Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
Having arrived at King's Cross from York the previous evening, we made our way the following day on the tube to South Kensington where we took the unprepossessing but interesting walk underground to the V&A. You enter via a trail through sculpture of the ages.......... and we soon found friendly faces. some more serious....... We lunched in the splendid Gamble Room wrapped in its glittering expanse of colourful ceramic, glass and enamel. When it opened newspapers found the room "bright and cheerful ... It looks like one of the richly and gaily-adorned cafés of Paris". It was the world's first museum cafe. Whichever way you go in the V&A you come across something striking.....here a medieval pieta which we guessed correctly was from Spain. More sculpture....followed by...... a huge full-length portrait of Lady Londonderry appropriately at the entrance to the spectacular jewellery displays..... which included some of Lady Londonderry's jewels......... The netskis (miniature sculptures) are displayed floating on their sticks..... This medieval psalter sparkles like a brand-new book......amazing. Whilst we did not go to the Beatrix Potter Exhibition, some of her work was on display........ And we found a new section we were unaware of - theatre and film. There were some delightful woodprints elsewhere including these two by Paul Nash..... and I rather liked 'Toulon Washerwomen' , 1920s by Clare Leighton. Prince Albert taught Queen Victoria how to print...........not too bad. There were paintings of great interest........here Constable's large sketch for 'Flatford Mill'. A ballet scene by Degas reminding me of Sickert.......... and lots of Victorian story-telling paintings......... Apart from its original buildings the V&A has some great architecture as we saw when we popped out of the back door......... Now on our way back to the tube, I couldn't resist the Three Graces. Regarded internationally as a masterpiece of neoclassical European sculpture, The Three Graces was carved in Rome by Antonio Canova (1757 – 1822) between 1814 and 1817 for an English collector. This group of three mythological sisters was in fact a second version of an original – one commissioned by Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Our next stop wasn't The Ivy looking very Manchester boujee, but the theatre opposite to see The Mouse Trap's 28922's performance. Later that night we wandered along the Thames, past The Dove with allegedly the world's smallest public bar room.......... to a fantastic, if expensive, Italian restaurant where we had a lovely, if expensive, meal. Pictures everywhere as you can see and there aren't many Gents where you might find a portrtait of Martin Luther........ The next day, through well-heeled Pimlico....... to The Tate. ...where we were to go on two guided tours one before lunch one after. We met at the main entrance stairwell where a temporary modern mural which had outlasted its planned showing by a number of years due to public demand is now due to go under the axe. Great pity. Our guide Ian was terrific, just the right mix of knowledge, enthusiasm, humour and empathy that all guides should have. He started by explaining the history of the Tate (not going overboard with the connection between sugar and slavery thank goodness). The Tate is essentially a collection of British art through the ages. His tour commenced with the oldest painting owned by the Tate John Bettes A Man in a Black Cap 1545. Most of the paintings from Tudor and Stuart times are portraits painted for aristocratic and wealthy people. Portraits express the character and social status of their subject. Clothing and objects are used to indicate power, wealth, intelligence or other desirable qualities. Marcus Gheeraerts II, Portrait of Captain Thomas Lee 1594 strikes you as very unusual. Thomas's bare legs are a fantasy evocation both of the dress of an Irish soldier (they tended to go bare-legged through bogs), and that of a Roman hero. The Cholmondeley Ladies c.1600–10 - according to the inscription (bottom left), this painting shows ‘Two Ladies of the Cholmondeley Family, Who were born the same day, Married the same day, And brought to Bed [gave birth] the same day’. To mark this dynastic event, they are formally presented in bed, their babies wrapped in scarlet fabric. Identical at a superficial glance, the lace, jewellery and eye colours of the ladies and infants are in fact carefully differentiated. The format echoes tomb sculpture of the period. The women, whose precise identities are unclear, were probably painted by an artist based in Chester, near the Cholmondeley estates. Unknown artist, Britain, Portrait of William Style of Langley 1636 Style was a lawyer involved in the Counter-Reformation religious movement and his portrait is full of symbolic elements. The emblem on the floor and its motto proclaim that the human heart cannot be satisfied by worldly matters, but burns for the spiritual life. Style therefore turns his back on the trappings of his earthly life, represented by his family arms set in the window, by his books and writings and by the small violin. Instead, he moves towards the Church, symbolised by a closed garden, beyond which lies a pagan wilderness, including a classical ruin. Gallery label, February 2016 The Saltonstall Family by David Des Granges, 1636-7 shows a husband with his (dead) first wife as well as his second wife........the presumption being he loved them both as much. William Dobson, Endymion Porter c.1642–5 Endymion Porter was a favourite courtier of Charles I, for whom he bought works of art. He is shown here as a huntsman with his kill, a possible reference to the ongoing Civil War. His patronage of the arts is indicated by the statue of Apollo and the classical frieze he is leaning on. Dobson painted this portrait at the exiled court of Charles in Oxford. The pose is taken from a portrait of the Roman Emperor Vespasian by Titian, which was then in Charles I’s collection. Porter was later forced into exile in France. The mounted cloth next to it is a 'modern' artpiece which is Cornelia Parker's, 'Stolen Thunder Tarnish from Charles I’s Spurs' 1998. The cloth was used by her to polish the spurs. William Hogarth, The Painter and his Pug 1745 Hogarth began this self-portrait in the mid-1730s. X-rays have revealed that initially it showed the artist in a formal coat and wig. He later changed these to the more informal cap and clothes seen here. The oval canvas containing Hogarth’s portrait appears propped up on volumes of Shakespeare, Swift and Milton, authors who inspired Hogarth’s commitment to drama, satire and epic poetry. On his palette is the ‘Line of Beauty and Grace’, which underpinned Hogarth’s theories on art. Hogarth’s pug dog, Trump, serves as an emblem of the artist’s own pugnacious character. This portrait acted as a statement of the artist’s professional ambition. Gallery label, February 2016 William Hogarth, Heads of Six of Hogarth’s Servants c.1750–5 This group portrait may have hung in Hogarth’s studio, serving as an advert for his skill in painting. Anyone visiting Hogarth’s house would have been met by his servants. On entering his studio, they could then compare Hogarth’s painted portraits with the real person. The aim would have been to impress, especially anyone considering having their own portrait painted. It demonstrates his ability to capture a likeness in all age groups. Portraits of servants from this period are rare. Hogarth’s decision to paint his servants in this way is unique. Gallery label, December 2020 Joseph Highmore, Mr Oldham and his Guests c.1735–45 This informal group portrait was painted for Nathaniel Oldham, to commemorate a dinner party at his home. Oldham came home from hunting so late that the friends he had invited to dinner ate without him. He found them relaxing with a bowl of hot wine. Oldham is shown on the far left. In the centre, holding a pipe, is a neighbouring farmer. His friend, a local school master, holds a blue and white bowl. Between them, wearing a red velvet cap, is Joseph Highmore himself, Oldham’s close friend who was commissioned to paint the scene. Gallery label, February 2016 Ian showed us the Victorian Room with its typical busy hanging scheme. Well it was a fascinating and informative morning. We adjourned for lunch. We wandered into an exhibition of photos by Brandt, a very well known Twentieth Century photographer. I was expecting a lot but was disappointed. The procession through the Duveen Galleries by British sculptor Hew Locke using mannequins of all kinds was very exciting. I did get the feeling intended of everyone marching into the future. I didn't, thank goodness, pick up on the "evidence of global financial and violent colonial control". When can we start to appreciate History for History's sake again instead of stupidly being tarred with unwarranted current guilt. Aubrey Beardsley, The Fat Woman 1894 This design is partly based on Degas’s Absinthe, a depiction of the ravages of alcohol which caused outrage when it was exhibited at the Grafton Galleries in 1893. However, where Degas’s woman is wasted and downcast, Beardsley’s is plump and assertive. It was thought at the time that she was a caricature of Whistler’s wife, Trixie, whom Beardsley considered to be as arrogant as her husband. The setting is probably the Café Royal in London which was then a favourite haunt of avant-garde artists and writers. Gallery label, August 2004 John Singer Sargent, Portrait of Ena Wertheimer: A Vele Gonfie 1904 This portrait of Ena Wertheimer is one in a series of twelve that Sargent painted of her family. Its shows her playfully wearing the uniform of the Order of the Garter of the British monarchy. At the time the Order only admitted men, apart from the queen. The Italian subtitle translates as ‘in full sail’, referring to her billowing outfit. To create the illusion of motion and suggest the presence of a sword, Sargent asked Wertheimer to hold a broomstick underneath her cloak. It can be seen sticking out on the right. Gallery label, October 2020 Because the morning tour was so good with Ian we booked on his afternoon tour which was equally good. One of the things he talked about was the display celebrating Annie Swynnerton's trailblazing work as a painter and campaigner for women's rights...........and here she is....... Annie Louisa Swynnerton, Portrait of Miss Elizabeth Williamson 1906 Portrait of Miss Elizabeth Williamson 1906 is a small signed portrait in oil on canvas, showing the head and shoulders of a young girl by Annie Louise Swynnerton. She wears a high-necked thick blue sweater painted with thick brushstrokes. Her blonde should-length hair is loose and her cheeks flushed. She turns to the viewer with an open, carefree smile. The blue of the jumper is picked out in the sitter’s pale blue eyes and the yellow of hair in her eyebrows and facial highlights. Despite this naturalism of this painting, the use of reds, yellows and the blues create a bright, decorative effect. The work is a lively study for the life-size equestrian portrait Miss Elizabeth Williamson on a Pony 1907 (Tate N05019), which was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1934, and was presented to Tate by Mrs F. Howard in 1939, six years after Swynnerton’s death. Prior to entering Tate’s collection, this study was owned by the art historian Susan Thomson, an expert on Swynnerton. And this led to examining other paintings by women artists and campaigners..........here Sylvia Pankhurst, An Old-fashioned Pottery Turning Jasper-ware 1907 An Old-fashioned Pottery Turning Jasper-ware 1907 is one of a group of gouaches in Tate’s collection from the series Women Workers of England by the artist and campaigner for women’s rights, Sylvia Pankhurst (Tate T15755–T15758). It depicts a male and female potter at work in a small pottery workshop. The woman operates the turner’s lathe on which the pot rotates while the man refines the shape of the dried pot using a sharp metal tool. Jasper-ware was the coloured stone-ware which Josiah Wedgwood introduced in 1774 in the Wedgewood factory at Stoke-on-Trent and for which he became famous, but by the 1900s it was also made by other potteries. Here, on the left.............. Gwen John, Self-Portrait 1902 Gwen John trained at the Slade School of Art in London from 1895–1898. As a woman in an industry still largely dominated by men, John had to struggle for recognition. It has been suggested that the intense self-scrutiny of this image and her isolation, reflects her experiences as an artist. In recent years, John’s reputation has grown, and she is widely recognised for her intimate portraits and her subtle use of colour. Gallery label, February 2019 and on the right.......... Gwen John, Chloë Boughton-Leigh 1904–8 Gwen John trained at the Slade School of Art in London. She settled in Paris in 1904, working as a model and immersing herself in the artistic world of the city. She lived in France for the rest of her life, exhibiting on both sides of the Channel. The portrait shown here is of Chloë Boughton-Leigh, a close friend of the artist. It was likely painted in John’s attic room and studio in Paris. The subtle colour scheme, short foreground and her sitter’s informal pose suggest an intimate atmosphere. Gallery label, January 2019 Sir Matthew Smith, Nude, Fitzroy Street, No. 1 1916 This is among the most advanced in style of Smith's paintings. It is one of a pair showing a model in the same pose from two different points of view, painted in his studio in Fitzroy Street. 'Nude No.2', which belongs to the British Council, shows the model seen from the front, and has slightly more detail in the background. Soon after these were painted Smith, who had already joined the Artists' Rifles, was called to France with the army. After the war he painted little until his stay in Cornwall in 1920. Gallery label, September 2004 Clive Branson, Selling the ‘Daily Worker’ outside Projectile Engineering Works 1937 Selling the Daily Worker outside the Projectile and Engineering Works shows a man and a woman, probably the artists’ wife (Interview with the artist’s daughter, Rosa Branson, 5 November 2004.), selling copies of the communist newspaper, Daily Worker, outside a munitions factory in Battersea where Branson was then living. The message ‘For Unity’, promoted by both sellers on their aprons, presumably refers to the communist campaign for a united front against fascism. Branson became a member of the Communist Party in 1932 and remained an active member throughout his life. Harry Pollitt (1890-1960), the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, described him: ‘Nothing was too much for him: selling the Daily Worker at Clapham Junction, house to house canvassing, selling literature, taking up social issues, and getting justice done – all those little things which go to make up the indestructible foundations of the movement’ (British Soldier in India: The Letters of Clive Branson, London 1944, unpaginated). In the centre of the picture is the red glow of the factory’s furnace, from which the workers seem to spew out onto the street. In the upper left, figures peer out from the window. The subject of a munitions factory in the pre-war years resonated widely, particularly within the communist constituency which saw the main victims of a future war as being working class people killed in the defence of capitalism. John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose 1885–6 The children lighting lanterns are Dolly (left) and Polly (right) Barnard. Their father, illustrator Frederick Barnard, was friends with Sargent. It was painted in a garden in Broadway, a village in south west England where Sargent stayed in the summer of 1885.Sargent wanted to paint from real life. There were only a few minutes each evening where the light was right. He would place his easel and paints, pose the models beforehand, and wait for the right moment to start. As summer ended and the flowers died, he replaced them with pot plants. Gallery label, July 2020 Sir Luke Fildes, The Doctor exhibited 1891 This painting depicts a child showing the first signs of recovery following a period of grave illness. The subject matter relates to a bereavement suffered by Fildes, when in 1877 his first son died at home at the age of one. Here, the figure of the doctor stands as a symbol of quiet professional devotion, capturing, as Fildes put it, ‘the status of the doctor of our time’. Behind the child, a working class father and mother anxiously await the doctor’s assessment. The sliver of dawn light at the window suggests renewed hope in the face of near-tragedy. Gallery label, March 2022 Sir John Everett Millais, Bt, Christ in the House of His Parents (‘The Carpenter’s Shop’) 1849–50 This picture was exhibited with words from the Old Testament, often seen as prefiguring Christ’s Crucifixion: ‘And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then shall he answer. Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’ Millais based the setting on a real carpenter’s shop. Symbols of the Crucifixion figure prominently: the wood, the nails, the cut in Christ’s hand and the blood on his foot. Millais was viciously attacked in the press for showing the holy family as ‘ordinary’. Charles Dickens described Christ as ‘a hideous, wry-necked, blubbering, red-haired boy in a night-gown.’ Gallery label, November 2016 Sir John Everett Millais, Bt, Ophelia 1851–2 This work shows the death of Ophelia, a scene from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Traumatised when Hamlet breaks off their betrothal and accidentally kills her father, she allows herself to fall into a stream and drown. The flowers she has been collecting symbolise her story, the poppies representing death. Millais painted the lonely setting leaf-by-leaf over many months by the Hogsmill River, Surrey. Afterwards, the artist, poet and model Elizabeth Siddall posed in a wedding dress in a bath of water at Millais's studio. Through the painting, Millais critiqued the Victorian practice of occasionally arranging marriages for money and status. Gallery label, March 2022 Harold Gilman, Mrs Mounter at the Breakfast Table 1916–17 Gilman was a member of the Camden Group of painters whose commitment to the painting of everyday life is typified in this work. Mrs Mounter was the artist’s landlady. He shows her with a blank, perhaps melancholy expression. She seems almost dominated by the very ordinary tea pot, jug and cups which speak, perhaps, of a simple life. Such simplicity in a painting would have seemed radical to audiences used to seeing more lavish subjects. Gallery label, September 2016 Mark Gertler, Merry-Go-Round 1916 This work was painted at the height of the First World War, which seems to be its subject. Men and women in rigid poses, their mouths crying in silent unison, seem trapped on a carousel that revolves endlessly. Gertler was a conscientious objector. He lived near London’s Hampstead Heath, and may have been inspired by an annual fair held there for wounded soldiers. The fairground ride, traditionally associated with pleasure and entertainment, is horrifically transformed into a metaphor for the relentless military machine. He explained, ‘Lately the whole horror of war has come freshly upon me’. Gallery label, September 2016 On the left..............manner of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Portrait of a Man, probably Francis Barber Date not known This portrait is now thought to be Francis Barber, born Quashey (c.1742-1801). Barber was born into slavery in Jamaica, on a sugarcane plantation belonging to the British Bathurst family. He was brought to England aged 15, by his enslaver Colonel Richard Bathurst. In 1755, when Bathurst died, Barber was freed. He later went to work for English writer Samuel Johnson. This picture is one of many student copies of a painting by Joshua Reynolds. Previous titles, including A Young Black, may suggest that as a Black man, Barber was being treated as an artistic subject, rather than as an individual. Gallery label, August 2021 and on the right.........George Romney, Emma Hart as Circe c.1782 This unfinished, life-size sketch in oil paint represents the 17-year-old Emma Hart (1765–1815) in the character of the sorceress Circe from Greek mythology. This painting was one of the first of Romney’s numerous portraits of Hart, which often represent her as characters from myth and literature. Hart sat many times to Romney in the summer of 1782, after she had become the mistress of the aristocratic politician and collector Charles Greville (1749–1809), moving into his home at Edgware Row, Paddington. She later married Sir William Hamilton, Greville’s uncle, and became the mistress of Admiral Lord Nelson. Gallery label, February 2016 London: The Old Horse Guards from St James’s Park c.1749 Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (Italian: [kanaˈletto]), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or vedute, of Venice, Rome, and London, he also painted imaginary views (referred to as capricci), although the demarcation in his works between the real and the imaginary is never quite clearcut. He was further an important printmaker using the etching technique. In the period from 1746 to 1756 he worked in England where he painted many views of London and other sites including Warwick Castle and Alnwick Castle. He was highly successful in England, thanks to the British merchant and connoisseur Joseph "Consul" Smith, whose large collection of Canaletto's works was sold to King George III in 1762. John James Baker, The Whig Junto 1710 This portrait shows the leaders of the political Whig party. Everything about it is designed to demonstrate their power. The first Earl of Orford, who commissioned the picture, stands on the right. A Black servant appears behind the gathered guests. We do not know the identity of the servant, or even if a Black servant worked in Orford’s household. Britain was profiting from the increasing trade of enslaved people from West Africa. Most of the Black servants who worked in British households were enslaved. They were seen by the white British elite as symbols of their wealth and often depicted in paintings to reflect this. The imagined grand setting adds to the intended impression of affluence and power. The portrait advertises the Whigs’ pro-war foreign policy. Prints of Roman victories emphasise Britain’s current military successes in Europe. The globe may refer to British interest in accessing new trading routes. Gallery label, August 2020 The underground escalators and kings Cross are works of art too!
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