and Goldsmiths, University of London, where he enhanced his abilities as a portrait and landscape painter. Following the completion of his studies at Heatherley School of Fine Art and Goldsmiths College of Art in London during the early 1930s, James Proudfoot began exhibiting his work professionally, including submissions to the Royal Academy from 1933, when he focused on small-scale landscapes and portraits that demonstrated a powerful understanding of light and form.

The Old Stone Bridge with river running underneath by James Proudfoot (1948)

His early works showed his artistic journey from the works of an academic student to more personal, more atmospheric compositions, which accentuated reminiscent depictions of everyday scenes which were emphasised by tonal harmony and structural detail.

Sun on a House, Dieppe by James Proudfoot (1937)

James Proudfoot travelled through Europe during the inter-war period and particularly to France before World War II, and those visits conjured up a series of vibrant coastal and urban scenes and an introduction to brighter palettes and impressionistic touches to his style. One good example of this was his 1937 painting, Sun on a House, Dieppe, which epitomises this influence, as he depicts the sun beaming down on the facade of a house in the Normandy town of Dieppe using vivid yellows and blues that express the warmth of Mediterranean light. This and other works, which formed part of a loose series of Dieppe subjects from the late 1930s, underline Proudfoot’s captivation with how light transforms ordinary architecture, and by so doing, brings together Scottish precision with French colourism. 

Dieppe Theatre by James Proudfoot (1937)

The influence of France on the development of Scottish art can never be overestimated. Proudfoot’s stylistic development was shaped by his Scottish roots and exposure to contemporary European movements, including impressionism from French artists and the bold colour palettes of Scottish contemporaries associated with the Glasgow Boys

James Proudfoot and Ellen Pollock on their wedding day in 1945

On July 13th, 1945, at the Marlows Road Registry Office in London, James Proudfoot married the British actress Ellen Pollock a British character actress who mainly appeared on stage in London’s West End. She also appeared in several films and TV productions.  This was Ellen’s second marriage.  Her first marriage ended in 1944 with the death, during World War II, of her husband Captain Leslie Hancock, an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

Ellen Pollock (Ellen Proudfoot) by Bassano Ltd

James and Ellen brought together two figures prominent in London’s cultural scene, with Pollock’s established career in theatre and film providing Proudfoot access to a dazzling network of performers, many of whom appeared in Proudfoot’s portraits.

Ellen Pollock as Lady Macbeth by James Proudfoot

James Proudfoot captured Ellen Pollock in several paintings, including a 1953 painting depicting her as Lady Macbeth.

Noël Coward by James Proudfoot (1952)

Peter Ustinov by James Proudfoot (1956)

During his artistic career James Proudfoot gained recognition for his ability to capture the likenesses of prominent cultural figures in his many portraits. Examples of his portraiture can be seen in his depiction of Noël Coward and Peter Ustinov. This portrait of Peter Ustinov received an honourable mention at the 1956 Paris Salon, recognizing its technical merit and lifelike depiction among international entries.

Barbara Gioalen standing next to James Proudfoot’s portrait of her.

Barbara Goalen with James Proudfoot looking at his portrait of her (1956)

Barbara Goalen was a British model who came to international prominence between 1945 and 1954, then gave up her career at the height of her success. Described as “the most photographed woman in Britain” and “arguably the first British supermodel”, she epitomised post-war glamour and modelled for both Dior and Balenciaga.

The Dentist’s Chair by James Proudfoot (1960)

James Proudfoot had lived in Chelsea, London since 1937, where he established his professional base as a painter and remained there until his death in 1971.  He maintained a studio in Chelsea, and integrated into the city’s vibrant art scene through regular exhibitions at institutions such as the Royal Academy, the New English Art Club, and the Royal Scottish Academy.

Two Grape Farmers by James Proudfoot

During his latter days, Proudfoot’s artwork never changed despite his age and post-war conditions.  He managed to sustain a balance between carrying out lucrative commissioned portraits of prominent figures and personal landscape paintings that reflected his various “voyages” of discovery.  His daily life revolved around his marriage to actress Ellen Pollock, which connected him to London’s theatrical circles.

Pale Blue Eyes by James Proudfoot

The artwork of James Proudfoot’s were exhibited primarily through group shows in prominent British institutions during his active years in London from the 1940s to the 1970s. He participated in exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, the New English Art Club, the Royal Scottish Academy, and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters although there are no records of major solo exhibitions in London or elsewhere during his lifetime,  Several of Proudfoot’s paintings are held in UK public collections today. Perth Art Gallery houses the largest grouping of his work.

Portrait of a Young Lady by James Proudfoot

James Proudfoot’s work received positive contemporary attention for both his portraits and landscapes, highlighting his skill in capturing realism and atmospheric effects. He remains relatively obscure today compared to contemporaries like Lucian Freud, who gained greater prominence in British figurative art.

A London Skyline by James Proudfoot

Proudfoot’s influence on mid-20th-century British figurative painting is evident through his membership in key institutions like the New English Art Club (NEAC), where he exhibited works emphasizing observational accuracy and narrative depth, helping sustain resistance to modernist trends among younger artists.  Recent reassessments have positioned Proudfoot as an underrecognized Scottish painter,

James Proudfoot died in London on July 15th, 1971, aged 63.

Most of the information for this blog came from

GROKIPEDIA.

Bordeaux Musée des Beaux-Arts. Part 2. The Bonheur Wing.

The Bonheur Wing, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux.

Behind the Palais Rohan, the seat of the City of Bordeaux whose gardens it shares, the Museum of Fine Arts offers a panorama of the main currents of Western art from the Renaissance to the present day. It occupies two twin wings added to the Palais Rohan in 1851 and opposite, the Galerie des Beaux-Arts completes its permanent collections by regularly hosting temporary exhibitions.

The north wing (Bonheur Wing) is dedicated to modern and contemporary art, presenting the main themes of the 19th Century (romanticism, academicism, and realism), landscapes (Corot, Diaz de la Peña, Boudin), animal paintings (Rosa Bonheur, René Princeteau) and portraits (Thomas Couture, Carolus-Duran, Fantin-Latour and Berthe Morisot).

As the wing of the museum was named to honour the Bordeaux-born artist, Rosa Bonheur, the first couple of paintings in the Bonheur wing of the museum I am showing you are by her or about her.

Rosa Bonheur in her studio by George-Achille Fould (1893)

As the wing of the museum was named to honour the Bordeaux-born artist, Rosa Bonheur, the first couple of paintings in the Bonheur wing of the museum I am showing you are by her or about her.    Rosa Bonheur was born in Bordeaux on March 16th 1822.  She was known best as a painter of animals (animalière). She also made sculptures in a realist style.

This portrait of Bonheur in her studio was painted by Georges Achille-Fould.  In the painting we can see a detail taken from her monumental painting, Wheat Threshing in the Camargue.  Bonheur can be seen wearing trousers which were forbidden at that time for women. However, Bonheur argued for authorisation from the prefecture to wear them during her drawing sessions at the slaughterhouses!   She was passionate about animals, and owned a whole menagerie, including a lion, quails, dogs and even some sheep.   For her contemporaries, Rosa Bonheur was truly a phenomenon! Her talent was recognized in 1865 when she became the first female artist to be awarded the Legion of Honour.

Georges Achille-Fould en japonaise, portrait by Léon Comerre (1863)

The artist who completed this portrait of Bonheur was Georges Achille-Fould. Georges Achille-Fould and her sister Consuelo, both painters, were adopted by Gheorghe Bibescu, who bequeathed to them the Chateau de Bécon, which today houses the Roybet Fould Museum, where numerous works by Consuelo and Fernand Roybet, her tutor, are displayed, alongside many works attributed to Achille-Fould, who signed them simply “Achille-Fould”.

Wheat Threshing in the Camargue by Rosa Bonheur

Rosa Bonheur started on her largest painting, (313 x 651 cm), Wheat Threshing in the Camargue, in 1864 but on her death in 1899, thirty-five years later, it remained unfinished. This is oil on canvas work is the largest format ever painted by the artist and is a genre scene depicting a dozen horses treading wheat in the Camargue. It is said that Rosa’s ideas for the depiction came from her reading the Mirèio, a long poem consisting of twelve songs by French writer Frédéric Mistral, written in 1859 after eight years of effort. It tells of the thwarted love of Vincent and Mireille, two young Provençal people of different social backgrounds.   It was a story about a miserly farmer who made his horses work tirelessly at fulling and who was punished by lightning that set fire to his barn and an earthquake that engulfed his family. In her work, Rosa Bonheur wanted to show “the fire that comes out of the horses’ nostrils, the dust that gushes out under their hooves

Rolla by Henri Gervex (1878)

Now to a completely different type of painting.  Rolla was a painting completed by Henri Gervex and is at the museum but on loan from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.  Gervex was a French painter and was the son of Joséphine Peltier and Félix Nicolas Gervex, a piano maker. When he was 15, a friend of the family helped him get admitted to the atelier of Pierre-Nicolas Brisset. Three years later, he served in the 152nd Battalion of the National Guard. In 1871, aged 19, he was accepted into the École des Beaux-Arts in the studio of Alexandre Cabanel, where he studied for five years. His early work belonged almost exclusively to the mythological genre, which served as an excuse for the painting of the nude, but not always in the best of taste.  He had already been awarded a medal at the Salon, which in theory made him an “outsider” in terms of the competition and therefore any painting he put forward to be included at the Salon was guaranteed inclusion into future exhibitions without having to satisfy the Salon jurists.  It therefore came as a shock to him to have his painting, Rolla, for the upcoming 1878 Salon, rejected as the authorities deemed the depiction of his painting Rolla to be “immoral”.

The inspiration for Gerex’s painting came from a long poem by Alfred de Musset entitled Rolla which he completed in 1833.  The long poem narrates the story and the destiny of a young bourgeois, Jacques Rolla, who descends into a life of idleness and debauchery. Along the way, he meets Marion, a teenager who has discovered that the life of a prostitute was her only escape from misery. In the painting we see Rolla standing by the window, his eyes turned towards Marion who lies abandoned on the bed. He is desolate and about to commit suicide by taking poison.

Gervex found his inspiration in a long poem by Alfred de Musset (1810-1857), published in 1833. The text recounts

With a melancholy eye Rolla gazed on

The beautiful Marion asleep in her wide bed;

In spite of himself, an unnameable and diabolical horror

Made him tremble to the bone.

Marion had cost dearly. — To pay for his night

He had spent his last coins.

His friends knew it. And he, on arriving,

Had taken their hand and given his word that

In the morning no one would see him alive.

When Rolla saw the sun appear on the roofs,

He went and leaned out the window.

Rolla turned to look at Marie.

She felt exhausted, and had fallen asleep.

And thus both fled the cruelties of fate,

The child in sleep, and the man in death!

So why did the Beaux Arts authorities ban the painting?  If the scene had been judged indecent, surely it was not because of Marion’s nudity, which is not unlike the portrayal of nudes by many artists of the time. It appears that the underwear strewn besides the bed denotes Marion’s consent in the sex act and hints at her status as a prostitute. Look at the abandoned clothing and we see a walking stick emerging from the midst of the garments which many believe acts as a metaphor for sexual intercourse.

Following Gervex’s painting Rolla being excluded from the Salon, he exhibited it for three months in the gallery of a Parisian art dealer. The scandal, which was covered in all the newspapers, attracted large crowds to the gallery. In an interview many years later, which was published in 1924, Gervex remembered the pleasure when he witnessed the constant procession of visitors who queued to see the work. Many cynics believed that Gervex had anticipated the reaction to his painting by the authorities and gladly provoked the scandal.

The Lion Hunt by Eugène Delacroix (1855)

In 1855, Delacroix was commissioned by the French State and Napoleon III to produce a monumental work for the that year’s Paris Universal Exposition.  Delacroix had studied Rubens’ hunting scenes and was fascinated by the theme of lions. Delacroix often painted hunting scenes and animals fighting. This work is part of a lion hunt series he painted in the 1850s. The subject reflects a fascination for exoticism and the culture of the Muslim countries in North Africa. During a visit to Morocco in the 1830s, Delacroix had studied and made sketches of the landscape, horses and hunters on horseback – themes that were later used when he painted his lion hunts. These dramatic scenes, with their energetic compositions and warm hues, convey the new aesthetic ideals of the time.

The dimensions of his painting, The Lion Hunt, was monumental at 175 x 360cms.  Delacroix had spent much time at the Ménagerie part of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. These regular visits allowed him to capture not just the ferocity of the cats and their musculature, but also the colour of their fur which allowed him to develop a more authentic form of animal paintings.

The Tiger Hunt by Rubens (1618)

When Delacroix had completed the painting in 1855 it was deposited at the Museum of Fine Arts of Bordeaux, the city where the painter once lived as a young man when his father was prefect there. Bordeaux was also a city Delacroix occasionally came to pay his respects at the Chartreuse Cemetery, where his father and brother were buried.   Bordeaux was also the city in which Peter Paul Rubens had his painting, The Tiger Hunt displayed and which the Bordeaux museum had been exhibiting since 1805, and which is believed to have been a strong influence on Delacroix.  

The deputy director and curator in charge of 19th/20th-century collections at the museum, Chloé Theault, believed that the two works would complement each other.  The first thing that catches your eye when you study Delacroix’s work is it appears that the top of the painting is missing. In fact, the upper third of it no longer exists, as on December 7th, 1870, a fire ravaged through the town hall in Bordeaux destroying part of the work.  The entire upper part of the painting disappeared into the ashes.

The Lion Hunt by Odile Redon (1860-1870)

Today, some sketches and copies, and notably one by Odilon Redon, exists which allow us to imagine what the upper third of Delacroix’s painting would have looked like with the two missing horse riders that were once in the upper section.

The Heirs by Eugène Buland (1887)

Eugène Buland was born on October 26th, 1852.  He was the son of an engraver and entered the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts under the tutelage of Alexandre Cabanel. His earliest works were Symbolist paintings of antique scenes, but he quickly turned towards depicting scenes of everyday life.  Eugène Buland entered just one painting, The Heirs, at the Salon in 1887 which gained him a second-place medal.  It depicts his predilection for subjects taken from daily life in the countryside. 

In this figurative work, Buland concentrates on a study of provincial behaviour, conveying the peaceful, quiet lifestyle and the impression of time almost standing still.   In the same way as the French writer, Maupassant, Buland tells short stories, novels in his depictions. The strange ambiguity of the scene here is striking. The tight framing of the scene strengthens the almost oppressive atmosphere of this private meeting in which the stone-faced characters, deep in their own thoughts, wait for the will to be read.  The touches of red contrast with the dark austere colours and direct our eye towards the open safe, seals, the official banner and finally the will, the focus of everyone’s attention.

Freeing himself from the teachings of his master Alexandre Cabanel, Buland became influenced in naturalism. He was concerned with the detail and drawing inspired by photographic precision which made him a rare artist and a hyperrealist ahead of his time. 

The Day of the Dead by William Bouguereau (1859)

The last selection I am offering you from the Bonheur Gallery of the Bordeaux Musée des Beaux Arts is, like the previous painting, a quietly sombre depiction.  There is none of the excitement depicted in the previous seascapes or the savagery of a lion hunt.

The painting entitled The Day of the Dead is by the French academic painter William Bouguereau which he completed in 1859.  Bouguereau was born in La Rochelle on November 30th 1825.  During his life, he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States, was given numerous official honours, and received top prices for his work

The painting The Day of the Dead, depicts a mother and daughter mourning the loss of a husband and father as they kneel at the foot of a tomb.   The work captures the essence of the Mexican tradition of Día de Muertos.  It is a depiction of death with the black of the mourning clothes, which are illuminated by the luminous yellow of the wreath of immortelles, the cross and winter itself.  Bouguereau creates a painting full of restraint, serious and dignified, one of remarkable beauty. With restraint of feelings, the theme conveys an exaltation of the traditional values of the classical cultural ideal and the Christian faith.

The painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1859, this work was the subject of many glowing reviews.

Bordeaux Musée des Beaux Arts. Part 1. The Lacour Wing.

Last week I spent a few days in the French city of Bordeaux and besides visiting must-see museums such as Cité du Vin, Musée d’Aquitaine, the cathedral and sampled the red wine and French cooking, I spent half a day looking around the Musée des Beaux Arts which had an excellent selection of paintings. The Musée des Beaux Arts Bordeaux is the oldest of Bordeaux’s museums and was founded in 1801 under the guidance of painter Pierre Lacour. This establishment ranks among the most significant art galleries in France beyond the confines of Paris.

Lacour wing of the Musée des Beaux Arts, Bordeaux

Bonheur Wing of the Musée des Beaux Arts, Bordeaux

The museum is located in the heart of Bordeaux, next to the town hall gardens.  It is a veritable treasure trove of art and history, offering an exceptional selection of European painting and sculpture from the 15th to the 20th century. The museum consists of two buildings, housed in the north and south wings of the Palais Rohan, the current town hall.  Its extensive permanent collection features major works by Flemish, Dutch, Italian, and French artists. Highlights include paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Jean-Baptiste Chardin, Eugène Delacroix, and Odilon Redon, offering a journey through various artistic movements. The museum is not limited to old masters. It also has a fine selection of works from the 19th and early 20th centuries, reflecting the artistic developments of these periods.

In this first of two blogs I want to look at some of the works which were on show in the south wing of the museum, The Lacour Wing.

In the Lacour Wing the permanent exhibition starts with Renaissance art from Italy and Northern Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries with Titian amongst the paintings. The 17th century exhibition includes Baroque art with works of Paul Rubens and a section of Dutch painters including Jan van Goyen.  Finally, in this wing there is an exhibition of 18th century paintings including a painting of the port and quais of Bordeaux by the building’s namesake, Pierre Lacour.

The view of the Chartrons and Bacalan Harbour and Waterfront Area in Bordeaux by Pierre Lacour Snr. (1804-1806)

The Port de la Lune, Bordeaux’s port since the Middle Ages, takes its name from the crescent-shaped bend of the Garonne on which the city was built. Since the 17th century, this panoramic view has been a favourite subject for artists from Bordeaux and beyond. Originally from Bordeaux, Pierre Lacour Snr. is one of the tutelary figures of the Musée des Beaux-Arts, a French painter and lithographer known for his views of the city and its surroundings. A professor and then director of the Academy of Painting, Lacour trained many generations of artists. Between 1804 and 1806, Pierre Lacour, the museum’s first curator, captured this urban landscape in his own vision of Bordeaux. The depiction takes in the view that depicts the facades of the Chartrons and Bacalan.

The Artist Painting a Family Portrait by Pierre Lacour Snr. (1798)

The Chartrons dates back to the 14th century when the Carthusian monks,  the “Chartreux” in French, settled here giving the district its name. By the 17th century, the area had become the headquarters of Bordeaux’s booming wine trade.  The Bacalan is the northern part of the city built around the port.  For me, the joy of the painting is its focus on the smallest detailing of the human activities in this lively district.   As day comes to an end, we see carters and their teams loaded with stones, also carriages and cabriolets.  Shipwrights maintain the hulls of the canoes. In the background, a porter is unloading a cargo of stave wood used to create wine barrels. Further on, a carter is trying to pull up his team, loaded with stones, with his whip, while, further back, barrels are rolled on the ground from a barge, then pulled by means of ropes towards the warehouses.  The work highlights all the socio-professional categories at the origin of the city’s economic prosperity: merchants, craftsmen, and boatmen. An impressive fleet of canoes and skiffs sailed around the tall ships that came to trade.

The young girl in the left foreground carrying a parasol is the painter’s daughter, and the man to whom she is addressing is Pierre Lacour himself. Leaning over the fence next to them is Pierre Lacour Jr.

Portrait, said to be of Aubin Vouet by Simon Vouet (c. 1620), Arles, musée Réattu

Aubin Vouet was a French painter, the son of Laurent Vouet and younger brother of Simon Vouet, both also painters. Aubin joined his brother Simon in Rome six years after his eldest brother had moved there. They were there together around 1619-1620 and they both lodged on Vicolo di San Silvestro. In Rome Aubin was strongly influenced by Caravaggio, as can be seen in this painting David Holding Goliath’s Head, and this influence labelled him as one of the Caravaggisti.  Aubin returned to France, whereas his brother stayed in Rome a further six years until 1627. In 1621, on his return to France, Aubin was made painter in ordinary to Louis XIII.

David holding the head of Goliath by Aubin Vouet (c.1620)

The battle between the Philistine giant Goliath and the young Jewish shepherd David, recorded in the Old Testament, ended the war that divided these two peoples as described in the First Book of Samuel, XVII, 48-54:

“…As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.  So, David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him.  David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.  When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.  Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath[f] and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.  When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.  David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent…”

Driven by his faith, David – often referred to as a “child,” “young,” and “handsome” defeated Goliath, a seasoned warrior, through trickery. Armed only with his slingshot, he knocked out his enemy with a stone and then took his sword to cut off his head.   This biblical tale was favoured by many artists of the early seventeenth century such as Caravaggio and his emulators Domenico Feti, Artemisia Gentileschi, Bartolomeo Manfredi, Nicolas Régnier or Valentin de Boulogne. The theme depicted in this painting was favoured by artists during the first third of the 17the century. They all had a real liking for this biblical episode, the conclusion of the fight made it possible to represent the revulsion of death.

It is thought that Aubin Vouet was seduced by the violence of the Caravaggio masterpieces he had seen in Rome.  In this work he chose to characterise David as the victorious hero, with his eyes lowered and his pout disdainful. The way in which Vouet has depicted youthful nudity is believed to be inspired not only by Florentine Renaissance sculpture but also by Caravaggio’s depictions of adolescents, and it cleverly contrasts the young man’s virile features with Goliath’s imposing head. The young David’s body is highlighted by the framing of two-thirds of the body, represented in a clever chiaroscuro. The elegance of the hat braided in gold and adorned with an ostrich feather adds a touch of refinement to David.

The Oak Struck by Lightning or The Fortune Teller by Jan Josephsz van Goyen (1638)

I have often written about my love of Dutch Golden Age paintings so it would be remiss of me not to include an example of work from this period. Jan Josephsz. van Goyen was one of the main pioneers of naturalistic landscape in early 17th-century Holland. His many drawings show that he travelled extensively in Holland and beyond. In 1634 he is recorded painting in Haarlem, in the house of Isaac, the brother of Salomon van Ruysdael, who was another of the pioneers of realistic landscape painting in the north Netherlands.  Van Goyen was born at Leiden, and trained in Haarlem with Esaias van de Velde. After returning to Leiden he moved to The Hague in 1631, where he chiefly worked until his death. His earliest dated painting is from 1620.  His daughter married his pupil Jan Steen, the famous painter of genre scenes, in 1649.

This painting, The Oak Struck by Lightning also known as The Fortune Teller,  is one of the Dutch painter Jan Josephsz van Goyen’s masterpieces. The work is typical of the quasi-monochrome style van Goyen had developed between 1633 and 1644 in The Hague, after initially training in Haarlem.  Before us we see a highly detailed view of a tree, which had been struck by lightening,. The depiction then opens out into an extensive panorama under a threatening dark sky which looms above this tree. The range of colours used by the artist is reduced down to simple shades of yellow and grey and changes towards a monochrome palette. In front of the tree, we see a bohemian-looking figure reading the palm of a villager.  

On the left of the painting, we see a well-dressed gentleman walking his dogs.  This is a self-portrait of van Goyen !

The owl

The Palm Reader

However, this is not simply a picturesque landscape scene.  It is in fact an allegorical one.  Van Goyen was a devout Christian who wanted to add a narrative to his painting.  We need to look closely at some of the details to discover what van Goyen was “saying”.   The red of the man’s beret symbolizes his inability to ignore superstition. The owl, perched in full daylight on a bare, dead branch of the oak tree, represents man’s blindness to chiromancy, the supposed prediction of a person’s future from interpreting the lines on the palms of their hands, in other words, palmistry which was a practice forbidden by the Church. Finally, the lightening evokes divine punishment. 

The Ploughing Lesson or The Agriculture Lesson or Agriculture by François-André Vincent

The next painting from the Lacour Wing of the museum which I am showcasing is The Ploughing Lesson by François-André Vincent, a French neoclassical painter.    He was the son of the miniaturist François-Elie Vincent and studied under Joseph-Marie Vien.  François-André Vincent was a pupil of École Royale des Éleves Protégés. From 1771 to 1775 he studied at the French Academy in Rome.

Germanicus Calms Sedition in his Camp by François-André Vincent (1768) Beaux-Arts Paris

He travelled to Rome after winning the Prix de Rome with his painting, Germanicus Calms Sedition in his Camp, in 1768, and it was then that he was installed at the Palais Mancini, where he painted numerous portraits, inspired by Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s style, who also was visiting Rome and Naples at the same time.  He was a leader of the neoclassical and historical movement in French art, along with his rival Jacques-Louis David, another pupil of Vien. He was influenced by the art of classical antiquity, by the masters of the Italian High Renaissance, especially Raphael. François-André Vincent was one of the principal innovators of the subjects and themes in French art of Neoclassical style and his works were of a high standard.

The Ploughing Lesson, a genre painting completed in 1798, also features a series of portrait paintings as members of a wealthy family observe their son’s lesson in ploughing, aligning with the belief that a knowledge of agriculture was of vital importance following the French Revolution. In the background we have depicted the Pyrenees mountains.  The painting was commissioned by the industrialist, financier and politician from Bordeaux and Toulouse, François-Bernard Boyer-Fonfrède. He was also an important patron of the arts who ran a cotton mill in Toulouse as well as a “Free School of Industry” for children from poor families who worked in the factory.  The painting was intended to be part of a series, illustrating the virtues and the foundations of a good education.  The painting was meant to depict that work in the fields was a noble occupation for children.  This bringing together of the bourgeoise and the peasant suggests an idyllic alliance of two opposing social classes.

The painting depicts a strong-bodied farmer explaining to his pupil, a boy from a good family with fine features, how to hold the plough as it is pulled by a pair of oxen.  Witnessing this lesson is the young man’s family. The painting was shown at the 1798 Paris Salon and was accompanied by a vignette:

“…Penetrated by the truth that agriculture is the basis of the prosperity of States, the painter has represented a father of a family who, accompanied by his wife and young daughter, comes to visit a ploughman in the middle of his work. He pays homage to him by attending the lesson he has asked him to give to his son, whose education he would consider imperfect without this knowledge. Note – Commerce and other interesting parts of education must form a sequel to this first table which, as well as this suite, are intended for citizen Boyer-Fonfrède, of Toulouse…”

Some art critics criticised the posture of the novice as being unseemly because the boy’s head is hidden, when by convention it should be turned towards the viewer.

The painting was acquired by the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux in 1830.

……to be continued

Luca Signorelli. Part 3.

Frescos at the Chapel of St Brizio inside the Orvieto’s Duomo

Part 2.

 Destruction of the World by Luca Signorelli

The events of the Apocalypse, in the form of the Destruction of the World, fill the space which surrounds the entrance into the large San Brizio chapel. These Apocalyptic frescos may not influence us now but one has to remember that at the beginning of the 16th century, at the time Signorelli was painting these masterpieces, life in Italy was much different in comparison to our lives now.  Italy was affected with not just wars but various diseases which killed many of its citizens and so, sudden and painful death was looked upon as a distinct possibility causing a sense of spiritual paranoid. This terrible Apocalyptic hysteria jumbled minds and instilled fear into many. Add to this the prophecies of Girolamo Savonarola, a charismatic Dominican friar, regarded as the Antichrist, with his hell-fire sermons and his warnings about the end of time and the great battle between the spiritual and the worldly which would usher in the Last Judgement.   According to the prediction in the Scriptures, the deeds of the Antichrist take place immediately before the end of the world.   Add to this the words of Mark (13:24-27) in the bible recalling the words of Jesus whilst teaching his disciples on the Mount of Olives:

“…But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, And the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven…”

The position of this fresco is on the inner side of the Chapel portal.  On looking at the work, we are immediately aware of the drama depicted in the fresco.  The upper part depicts a group of cherubs that seem to blissfully wrestle with a ribbon plaque. At the centre stands a little winged creature holding high the herald of the ‘Opera del Duomo di Orvieto’ (O.P.S.M – the institution that promotes, manages and administers the work of the construction of the Cathedral).

Destruction of the World (detail) by Luca Signorelli

The depiction and narrative is divided on each side of the portal.  To the right is a portrayal of the early signs of the end of times. We can see that the moon is growing dark, the raining of stars and the eclipse. The sky is overcast and the earth trembles in fear. In the background we see stormy waves whipping up the sea and threatening to engulf humanity. Of the people depicted in this fresco, Signorelli divides them into three groups.  The group, on the right, consists of men and women shocked by the destruction of a marbled structure, maybe a temple.  They gaze in horror at the remains of the three truncated pillars and the pile of broken pieces of the columns lie at their feet.  In the foreground we observe the prophets and the philosophers who stand and study the devastation that lies before them in sombre trepidation.

Destruction of the World (detail) by Luca Signorelli

On the left of the portal, we see demons dance amongst the dangerous skies while disgorging floods of fire onto the pitiful survivors. These people under attack fall against each other like broken dolls. We see women with babies at their breasts screaming in pain whilst some men flee on horsebacks to escape the flames, but in vain.  Lower down this side of the fresco Signorelli has depicted individuals of all ages being attacked. The elderly, youths and children are all victims of these savage attacks.  We look at upturned faces, covered ears and fearful eyes which portray this terrible calamity which has befallen mankind

Signorelli had been commissioned originally to complete ceiling frescos that had been begun by Fra Angelico. The cathedral authorities had been so impressed by what he achieved with the vaulted ceiling that they decided to offer him a further commission to paint frescos on the seven side walls of the chapel.   

The Resurrection of the Flesh by Luca Signorelli

The next fresco in the series by Signorelli I am looking at is The Resurrection of the Flesh which is located in the first compartment on the right wall of the Chapel of San Brizio. This was another fresco depicting scenes from the end of time and illustrates the text found in the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:51-52)

“…Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed…”

Signorelli was in his element with this work and his mastery of painting nude figures.   The great art historian Vasari wrote of this artistic ability of Signorelli stating:

“…true method of making nudes and how, though only with craft and difficulty, they can be caused to be alive…”

Of Signorelli, Bernard Berenson the American art historian who specialized in the Renaissance said that he was one of the greatest of modern illustrators, and thanks to which his art is still an extremely important part of our figurative heritage.

Resurrection of the Flesh (detail) by Luca Signorelli

Viewed all together the huge frescoes in the Orvieto chapel give a feeling of overcrowding and of confusion which is far from being attractive, but we need to look closely at what is going on in the fresco.  Look closely at the details and then we begin to recognise the genius of the artist.  In the fresco, Resurrection of the Flesh, we observe the macabre but comical notion of the nude with his back to the observer who is carrying on a conversation with the skeletons.

We see skulls surfacing through the cracks in the ground, who then put on their bodies as though they were a costume, and become human beings once again. This fresco demonstrates Signorelli’s ability to depict naked bodies with all of their well-defined musclature.

The Damned Cast into Hell by Luca Signorelli

The next fresco on the wall of the Chapel San Brizio is entitled The Damned Cast into Hell. It is located next to the altar wall.

The Damned Cast into Hell (detail) by Luca Signorelli

Before us we have a “horror show” confronting the observer with men and women screaming, their nude bodies twisted in pain as they are tortured by gaudily coloured demons. The fresco represents one part of the End of Days narrative, when Christ returns to judge mankind, separating those who are destined to go to heaven designated the blessed from those who were to enter the fires of hell, designated the damned. The fresco depiction was based on the bible passage Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46), which describes the final day:

“…When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…”

In The Damned Cast into Hell, we see naked bodies tumble, twist, and writhe as they are seized by demons depicted in unnatural, acidic colours.  The scene is both violent and chaotic, and yet, it is also amazingly structured, and every figure is anatomically precise a testament to Signorelli’s ability to portray nude figures.  Muscles strain and limbs extend and recoil. Pain is depicted as a physical condition, not just an abstract punishment. Signorelli was constantly attentive to how human figures moved under stress: fear, agony, desperation.  His figures are not emblematic dummies. They have a physicality and are clearly human.

The Damned Cast into Hell (detail) by Luca Signorelli

Above the disturbing melee, below we see standing on small clouds, the three archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.  The triumvirate are fully clad in suits of armour, drawing their swords ready to battle.

The Elect being called to Paradise by Luca Signorelli

The Elect being called to Paradise (detail) by Luca Signorelli

The last two frescos I am looking at are entitled The Elect being called to Paradise and The Damned.  The frescos cover the south wall pierced by three lancet windows. Within the embrasures of the windows are painted the angels and the saints namely St Brizio, St Constantius, Archangel Michael is shown crushing a demon and Archangel Raphael guiding Tobias.   Angels are seen guiding the chosen ones, the faithful, towards heaven. The golden skies radiate with glory while a choir of angels exalt with song and dance. The medieval musical instruments they play are both string and wind based. Once again the figures depicted in the fresco bear out the artist’s ability to portray the body of nude men and women.

The Damned by Luca Signorelli

The Damned (detail) by Luca Signorelli

There is a striking contrast between The Elect being called to Paradise and the fresco entitled The Damned.  In the former the people were joyous having been selected to be taken to heaven by the angels.  In the latter the people who failed to pass the test to enter Heaven were consigned to Hell.  Gone has the joyful singing to be replaced by the shrieks of those condemned to the fires of Hell.  Two archangels, perched above the scene, look down and silently at the divine tragedy. The depiction is derived from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno part of his early fourteenth century narrative poem, Divine Comedy.  Above are fading golden skies and below we see the icy waters of the rivers Styx and Acheron. The two waterways divide the world of the living from the world of the dead with flaming fires roar along the boundaries. Those who have been damned desperately howl and scream at their past foolishness which has brought them to this point. As we look at the raging pit, we can see a demon running around it holding a white flag mocking the sinners.  A group of wailing sinners follow him as he leads them further along the road to Hell.

The Damned (detail) by Luca Signorelli

From Dante’s Inferno we recognise the famous ferryman Charon at the centre of this scene. As described in Dante’s poem, he is a spiteful winged demon. His role was to transport souls of the newly dead across the river into the underworld. The oar he holds was used to strike the stragglers.

In 1508 Pope Julius II summoned several artists to come to Rome, including Signorelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, and Il Sodoma to paint the rooms he chose as his apartments in the Vatican Palace. Despite making a start on the commission, the Pope terminated their contract deciding that Raphael be solely in charge of the decorations. Luca Signorelli returned to Siena, but most of the rest of his life he lived in his hometown of Cortona. He became a highly respected citizen of the town, even entering the magistracy of the town as early as 1488 and holding a leading position by 1523, the year of his death.

Luca Signorelli. Part 2.

Frescos at the Chapel of St Brizio inside the Orvieto’s Duomo

Part 1. Antichrist and The Destruction of the World frescos

In this second part of the blog looking at the works of Luca Signorelli, I want to examine his frescos in the Chapel of St Brizio at the Cathedral of Orvieto which are considered to be his foremost masterpieces.

The cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, Ovierto.

The cathedral in Orvieto, the cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, began to be built in 1290 at the request of Pope Nicholas IV with the intention of creating a single large place of worship for the city to replace the two churches that pre-existed, the episcopal church of Santa Maria and the parish church of San Costanzo, both of which made way for the new cathedral. This change was part of a broader urban redevelopment project driven by the frequent presence of the papal court in the city, which required a grand church for papal ceremonies. The building of the main cathedral was considered architecturally completed in 1532.

The Madonna di San Brizio altarpiece

In 1396, a century after construction began, Tommaso di Micheluccio from Orvieto left a legacy in his will to fund the construction of a chapel dedicated to the Assumption. This chapel was completed in 1444. Until 1622, the chapel was called La Cappella Nuova, as it was the last one to be built  after that of the La Cappella del Corporale (Corporal Chapel)  

La Cappella del Corporale (Corporal Chapel)  

Why was it named the Corporal Chapel? The corporal is an altar linen used in Christianity for the celebration of the Eucharist. It is a small square of white linen cloth, usually somewhat smaller than the width of the altar on which they are used, so that they can be placed flat on top of it when unfolded.  During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, various altar vessels are placed on the corporal, including the chalice, the paten, and the ciborium containing the smaller hosts for the Communion of the laity

In 1263, while a Bohemian priest was celebrating mass in Bolsena, drops of blood came down from the host and went to wet the corporal. Pope Urban IV, knowing of the miraculous episode, had the Holy Linen transported to the city of Orvieto, where, the following year, he instituted the feast of Corpus Christi.  Every year the city of Orvieto commemorates the miracle of Bolsena and the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi with the procession of the Sacred Corporal, accompanied by the parade of the historical procession in medieval costumes.

In 1622,  the venerated image of the Majesty of the Table was transferred to the Capella Nuova.  Legend had it that it was painted by St. Luke, but in reality the work is of the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century. This relic was also known as the “Madonna di San Brizio”, because in 1464 the image of the saint had been added next to the Virgin, then removed; it ended up giving its name to the entire chapel, La Cappella di San Brizio, known simply as San Brizio,

Chapel of San Brizio

The idea to add the Chapel of San Brizio onto the main building of the cathedral in 1396 was a way to expand the thirteenth-century building.  The actual extension was not completed until 1444.   Three years later, on June 14th, 1447, the Opera del Duomo signed a contract with Fra Angelico to paint frescos on the Chapel vault, on the theme of the Last Judgment.

Frescoed vault by Giovanni da Fiesole known as Fra Angelico, Chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio, Cathedral of Orvieto. Italy

Fra Angelico and Benozzo Gozzoli began the decoration of the vault but only managed to complete the work on the ceiling depicting Heaven with the Saints, arranged in different ranks, surrounding Christ as the Judge sitting on a throne, before he was summoned to Rome by Pope Nicholas V to work on the Niccoline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City. In 1449, work in the Orvieto Cathedral came to a halt. 

In 1489 Pietro Perugino, an Italian Renaissance painte, was approached to complete the work. However, he never began and for the next fifty years the decorations to the chapel were abandoned.  In April 1499 the cathedral authorities approached Luca Signorelli for him to complete the vault frescos which had now been untouched for fifty years following Fra Angelico’s departure.  Signorelli, along with his school of apprentices, assistants, and students, completed the frescos on the vault with scenes of the Choir of the Apostles, of the Doctors, of the Martyrs, Virgins and Patriarchs.

The vaulted ceiling

On completing the work on the vaulted ceiling, the cathedral board were so pleased with the results that in late 1499 they commissioned Signorelli to paint frescoes in the large lunettes of the walls of the chapel. He began in 1500 and the chapel frescos were completed in 1503. Art historians consider the frescoes in the chapel are the most complex and impressive works by Signorelli. As far as the subject matter, The Apocalypse, is concerned, it is one of the most important subjects of Christian iconography. It is likely that for the ceiling frescoes (the groups of Apostles, Angels, Prophets, Patriarchs, Doctors of the Church, Martyrs and Virgins) Signorelli simply completed the programme that had originally been devised by Fra Angelico. But the frescoes on the side walls, although the basic subject would have been planned in accordance with the Cathedral’s administrators and theologians, they are wholly the product of Signorelli’s fertile imagination. The side walls are covered with seven large scenes:

the Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist,

the Destruction of the World,

the Resurrection of the Flesh,

the Damned,

the Elect,

the Paradise,

the Hell.

The works of Signorelli on the vaulted ceiling and on the upper walls represent the events surrounding the Apocalypse and the Last Judgment.

Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist by Luca Signorelli (1500-04)

The Apocalyptic events he depicted began with the Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist, and proceeded to Doomsday and The Resurrection of the Flesh. These frescos occupy three vast lunettes, each of them a single continuous narrative composition.  Signorelli began in 1499 and the chapel frescos were completed in 1503. Art historians consider the frescoes in the chapel are the most complex and impressive work by him.

One such fresco focused on the Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist. It is a vision of apocalyptic deception, mass manipulation, and spiritual warfare.  The Bible (Matthew 24: 23 – 25) recounts Jesus’ warning of false prophets:

“…Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ – do not believe it. For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time…”

Fra Bartolomeo: portrait of Girolamo Savonarola

Many believe that Signorelli’s depiction could also have been a reference to Girolamo Savonarola, the notorious Italian Dominican friar and preacher. who was identified as a false prophet.  Savonarola was excommunicated for heresy and sedition and later hanged and burned at stake in Florence on May 23, 1498. Signorelli began the work just a year after the execution of Giralamo Savonarola.  It was at a time people were suffering tyrannical cruelty, resulting in many impoverished citizens were being exploited.  People were becoming obsessed with death, political turmoil, and the meaning of true righteousness.

At first glance, the fresco appears to depict a Christ-like figure giving a sermon to an entranced gathering. But this is not Christ the Messiah. It is the Antichrist whose motions mimic those of the real Christ as seen in traditional scenes of the Sermon on the Mount. However, we need to look closer at the scene.    Just behind the speaker’s ear a demonic figure whispers commands of what the Christ-like figure should say. The portrayal of evil here is not monstrous, it is eloquent. It is believable, and troublingly recognisable. A crowd gathers. For some the speech is fascinating and believable.  For others, it has caused great distress. It is this which reminds us that deception affects us differently depending on the thought process of each listener

Scenes of violence

False raising of Lazarus

In the mid-ground, horrifying scenes unfold, acts of violence, manipulation, and miraculous deceptions, including a false Lazrus-like raising of the dead. In the sky we see the Archangel Michael is heading towards Earth to fight the Antichrist.

In the lower left corner there are two darkly clothed gentlemen; the man to the left is apparently a self-portrait of the artist, while the man to the right is thought to have been a portrait of Fra Angelico.

The Antichrist does not brandish a sword. He simply wields words, ideas, of how to mesmerise the crowd. The Antichrist mimics the divine and offers signs and wonders so as to best influence the senses of the onlookers so that it causes them to find a way to avoid truthful reality.  The depiction prophesises a warning that the art of twisting the truth becomes the most dangerous lie of all.

………………………..to be continued.

Much of the information was gained from Wikipedia plus a few excellent websites:

The Patroclus

Traveling in Tuscany

POTTYPADRE

Web Gallery of Art

Italian Renaissance Art

The Art Story

Duomo di Orvieto

Luca Signorelli. Part 1.

Early life and the Sistene Chapel fresco.

Luca Signorelli self portrait

As we have just had three important days in the Christian calendar I thought I would have today’s blog all about one of the great Italian religious painters, Luca Signorelli, sometimes known as Luca da Cortona because of the town of his birth.   Signorelli is undoubtedly most revered for his portrayal of figures in action together with his incomparable grasp of the human anatomy which can best be seen in the beautiful Orvieto frescoes. Luca was a painter of the High Renaissance period which represents the summit of Renaissance art and the culmination of all the exploratory activities of the quattrocento,  or millequattrocento, which is Italian for ‘fourteen hundred’ and means the fifteenth century. It therefore embraces cultural and artistic activities in painting, sculpture and architecture during the period 1400-1500.

A Corpse-carrying Nude man by Luca Signorelli (1496).  Musée du Louvre

Signorelli’s depictions of the human body were so precise that for him to have gained such knowledge and such levels of accuracy without carrying out actual dissections of the human body would have been impossible as at this time there was not sufficient literature that would have allowed an artist to learn so much about the different aspects of the human body.   Artists sometimes could further knowledge of the human anatomy if they could dissect human bodies whilst others would dissect animals in order to develop their understanding of things like muscle balance. This close study of human anatomy resulted in artists being able to accurately go into much more detail when depicting the human body

Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Luca Signorelli (1502)

Signorelli had built up such a great reputation as a painter that he was invited to form part of an elite group of artists which were sent for by Pope Sixtus IV to decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel. The Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer known for his work Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, Giorgio Vasari,  said of him:

“…he was an artist who with his profound mastery of design, particularly in nudes, and with his grace in invention and in the composition of scenes, opened to the majority of craftsmen the way to the final perfection of art…”

Luca’s childhood days are poorly documented, but it is thought that Luca d’Egidio di Ventura de’ Signorelli was born around 1450 in Cortona, a small hill town and commune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany.

The Capture of Christ by Luca Signorelli (1502)

As a child he showed an interest in art and in the 1460s, Signorelli signed up to an apprenticeship with Early Renaissance painter, Piero della Francesca.  He was said to have been a talented student and quickly took on board the principles of mathematics, geometry, and perspective that his tutor taught him.  Around 1470, Signorelli, in his early twenties. married Gallizia di Piero Carnesecchi, and the couple went on to have three sons, Polidoro, a future painter and builder, Antonio who became assistant to his father, and Pier Tommaso. The couple also had two daughters, Gabriela, and Felicia. Documents show that in 1472 Luca was known to be living and working in the city of Arezzo, located about fifteen miles from his hometown of Cortona and two years later he was working in the nearby Città di Castello.

Stendardo della Flagellazione (The Flagellation Standa) by Luca Signorelli (c.1475)

One of Signorelli’s earliest extant paintings is his work entitled Stendardo della Flagellazione (The Flagellation Standa) and it is believed that it was completed around 1475.  The work bears the artist’s signature, “OPUS LUCE CORTONENSIS,” confirming Signorelli’s authorship and reflecting his Cortona origins. The Flagellation Standard by Luca Signorelli, created as a double-sided processional banner for the Confraternity of the Raccomandati in Fabriano. Its role was to act as a primary devotional function by inspiring lay participants to engage in acts of penance and charity. The banner was carried during public processions, particularly those involving self-flagellation during Holy Week or times of crisis, with the banner’s vivid depiction of Christ’s scourging encouraging communal meditation on the Passion, fostering empathy and moral discipline among confraternity members who mimicked the Savior’s suffering to achieve spiritual redemption. The work was commissioned by the Confraternita dei Raccomandati di Santa Maria del Mercato church in Fabriano.  The church is now destroyed.  The commission was for a work of art which could be included in processional demonstrations of public flagellation. The depiction is based upon the biblical passages of John 19:1,

“…Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged…”

Jesus had been sentenced to death on the Cross by Pilate. But first he was to be flagellated, and soldiers tied him to a pillar and then scourged him.  In his painting Signorelli depicted the event against an architectural background. The work is dated to the period prior to the artist’s journey to Rome in 1482, probably sometime around 1475.

Nursing Madonna in Glory by Luca Signorelli (c.1475)

Signorelli’s work is thought to be one side of a double-sided panel, with the second side being The Nursing Madonna.  The reason behind the second work being that the fraternity also carried out philanthropic work to help orphaned and abandoned children. At some point between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, the two sides were separated. Both sides are now in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, to which they were brought in 1811 after the church’s suppression. The suppression of the Italian Church, particularly the Jesuits, during the Napoleonic era was a significant event in the history of Italy.

Moses’s Testament and Death by Luca Signorelli (1482)

Luca Signorelli was known as a master of fresco painting and one of his frescos can be seen at the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The 15th century decoration of the walls includes the false drapes, the Stories of Moses, and of Christ and the portraits of the Popes.  It was completed by a team of painters made up initially of Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Luca Signorelli and their respective workshops, which included Pinturicchio, Piero di Cosimo and Bartolomeo della Gatta.  The fresco by Signorelli depicts the cycle of the life of Moses and can be found on the south wall of the chapel.  Signorelli’s fresco entitled Moses’s Testament and Death illustrates the last chapters in the life of Moses.

Let us look closely at everything that is going on in this multi-populated fresco.

On the right foreground of the fresco sits the hundred-and-twenty-year-old Moses on a rise, holding his staff and with golden rays circling his head. At Moses’s feet stands the ark of the Covenant, opened to show the jar of manna inside and the two tablets of the law.

 In the left foreground of the picture we see Joshua being appointed as Moses’s successor. Joshua kneels before Moses, who gives him his staff.

 In the centre of the background, we see Moses being led by the angel of the Lord up Mount Nebo, from which he will be able to look across to the Promised Land that by the will of God he will never enter.

His death is depicted in the background, in the land of Moab, where the children of Israel mourned him for thirty days. Moses’s followers are shown mourning his passing in Moab. Here, he lays amidst the group, enshrouded in white linen. At the far left is the cave in which he will be entombed.

Art historians believe that Signorelli collaborated on this work with his friend, Bartolomeo della Gatta, a painter, illuminator, and architect.  The more active figures being executed by Signorelli. One such figure, a seated nude youth in the centre of the foreground, is believed to have served as a reference for the twenty nude figures – what Michelangelo called the Ignudi – painted on his famous chapel ceiling 25 years later.

Ignudo, Fresco, Cappella Sistina, Vatican by Michelangelo (1509)

However Signorelli is probably best known for his frescos at the Chapel of St Brizio inside the Orvieto’s Duomo…………………………………..

…………………..to be continued.

The information for this blog came from a number of websites, the main ones being:

The Art Story

The History of Art

Grokipedia

Walter Ufer. Part 2.

Life in Taos, New Mexico

Walter Ufer

Having taken his wife’s advice with regards approaching Chicago’s dignitaries and offering to paint their portraits, Ufer called upon the Carter H Harrison, the 30th mayor of Chicago, who had held office from 1897-1905 and then again from 1911-1915.  Harrison proved reluctant but eventually agreed but added that in his opinion there were better portrait artists than Ufer.  His agreement to sit for the portrait came with a number of provisos.   He told Ufer that he would not pay for commission as the prestige of having it hung in city hall would be sufficient “payment”.   Later however, he grudgingly agreed to pay for the painting materials and frame.  Harrison also said that before the portrait would be hung on the walls of the City Hall it had to be accepted by the jury for submission into the Chicago Society of Artists Exhibition.

Going East by Walter Ufer (1917)

This contact with the mayor proved to be fortuitous as Harrison’s syndicate of German American businessmen, agreed to sponsor three trips for Ufer to travel to Taos, New Mexico along with fellow artist Victor Higgins. Harrison, who like many art patrons of the time, was fascinated by the American West and its indigenous cultures, and viewed it as a distinctively American subject matter.   For Ufer, these journeys to New Mexico gave him an opportunity to observe the natural beauty of the New Mexico landscape, with its intense clarity of the light, and at the same time witness the rich cultural heritage of the Pueblo people. The trips over the next two years were to be an opportunity to record on canvas what they observed.   These journeys to the West proved to be an eye-opener for Ufer who fell in love with the country and its native inhabitants. Ufer made his first trip to New Mexico at the end of the summer of 1914 visiting Santa Fe, Chimayo, and the pueblos of San Juan, Isleta, and Taos. Ufer completed over thirty ten and a half by twelve and a half inch canvases as well as a group of twenty-five by thirty-inch paintings, mostly portraits painted in Isleta and San Juan.

South Pueblo, Taos Indian Pueblo, New Mexico

When Ufer arrived in Taos, which at the time was a small, remote town situated at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The population of town was made up of Catholic Hispanics who worked the land; Native Americans, a farming society, who also worked as servants, artists’ models, and other lowly menial jobs. There were also a smattering of Anglos, such as artists, bankers, and merchants.  Six of the Anglos that Ufer met after he arrived were artists, a painting group that formed the Taos Society of Artists the following year. North of the town was the famous Taos Pueblo, where Native Americans lived in a multi- storied structure similar to ones they had lived in four hundred years earlier.  None had the basic necessities such as electricity or running water.

The Battery by Walter Ufer (1918)

In the Winter of 1918, whilst back in New York, Ufer visited a friend of another of his wealthy patrons, William H Klauer, and completed the bird’s-eye view painting The Battery from the view he had from the apartment window overlooking the Battery district of Lower Manhattan in winter.  It is the depiction of bustling crowds around the square.  Ufer was a patriotic artist and in this work we can see American flags fluttering over tall buildings, one of which housed an army recruiting office.   Soon after the finishing this painting Walter Ufer returned to his beloved Taos where he remained for the rest of his life.

Former members of the Taos Society of Artists photographed by C.E. Lord in the Couse garden, 1932. Back row: Ufer, Dunton, Higgins, Adams. Seated: Hennings, Phillips, Couse, Berninghaus. Front row: Sharp; Blumenschein. Missing: Critcher and Rolshoven.

Soon after Ufer arrived in Taos he was drawn into the town’s artistic community known as the Taos Society of Artists (TSA) that had formed in 1915   The group was formally established by a group of six painters: Bert Geer Phillips, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Joseph Henry Sharp, Oscar E. Berninghaus, E. Irving Couse, and W. Herbert “Buck” Dunton. The Society’s undertaking was to promote the art of Taos and the Southwest, sending traveling exhibitions of their work to major cities across the United States. Walter Ufer officially joined the Society in 1917, and soon became one of its most active and powerful members.

Bob Abbot and his Assistant by Walter Ufer (1935)

The TSA artists, with additional members, also became known as the “Taos Ten” were all captivated by the region’s rugged landscape and its native inhabitants. However, each artist had their own unique style and viewpoint. Walter Ufer came to the group bringing with him his European training and modernist propensities, and he was able to add an individual voice. Ufer was known for his strong compositions, the use of a vibrant colour palette, and a more direct, and less romanticized portrayal of his subjects in comparison to some of his fellow members. However, he still collaborated closely with the other members of the TSA all the time sharing ideas and participating in the Society’s collective efforts to gain national recognition for Southwestern art. The TSA played a very important role in popularizing images of the American West and its indigenous peoples and enhanced the nation’s perception of this unique region.

Indian Corn by Walter Ufer

Ufer had moved to Taos on his own leaving his wife Mary behind in Chicago.  She would not join her husband until 1916.  Shortly after arriving in Taos Ufer was quick to contact the community leaders such as the local doctor, Thomas P. Martin, whom he lodged with for the first summer.  The doctor treated many of the TSA artists and often was paid for his services in the form of paintings.   The same system of payments was also afforded to many of the local businesses.

Anna by Walter Ufer (1920s)

Ufer soon built up a large collection of paintings and exhibited seventeen paintings in the reception room of the Palace of the Governors. His offering achieved excellent reviews with an article in the November 1914 issue of the local newspaper, El Palacio entitled “Exhibit by Chicago Artist,” the reviewer called each of Ufer’s landscapes a gem, although his figures are his forte.”  It was his masterly ability to paint figures that enhanced Ufer’s reputation as an artist, one which would grow most significantly from his work with the human figure even though he was a master of being able to conquer the ambiance of mother nature.

Crossing the Rio Grande (c.1930)

Walter Ufer moved between Taos, New Mexico in the summer and Chicago during the winter months.  He had broken off relations with his former patrons and from 1919 to 1924, the New York art dealer John E. D. Trask had become Ufer’s personal agent. Trask was well-connected in the art community, which had him well positioned to sell his clients’ work.  He was pleased to have Ufer as a client as he believe3d that the artwork of Ufer would create a type of image with a broad appeal and often voiced the opinion that every American home should have a painting by Walter Ufer, an artist whose reputation was well established.

Self portrait, Paint and the Indians by Walter Ufer (1923)

Trask was a great promoter of Ufer’s works and had them placed in several museums, art associations and private collections. Besides Chicago collectors and the Art Institute of Chicago, Ufer’s paintings were acquired by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Design. At this point, the sale of Ufer’s paintings was as strong as any artist working in Taos, perhaps in America and his earnings were high with Ernest Leonard Blumenschein, an American artist and founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, claiming that Ufer was earning $50,000 a year.  This has since been queried as the sales records in Ufer’s archives does not support Blumenschein’s contention. In those archival records Ufer’s gross income totalled approximately $10,000 annually until the middle 1920’s at which time art market collapsed.

The Audience by Walter Ufer (1917)

Things began to go wrong for Ufer once his promoter and agent Trask retired.  Ufer tried to sell his work to galleries in New York and Chicago but with little success and this heralded the start of Ufer’s downfall.  Sales of his artwork fell dramatically and yet Ufer failed to rein in his expensive lifestyle and soon his spending habits were outstripping his earning power.  When in Chicago he continued to stay at the expensive Bismarck Hotel, always on the look-out for a sale while consuming increasing amounts of alcohol. Even though he maintained his Chicago contacts, he had difficulty selling his pictures.  Ufer’s finances took another downward turn with the arrival of the Great Depression, and he was forced to borrow money and yet seemed oblivious to his personal circumstances.  Eventual realisation caused him to turn even more to alcohol and periods of debilitating depression.  By the early 1930s Ufer had lost his battle with alcoholism and found it difficult to paint and even when he did, the results were of poor quality in comparison to his earlier work.

Callers by Walter Ufer (1926)

His wife, Mary, who was living apart from her husband in Chicago begged him to leave Taos and join her in Chicago where, she believed it would be cheaper for two to live.    Regrettably, Walter was adamant that his home and life was in Taos and that he would again enjoy success with his artwork and once again regain his national reputation.  His health had slowly deteriorated and despite the support from afar from his wife and a few friends, the end came on August 2nd, 1936, when Walter Ufer died after experiencing a ruptured appendix.  He died in St. Vincent’’ Hospital in Santa Fe, from peritonitis a fortnight after his sixtieth birthday.

Once again information for this blog came from a number of excellent websites:

Walter Ufer (1876-1936) Essay by Dean Porter, Ph.D. © Illinois Historical Art Project

NICEARTGALLERY