Michaelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio is one of the greatest painters who has ever lived. My favourite piece by him is St Francis in Meditation, which I first saw at the Convento Dei Capuccini museum in Rome (pictured below). This piece was painted circa 1606, some 10 years after Boy Bitten by Lizard. It represents St Francis of Assissi in deep prayer. One can see immediately from the proportion, use of lighting, depiction of torn fabric and emotion in the face of the Saint himself, that this is a piece of great artistic merit. It certainly struck me when I saw it.
I mention this because it bears similarity to Boy Bitten by Lizard. This earlier painting was the first in which Caravaggio depicted emotions in the face of his subjects. St Francis’ emotive face bears the hallmarks of Caravaggio’s earlier works.
According to Leonard J. Slatkes, the painting’s symbolism likely derives from the Apollo Sauroktonos theme in which a poisonous salamander triumphs over the god, while the arrangement of various fruits suggests The Four Temperaments, with the salamander being the symbol of fire in Caravaggio’s time. The salamander also had phallic connotations, and the painting might have been inspired by a Martial epigram: “Ad te reptani, puer insidiose, lacertae Parce: cupit digitis illa perire tuis. (Spare this lizard crawling towards you, treacherous boy/It wants to die between your fingers) Wikipedia
Boy Bitten by Lizard is an early masterwork in my eyes. From the reflection in the glass, allowing us perspective into the room’s surroundings, to the dew on the rose leaves and the sheen of the grapes – this is truly remarkable. But the focal point of this painting is the pained emotion on the subject’s face (thought to be Mario Minniti). This beautiful chiaroscuro dividing the face down to the shoulder amplifies the pain the subject feels when his hand is unexpectedly bitten by a lizard. This is a departure from Caravaggio’s earlier works such as as Boy Peeling a Fruit, Sick Bacchus and Cardsharps. These have been described as both airless and stiff by comparison. Observe the sheen on the nose, the intake of breath expressed in the models lips, the furrowed brow, the recoiling fingers on both hands. The shock is palpable and wonderfully rendered.
As an aside, it is believed the inspiration for this piece is Sofonisba Anguissola’s, Boy Bitten by a Crab (c. 1554), pictured below.
Overall, Boy Bitten by Lizard, is a masterwork. Do observe it in your spare time.
While my posts are usually confined to art galleries rather than paintings alone, this piece so struck me that I felt the need to dedicate a post to it. I’m sure you don’t mind, dear readers. Now, to the painting. At 26 square metres, it is difficult to picture the scale of the Bellini brothers’ phenomenal rendition of St Mark Preaching in Alexandria.
This pice was originally commissioned by the Venetian confraternity of the Scuola di San Marco in May 1504 from Gentile Bellini. However, unfortunately Gentile died in 1507, and stipulated in his will that his brother, Giovanni (widely considered the greater artist) should finish it. When it was finished, this monumental piece hung in the Scuola di San Marco for three hundred years before being moved to the Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan.
He specialised in panoramic group scenes like the one reproduced here, full of detail and enlivened by numerous small touches of actuality, such as exotic costumes and architecture. A G Dixon
Moving onto aspects of the painting itself. I like the delicate lighting demonstrating the sheen in St Mark’s robe. Of course the saint is clad in royal purple, which is the only time this colour features on the canvas, giving added pizzaz to St Mark’s position as preacher. I also love the detail in the mosaic on the stairs to his makeshift pulpit.
Another aspect I noted was the wonderful variety of headwear featured in this piece. The Alexandria St Mark will have known was a multicultural city with up to three quarters of a million people living there from Egypt, Greece, Judea, Rome, Ethiopia and Nubia. This also meant a large diversity of religion, including the old Pharaonic religion, Hellenism, Roman Mythology and Judaism. I found it quite striking how the variety of religious groups are represented in this piece and their extraordinary hats. Remember this piece is 26 square metres. Imagine the minute brush strokes needed to produce shading this beautifully. Even the facial features imprinted in the veils, on this scale, are quite impressive.
Observe the wonderful shading in the turbans here and the way the light hits the silken garment worn by the central figure in this section. I’m a sucker for well represented fabric. Look at the scarves, the crumpled white fabric on the ground, the giraffe, the weave of the turban and the puffy sleeves. This is just masterful.
My final point of note is the beautifully depicted Mamluk architecture. we know that Gentile went to the new Ottoman capital Istanbul as part of the peace settlement between Venice and the Turks, but the accuracy in this architectural reproduction suggests he may have gotten as far as Jerusalem, no mean feat in the 15th Century.
Overall, I think this piece is quite stunning and absolutely deserving of a full post. I so look forward to going to Italy later this year and making a detour to Milan to see this fabulous masterwork.
Despite stubborn popular opinion, Hull has a lot to recommend it. There are an array of theatres, marvellous cultural sites as well as it being the home of formerly alive poet Philip Larkin. But at the heart of Hull is also the Ferens Art Gallery. This is home to some impressive paintings and some nauseating modern art. Below are my highlights from this gallery.
Philipe de Champaigne – The Annunciation ca. 1644
This picture was painted for the private chapel of Queen Anne of Austria (1601–1666), the widowed wife of Louis XIII. The chapel, a small oval room in the Palais Royal, Paris, was decorated by the most prominent French painters of the day. Met Museum
The Annunciation refers to the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus (Luke 1:26–38). This is a particularly fine representation of this momentous and emotive event in the Christian Faith. Observe the Virgin Mary’s humility here. Observe the beauteous righteousness of the angel Gabriel. The fabric really took my eye as well. The way that the light is reflected from the heavens opening, how it falls more evenly on Gabriel is wonderful. I also love the cherubs fighting to get a look at the event. This is a really impressive painting.
Crijn Hendricksz. Volmarijn (c.1604–1645) – The Supper at Emmaus ca 1632
I was surprised to find another Catholic piece in my highlights. Perhaps I am becoming more holy. This 1632 piece by Crijn Hendricksz may be seen as an attempt to hold a candle to the famous painting of the same name by Caravaggio produced in 1601. I’ll focus on this one for now, if that is all right. The painting depicts the moment when the resurrected but incognito Jesus, reveals himself to two of his disciples (presumed to be Luke and Cleopas) in the town of Emmaus, only to soon vanish from their sight (Gospel of Luke 24: 30–31).
As you may have seen from my Highlights of the Mauritshuis post, I am a sucker for candles represented in paintings. I love the way that Hendricksz has depicted the light on Jesus’ face in particular. I also appreciate the pseudo iconographical breaking of the bread here. Observe the elegance of their fingers and how the light is reflected in their nails. Observe the stigmata on Christ’s hand. Observe the delicacy of the wrinkled brow. I’m really impressed by this.
John Hoppner (1758–1810) – Anna Isabella Milbanke (1792–1860) (later Lady Byron)
Moving away from Christ, Hoppner’s delicate portrait of Anna Isabelle Milbanke also struck me. Anne Isabella Noel Byron was the 11th Baroness Wentworth and known as Baroness Byron. She was born Milbanke and loved between 17 May 1792 – 16 May 1860. Milbanke was highly educated and religious, perhaps known in part for her marriage to Lord Byron, a famous English poet. She described him to her mother as “a very bad, very good man”.
But you don’t want to hear about their marriage in Seaham, near Durham, or the fact that I have eaten at Downey’s Fish & Chips and so too should you. No you want to hear about the vicissitudes of this painting. And who can blame you? While the rendering of this portrait is not as sharp as the latter two, I should say it is of great merit. The first aspect of note for me is the tule of the dress. The crashing of the waves in the background and small boat in the distance are delightful. However, the true highlight of this piece is facial finesse depicted. The expression is solemn, almost glum (perhaps Lady Byron is cold in the sea air). I think this portrait is quite marvellous.
Spencer Tunick – Sea of Hull 2017
From Catholicism to nudity, I am happy to say my final highlight is the Sea of Hull. This was a piece commissioned for an installation at the Ferens Gallery to celebrate Hull’s relationship to the sea. Interestingly, the photo shoot itself took three hours and the volunteers depicted were ushered around Hull by aptly names ‘nude wranglers’. One has to immediately admire the commitment of these blue people. Hull is rather far North and is a sea town, which means howling coastal gales. The fact that Spencer Tunick convinced 3200 people to go out, sans-kecks, is deeply impressive.
Moving onto the composition of this photograph, one can see the different hues of blue are used cleverly to give the impression of motion. These four shades were taken from the Ferens Gallery itself. Looking at the photograph, I was amazed at its sheer scale. Thousands of people painted themselves one colour and gathered together as one sea. The inference of unity, resolve and strength shown here is clear. To me, this is a unique piece, bravely conceived and flawlessly excecuted.
Stéphane Janssen, one of the volunteers, said of the piece: “I always say that it’s the least sexual thing that I’ve ever seen in my life. We are naked, but it is not important. We are equal. Big people, small people, all colours, all walks of life. Guardian“.
Please do visit the Ferens if you’re in the area. I assure you it is rewarding, even if it is in Hull.
All right, let’s talk about the Prinsenhof. This translates as ‘Court of the Prince’. It was built in the Middle Ages originally intended to be a monastery. Later it served as the home of William the Silent, a prominent figure in Dutch Politics. William of Orange, as he is more commonly known, was the “main leader of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1581.” (Wikipedia)
Interestingly, William of Orange was murdered in this building. The bullet holes from the murder itself are still visible in a wall near one of the galleries. The museum has deemed it fit to project silhouettes onto the wall of exactly how the murder happened. I found this improper and moribund but I suppose I am not in tune with the more morose elements of Dutch culture.
I must apologise for the picture quality. I had foolishly forgotten to charge my telephone the night before visiting Delft and had to use an iPhone to take the photographs. These were indeed the last days of Sodom.
The above painting is titled “Man Reading a Letter to a Woman”. It is one if Pieter De Hooch’s finest works, completed between 1670-1674. A true highlight of his later works. De Hooch is considered one of the prominent painters of the Dutch Golden Age. His mastery of light depiction inspired countless contemporaries to follow in his stead. Observe for example, in this painting, how the lady to whom the man is reading is the main focus. Not only is she the focus of the man’s attention, she is also the centre piece of the painting. The paintings on the wall and the mantlepiece are out of focus but her and the wonderful velveteen frock shines with deep resplendence. The light from the high window highlights the woman who is staring somewhat incredulously at the reader. I was most impressed by the vivacity of the fabric in her garb but also by the care with which the light falling on the tiles was displayed.
Now that you have read my own musings, what do you think about this piece; “Woman Lacing Her Bodice Beside a Cradle” by the same painter, painted a decade earlier in 1660?
The de Hooch exhibition was most rewarding for me. I learned something about what Louise would term “Good Best Art” and improved myself marginally in the process. I recommend Delft as a city and for its magnificent museum as well as the central square, which can be seen below.
Of course by the time I am writing this, it is too late to see these fabulous exhibitions. But I will waffle on regardless. The Lisson Art Gallery is what I would consider a hidden gem in Marylebone. The exhibition itself is split between two buildings on the same street. The first is at 67 Lisson St.
The highlight of the Afterimage exhibition was this piece by Wang Youshen. This stems from the 1993 exhibition he did titled ‘Newspaper/advertising’ where he plastered the Great Wall of China with newspaper articles.
The exhibition ‘Afterimage: Dangdai Yishu’ is divided into several interrelated chapters, in order to examine a moment in Chinese contemporary art that signifies both a break with the traditions or aesthetic value – based on technical skills advocated by Chinese art academics from the twentieth century onwards and a gradual shift into new subjectivities that resist traditional concepts relating to medium, authorship and meaning. Lisson Brochure
Across the road at the second gallery, or first depending on which way you’re running, This fabulous piece by Lin Tianmiao is known as ‘Protruding Patterns’. The media it is constructed from are carpets. Lin Tianmiao was one of the first contemporary Chinese artists to gain international recognition.
‘protruding patterns’ features words and expressions about women in various languages which were collected by Lin Tianmiao over the years. using novels, newspapers, and colloquial dialogue as sources, the artist gathers phrases that demonstrate the power of language in reinforcing sexist attitudes. this lexicon is woven into thickly raised wool forms, becoming tangible to visitors who can touch and walk on the carpets. Design Boom
What I found most amazing about this piece was not the intricacy of the woven fabric but rather how interactive it was. One could and indeed should walk freely among this work and enjoy every aspect of it. The white walls surrounding it force your focus onto the colourful patterns beneath you, which I found quite striking.
All information on the current exhibitions can be found here.
Please do visit this fantastic free gallery if you have the time and inclination. You won’t be disappointed.
Where to begin talking about the Wallace Collection? Housed in Hertford House on the picturesque Manchester Square in central London, it is home to thousands of beautifully curated items. From delicious Rococo chairs to internet famous Laughing Cavalier, this collection is as varied as it is impressive.
The Wallace Collection is a national museum which displays the wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess. It was bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Richard’s widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897. The Wallace Collection
To save my readers a lengthy and uninformative read, I shall focus my efforts on my favourite pieces from the Collection. The first of which was a wonderful dagger from the early 17th century. It was given to a young Prince Khurram, son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, ass a reward for his successful military campaign in south central India. In addition to the dagger, the Prince was given the title of Shah Jahan, a name which will be familiar to those of you who have visited India. He is responsible for most of the garish temples in Agra and some more impressive, architecturally interesting forts around the country. It is pictured below.
Another stand out piece for me was an oil painting just to the right of the great gallery. Painted between 1655-1660, this work by the celebrated marine painter William Van de Velde the Younger represents what I consider the best in impressionism. As you well know, the French invaded the Netherlands in 1672. The Van De Veldes fled to England where Charles II gave them a house in Greenwich, access to Queen’s House as a studio and a salary of £100 each. This particular work portrays a fishing vessel with its accompanying kaag, a cargo vessel (to the left). Please also note the incredible fabric wallpaper which astounded me throughout Hertford House.
The final piece I shall highlight is rather predictably, the Rembrandt. Or more specifically, the two. The first is of the man himself, and the next of his son, Titus.
Interestingly, Titus is the only one of Rembrandt’s five children who outlived him, though the boy only lived to 26. This was perhaps old age at the time (1663) of the Plague being at its most rife. I’ll let you make your own conclusions about these two pieces.
Overall, The Wallace Collection was a lovely fresh and free breath of air in an otherwise congested and costly London. I suggest to anyone with an artistic flair or desire to multiply the ways in which they exist.
