Tag Archives: National Gallery

Paul Durand-Ruel

Inventing Impressionism, Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery, London, until 31st May 2015
“Without him”, said Monet, “We wouldn’t have survived.” In a way that is all that needs to be written about this wonderful exhibition.

Photograph of Paul Durand-Ruel in his gallery, taken by Dornac, about 1910 Archives Durand-Ruel © Durand-Ruel & Cie

Photograph of Paul Durand-Ruel in his gallery, taken by Dornac, about 1910
Archives Durand-Ruel © Durand-Ruel & Cie

The “him” is the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922) who through his unflinching support of the Impressionist artists he discovered in the early 1870s – Monet, Pissarro, Degas and Renoir, can be seen as a founder of the international art market we know nowadays.

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas Horses before the Stands, 1866-8 Oil on paper, glued onto canvas 46 x 61 cm Paris, Musée d'Orsay, bequeathed by Count Isaac de Camondo, 1911 RF 1981 © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Horses before the Stands, 1866-8
Oil on paper, glued onto canvas
46 x 61 cm
Paris, Musée d’Orsay, bequeathed by Count Isaac de Camondo, 1911
RF 1981
© RMN-Grand Palais (musée d’Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

What makes this show is that a great many of the eighty-five works on view passed through Durand-Ruel’s hands as a dealer. He was certainly supportive of these artists in the early decades despite the opposition of the established art market.

Berthe Morisot Woman at Her Toilette, 1875-80 Oil on canvas 60.3 x 80.4 cm © The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, Stickney Fund, 1924.127

Berthe Morisot
Woman at Her Toilette, 1875-80
Oil on canvas
60.3 x 80.4 cm
© The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, Stickney Fund, 1924.127

His backing of them was not only as a dealer as he also collected and displayed the works in his home. This show takes us along the path he followed as a dealer and culminates in the 1905 exhibition in London’s Grafton Galleries which had a mind-blowing three hundred and fifteen paintings and remains the largest-ever Impressionist show. It bears witness to Durand-Ruel’s status in the art world and celebrates the hard work and energy he put into supporting the Impressionists.
I shall use the words of an 89 year old Durand-Ruel to finish: “At last the Impressionist masters triumphed … My madness had been wisdom. To think that, had I passed away at sixty, I would have died debt-ridden and bankrupt, surrounded by a wealth of underrated treasures…”

Thank goodness for his faith and vision!

Claude Monet Poplars in the Sun, 1891 Oil on canvas 93 × 73.5 cm The National Museum of Western Art, Matsukata Collection, Tokyo P.1959-0152 © National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo

Claude Monet
Poplars in the Sun, 1891
Oil on canvas
93 × 73.5 cm
The National Museum of Western Art, Matsukata Collection, Tokyo
P.1959-0152
© National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

The National Gallery – Peder Balke

Peder Balke, Sunley Room, The National Gallery, London, until 12th April 2015

The National Gallery only owns one painting by a Norwegian artist (to date) and that is by Peder Balke (1804–1887) who is the subject of this exhibition.

North Cape probably 1840s Oil on canvas 94 × 123 cm Credit Line:Private collection © Photo Thomas Widerberg, Oslo

North Cape
probably 1840s
Oil on canvas
94 × 123 cm
Credit Line: Private collection
© Photo Thomas Widerberg, Oslo

Considered a forerunner of modernism, Balke trained in his native Norway as well as in Stockholm and Dresden. In 1832 he travelled to the very far north of Norway where he became enamoured with the rugged, dramatic landscape of the North Cape which he would continue to paint throughout his life and so there is some sense of repetition of the theme.

Mount Snøhetta, Dovre 1877 Oil on wood 13 × 16.5 cm Credit Line:Trondheim Kunstmuseum © Trondheim Kunstmuseum, photo Tore Strønstad

Mount Snøhetta, Dovre
1877
Oil on wood
13 × 16.5 cm
Credit Line: Trondheim Kunstmuseum
© Trondheim Kunstmuseum, photo Tore Strønstad

His lack of financial achievement as a painter meant that he had to give painting up as a career and so he turned towards politics and developing housing for the poor with greater success. However, as this exhibition eloquently shows, he continued to paint for himself with a greater freedom and experimentation that seem to anticipate expressionism.

Northern Lights 1870s Oil on board 10 × 12 cm Credit Line:The Hearn Family Trust © Photo courtesy of the owner

Northern Lights
1870s
Oil on board
10 × 12 cm
Credit Line: The Hearn Family Trust
© Photo courtesy of the owner

I shall leave the final words to the artist who wrote of his North Cape visit ”… the pen cannot describe the illustrious and overwhelming impression, which the opulent beauties of nature and locations delivered to the eye and the mind – an impression, that not only caught me in the flush of the moment, but also had a significant influence onto my whole future life, as I never, not in a foreign country nor anywhere else in our country, had the opportunity to contemplate something so impressive and inspiring as what I have seen on this Finnmark-journey.”

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

MAGGI HAMBLING

MAGGI HAMBLING: WALLS OF WATER at the National Gallery & Marlborough Fine Art

Maggi Hambling Wall of water, Amy Winehouse 2011 Oil on canvas 36 x 48 in © Maggi Hambling, photograph by Douglas Atfield

Maggi Hambling
Wall of water, Amy Winehouse
2011
Oil on canvas
36 x 48 in
© Maggi Hambling, photograph by Douglas Atfield

The gigantic waves depicted in this new body of work are inspired by the waves the artist has seen crashing against the sea wall at Southwold in her native Suffolk. In her large paintings at the National Gallery the exuberant colours bring the immediacy of the life and death cycle of the waves to the viewer forcefully as do the starker black and white monotypes to be seen at Marlborough Fine Art. Closer inspection of the works reveals the shadowy ghosts of people and animals as well and indeed there is one smaller painting that was created in response to Amy Winehouse’s death in 2011.

Wall of Water 3, 2011, 75.3 x 106.5 cm Courtesy of Marlborough Fine Art

Wall of Water 3, 2011, 75.3 x 106.5 cm
Courtesy of Marlborough Fine Art

Hambling says of them “The one crucial thing that only painting can do is to make you feel as if you’re there while it’s being created – as if it’s happening in front you.”

 

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

http://www.marlboroughfineart.com

VERONESE: MAGNIFICENCE IN RENAISSANCE VENICE, The National Gallery & a postscript

VERONESE: MAGNIFICENCE IN RENAISSANCE VENICE, The National Gallery, London until 15th June 2014

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) Saint John the Baptist, about 1560 Oil on canvas 247 × 122 cm Galleria Estense, Modena (4188) © Courtesy of the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo - Archivio Fotografico della SBSAE di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)
Saint John the Baptist, about 1560
Oil on canvas
247 × 122 cm
Galleria Estense, Modena (4188)
© Courtesy of the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo – Archivio
Fotografico della SBSAE di Modena e Reggio Emilia

This very special exhibition brings fifty paintings from around the world together to form what is the most important body of Veronese’s work ever to be seen in this country.

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) Perseus and Andromeda, 1575-80 Oil on canvas 260 × 211 cm Musée des Beaux - Arts, Rennes (1801-1-1) © MBA, Rennes, Dist. RMN/Adélaïde Beaudoin

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)
Perseus and Andromeda, 1575-80
Oil on canvas
260 × 211 cm
Musée des Beaux – Arts, Rennes (1801-1-1)
© MBA, Rennes, Dist. RMN/Adélaïde Beaudoin

All types of his artistic output are well represented – portraits, altarpieces, allegorical decorations and mythological works – and they clearly show why he was so eagerly sought after by the Patrician classes of Venice and the Veneto. Indeed it would be invidious of me to single out particular works as this is an exhibition that needs to be seen as a whole.

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) Portrait of a Gentleman, about 1555 Oil on canvas 104.5 × 108 cm Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence (216) © Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Fiorentino

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)
Portrait of a Gentleman, about 1555
Oil on canvas
104.5 × 108 cm
Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence (216)
© Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Fiorentino

Known as Veronese (1528–1588), he was born Paolo Caliari in Verona where his father was a stonecutter. In 1541 he entered the workshop of Antonio Badile as an apprentice (he later married Badile’s daughter) and then went on to complete commissions for secular and religious patrons in the city.

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, about 1570-2 Oil on canvas 236.2 x 161.3 cm Frame: 281.3 x 205.4× 11.4 cm © Collection of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, Florida State University, Sarasota Florida (SN82)

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, about 1570-2
Oil on canvas
236.2 x 161.3 cm Frame: 281.3 x 205.4× 11.4 cm
© Collection of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, Florida State University, Sarasota Florida (SN82

 

Veronese moved to Venice in the early 1550s where his great reputation as an artist became firmly established. His works with their combination of figures and architecture superbly represent to the modern viewer the grandeur and power of the Venetian Republic of that time.

As the National Gallery’s director, Dr Nicholas Penny aptly sums up: “From the deftly captured shimmer of a pearl, to the sweep and splendour of his architectural settings, Veronese’s mastery of colour, space and light, and his feeling for beauty, for opulence and grace, have captured the imagination of countless artists and art lovers ever since.”

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Postscript 

It would be wrong of me not to mention the very enjoyable exhibition entitled Catherine Goodman – Drawing from Veronese, (until 6 June 2014) at the same time.  It is being held at P. & D. Colnaghi and Co. Ltd, 15 Old Bond Street, London, W1 and is a joint exhibition with Marlborough Fine Art.

CATHERINE GOODMAN ‘Scorn’ II from ‘The Four Allegories of Love’ Charcoal and pastel on paper 48 x 62 cm Image is copyright

CATHERINE GOODMAN
‘Scorn’ II from ‘The Four Allegories of Love’
Charcoal and pastel on paper
48 x 62 cm
Image is copyright

http://www.colnaghi.co.uk
http://www.marlboroughfineart.com

“Side by Side” Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, National Gallery, London

“Side by Side” Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, National Gallery, London, until 27th April

The lyric “side by side” is a literal description of what you will encounter when you visit this “must see” exhibition of these two Sunflower paintings. They have an emotional resonance which you need to experience first hand.

NG 3863 Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) Sunflowers, 1888 Oil on canvas 92.1 x 73 cm Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924 © National Gallery, London

NG 3863
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890)
Sunflowers, 1888
Oil on canvas
92.1 x 73 cm
Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924
© National Gallery, London

Much has and will be written about them and I will not add anything here; the storyboards in the gallery tell you all you need to know and I will not spoil it.

L1162 Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890) Sunflowers, 1889-01 Arles Oil on canvas 95 x 73 cm Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) s31V/1962 F458 © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

L1162
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890)
Sunflowers, 1889-01 Arles
Oil on canvas
95 x 73 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
s31V/1962
F458
© Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

A final thought! What if they were for sale and you could afford one of them?  Which would you choose?  Over to you!

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

FACING THE MODERN: THE PORTRAIT IN VIENNA 1900, The National Gallery (Sainsbury Wing)

FACING THE MODERN: THE PORTRAIT IN VIENNA 1900, The National Gallery (Sainsbury Wing) until 12 January 2014

If you have not yet been to see this exhibition there is still time to get there.  It celebrates the portrait which was one of the key elements in Viennese fin-de-siècle art. 

Portrait of Hermine Gallia Gustav Klimt 1904 The National Gallery, London

Portrait of Hermine Gallia
Gustav Klimt
1904
The National Gallery, London

Artists, whether well-known like, Egon Schiele, Arnold Schönberg and Gustav Klimt or the less well-known such as Isidor Kaufmann and Broncia Koller were producing the pictures that were commissioned by their patrons.  Many of these were wealthy middle-class people who had moved to Vienna after the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867.  They were drawn from a variety of cultures and faiths in a time of economic prosperity and tolerance although by the end the latter was disappearing under a new wave of nationalism and anti-Semitism.

Self Portrait in his Study Carl Moll 1906 Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna

Self Portrait in his Study
Carl Moll
1906
Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna

One room shows the interest in mortality and its depiction whether through death masks or paintings, which to us may be surprising but at the time was an expression of love and affection.  Many of you will have read Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes and he has loaned a photograph album of his family who were a Jewish banking dynasty based in Vienna and which gives a great insight into the times.

Death Mask of Egon Schiele 1918 Wien Museum, Vienna

Death Mask of Egon Schiele
1918
Wien Museum, Vienna

The tradition of people wishing to record their families in pictures by artists still carries on even today in London through galleries such as Fine Art Commissions.

Do go if you can!

Ria Munk on her Deathbed Gustav Klimt 1912 Private Collection Courtesy Richard Nagy Ltd., London

Ria Munk on her Deathbed
Gustav Klimt
1912
Private Collection Courtesy Richard Nagy Ltd., London