Art Reviews

A rare oil-painting of King Henri IV of France - also known as Henri de Bourbon, or as Henri de Navarre - has recently come onto the art market in London.  The painting which is on sale at Daniel Hunt Fine Art in Chelsea, had previously been in the possession of the same family since 1911.  The painting dates from the 1590s and is thought to have been painted by one of Henri IV’s servants.

Henri was a key figure in the Wars of Religion in France during the 16th century.  He was born in 1553, a time when the Protestant Reformation was seriously challenging the authority and power of the Roman Catholic Church.  His father Antoine de Bourbon supported the Huguenots - the term Huguenot is a word used to describe a French Protestant - and Henri’s mother, Jeanne D'Albert, was a Calvanist and heir to the Kingdom of Navarre.

Henri was recognised as the leader of the Huguenots in France in 1569, and he fought on the side of the Protestants at the Battle of Jarnac.  The event of his wedding to Marguerite de Valois in August 1572 proved to be the catalyst of another outbreak of violence between Catholics and Protestants, underlining the religious differences within France at that time.

Marguerite was the daughter of Catherine de Medici and the late King Henri II of France, and brother to King Charles IX of France.  Catherine de Medici was hoping that the marriage of her daughter to Henri de Bourbon would reconcile the Catholic and Protestant factions in France, however events following the wedding turned nasty, resulting in the murder of 3,000 Hugenots in Paris with thousands of others being killed elseware in France.

This event is referred to as the St. Bartholomew’s day massacre, because it took place on 24th August which was St. Bartholomew’s day.  It is thought that the atmosphere in Paris became tense following an assassination attempt on Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, who was a Huguenot.  Thousands of Huguenots had gathered in Paris for the wedding of Henri and Marguerite, and following the assassination attempt against Coligny, Charles IX - fearing an uprising against the Catholic monarchy - ordered a religious riot against the Protestants which resulted in the massacres.  The historical events of the royal wedding and the St. Bartholomew’s days massacre, became the theme of an epic film called La Reine Margot, made in 1994 starring Daniel Auteuil as Henri de Navarre and Isabelle Adjani as Marguerite de Valois.

At the time of the St. Bartholomew’s massacre, Henri was held captive by his inlaws and forced to convert to Roman Cathoicism on pain of death.  Later Henri managed to escape from the French court, repudiate his Catholic conversion and once again become the military leader of the Huguenots in his own kingdom of Navarre.

In 1574, Henri III became King of France on the death of his brother Charles IX.  The “War of the Three Henris” was a power struggle over the confessional and dynastic future of the Kingdom of France.  Henri de Guise - who had formed the Catholic League - wanted to prevent the Protestant Henri de Navarre from succeeding Henri III to the throne of France.  The Guises were supported by Spain, but Spanish military might had been weakened following the failed Armada mission to invade England in 1588.  This created an opportunity for Henri III to have Henri de Guise and the latter’s brother, the cardinal of Lorraine assassinated.  Henri III was assassinatinated in 1589, and was succeeded by Henri de Navarre who became Henri IV of France.

The problem of religious hatred persisted in France throughout Henri IV’s reign.  He was later forced to convert once more to Roman Catholicism, in order to placate powerful Catholic factions in France.  However, Henri IV worked hard to create an atmosphere of religious reconciliation and toleration in France.  Henri signed the Edict of Nantes in 1598 giving Protestants religious freedoms in France.  Unfortunately religious violence would cause Henri’s own death, as he was assassinated by a fanatical Jesuit in 1610.

An exhibition of paintings by Michael Bennallack Hart at the Medici Gallery, London

A selection of new paintings by Michael Bennallack Hart, is currently on exhibition at the Medici Gallery in Cork Street, London.  The exhibition - running from 1st to 23rd December - consists of some brilliant representations of the artist’s favourite places in England, Italy and the United States.  This exhibition of landscape oil-paintings, is a sign that good art will always be in demand inspite of the recession.

Hart has painted daylight and night scenes capturing the feeling of the day, hour and place of the locations represented.  In the painting entitled ‘Santo Stefano, Puglia’ of a walled or fortified building overlooking a bay, the brightness of the sunlight is contrasted sharply against the few shaded areas of rocks, stones and greenery.  In a completely different painting entitled ‘New Years Eve’ of a winter scene on a misty day, the branches of the trees are much less sharply defined.

Hart deals with the contrasts of darkness and light in the night scenes well.  In ‘The Albert Bridge’, the artificial light on the bridge defines its structure well against the darness of the night.  In the painting ‘Moonlight’, the reflection from the moon into the clouds gives the painting depth.

Michael Bennallack Hart was born in 1948 and studied at Ravensbourne College of Art in London from 1966 to 1970.  He began his career as an illustrator designing film posters and record covers, as well as painting landscapes and sports scenes.  During the 1970s and 80s he worked as an advertising director.  He has exhibited paintings in many galleries including: The Spectrum Gallery, New York; John Mitchell, London; the Royal Academy of Arts, London; and The Medici Gallery, London.  He is also a member of the Chelsea Arts Club.

The paintings in the exhibition of Hart’s work at the Medici Gallery, are hung in gold frames, and would suite an older house quite well.  They are modern paintings, painted in a traditional style.  The paintings in the exhibition make a pleasant change from some of the conceptual art, which became symbolic of the excess prior to the credit crunch.

History as art at the Whitechapel Gallery

The study of a work of art can be used as a method of understanding the historical period in which it was created.  Not only can a painting be appreciated for its beauty or its message, but if we know the date of its creation, for whom it was created and why it was created, then we learn something about the politics and society behind its inception.  For example we can learn much about the court of King Henry VIII of England by studying the paintings of Hans Holbein the Younger.

Goshka Macuga turns this process completely around, where a piece of artwork on display is actually formed by items associated with a historical period.  For example a museum display cabinet containing items from the 1930’s is in itself a piece of artwork in an exhibition.  The separate items in the cabinet are equivalent to the different colours and tones in a painting.

In an inaugural exhibition entitled ‘The Nature of the Beast’ Macuga has chosen the theme of Picasso’s Guernica painting and the story behind it to form a work of art.  The original Guernica painting was briefly exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1939, at the time intended to bring public awareness to the plight of Republicans who were fighting Franco’s fascists in the Spanish Civil War.  Today’s exhibition features a reproduction of Picasso’s Guernica in the form of a tapestry along with artifacts and documents relating to the original painting, the reproduction, the United Nations Security Council, and the War in Iraq.  The narrative of the exhibition links all of these things together in one story, that forms a work of art itself.

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica was painted for the Spanish Pavilion at the International Exhibition held at Paris in 1937.  Picasso had been commissioned to paint a work of art for the exhibition in support of the Spanish Republican government, which at the time was fighting for its survival against Franco’s Nationalists.  By coincidence the tragic event of the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica, happened shortly before Picasso was to start work on his commission.  The atrocity committed against the civilian population of Guernica - in which more than 1,650 men, women and children were killed during an air raid, by German bombers in support of Franco - would provide the anti-war and anti-fascist theme for Picasso’s painting.

Picasso’s Guernica was exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery from 31st December 1938 until 14th January 1939.  The exhibition had been organized by the Stepney Trade Union Council with the purpose of giving material support to the refugees of the civil war - with pairs of leather boots or financial donations - and to enlist volunteers who were prepared to go out to Spain and fight for the Republican cause.

Goshka Macuga’s exhibition re-creates the memory of the 1938-1939 exhibition through the artifacts and documents on display.  It was not possible for Picasso’s original Guernica painting to be put on display again at the Whitechapel Gallery, as it is today one of the main attractions at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.

The tapestry reproduction of Picasso’s painting, itself forms part of the sequel to the anti-war narrative of Guernica.  The tapestry was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller in 1955 and woven by Madame J. de la Baume Dürrbach at the Dürrbach atelier in Paris with the approval of Pablo Picasso.  In 1985 Mrs Rockefeller allowed the tapestry to be put on display outside of the Security Council Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in memory of her husband and as a deterrent to war.

The narrative of Macuga’s work of art at the Whitechapel Gallery brings the viewer to recent historical events.  Some of the photographs and documents in the display case tell of how the tapestry - which used to hang outside of the Security Council Chamber - was covered with a blue curtain on 5th February 2003.  That was at the place and on the day, when the then US Secretary of State Collin Powell made a presentation before the world’s media that Saddam Hussein supposedly had weapons on mass destruction.  The presentation made the case for war against Iraq.  Somebody covered the tapestry because its anti-war message was too much of a condradiction of the other message delivered by Colin Powell that day.  Today the tapestry forms the focal point of the exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

An exhibition of paintings by Peter Goodfellow

A painting of Barack Obama on his presidential campaign will catch your eye, if you walk past The Air Gallery at 32 Dover Street, London at the moment.  One of the jobs of art has always been to make a comment on current affairs and politics, which this painting does well.  The painting is optimistic and draws a line between now and the previous eight years of world history.

The painting of Barack Obama is by the artist Peter Goodfellow and is part of an exhibition of his work, which runs until 16th May 2009.  Other paintings in the exhibition concentrate on the themes of ‘3 Passions: Bull Fighting, Landscapes, Football’.  Peter Goodfellow has come down from Scotland personally, to organize this exhibion and welcome visitors to it.

The bull fighting paintings are inspired by the work of the Spanish artist Goya, capturing the movement of the matadors.  The essence of the ‘La Tauromaquia’ oil paintings, is the malice in the group of men who taunt the bull they are about to kill.

Peter Goodfellow’s use of light and colour in his mountain landscapes capture the power of nature.  These beautiful oil paintings depict the remoteness of the mountain ranges untouched by human activity.

The three paintings of the footballers Alan Shearer, Shola Amoebi, and Jermaine Jenas capture the expression of the players during a match.  From these paintings the artist indicates that he is a Newcastle United supporter.

The temporary exhibition of the Lost Gallery hosted at the Air Gallery in London, also includes some intricate sculptures of animals by Susan White-Oakes.

Review of The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth

The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth is unique because it was built both as a home and an art gallery, by its founders Sir Merton and Lady Annie Russell-Cotes.  Construction on this beautiful villa which overlooks Bournemouth beach, was begun in 1898 and completed in 1900 and is said to be the last Victorian building built in Bournemouth.  Then known as East Cliff Hall, it was designed by the architect John Frederick Fogerty.  Sir Merton Russell-Cotes specified that the building should be a combination of Renaissance with Italian and old Scottish baronial styles.

Merton and Annie Russell-Cotes first came to Bournemouth in 1876 and bought the Bath Hotel, later to become the Royal Bath Hotel.  During their years as proprietors of the hotel, they built up both their art collection and a prestigious list of guests who stayed there.  Among the guests were the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII; Prince Henry of Battenburg; Sir Benjamin Disraeli; Empress Eugenie of France who had been the wife of Napoleon III; Oscar Wilde; Sir Henry Irving; and Sir Hubert Herkomer.  Sir Merton and Annie's art collection would have been a focal point of the hotel, with every area of wall space being taken up with paintings and objects collected on their travels around the world.

When the couple moved to their new home at East Cliff Hall in around 1900-1901, they would have taken many of the paintings and artifacts on display at the Royal Bath Hotel with them.  In 1908 Sir Merton and Annie gave their home to the town of Bournemouth as a museum.  The house was at first only open to the public for two hours each week, as Sir Merton and Annie were still in residence there.  Annie died in 1920 and Sir Merton died in 1921, after which Bournemouth Borough Council took possession of the house and collection opening it as the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in 1922.

During his lifetime Sir Merton collected the work of Many British artists including that of Edwin Longsden Long, R.A (1829-1891).  Many of Long’s paintings on display in the gallery have a religious or historical theme.  The large canvas entitled ‘Anno Domini’ by Long, depicts an account taken from the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, of the time Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to Egypt to escape from King Herod.  In 1874 Long travelled to Egypt and Syria, which would have given him inspiration for this type of subject.  Long’s skill is his ability to bring a mythical or historical story to life.

Long does this well with the painting entitled ‘The Moorish Proselytes of Archbishop Xiemenes, Granada, 1500’ which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1873.  The painting is based on an episode in Spain’s history, when Muslims and Jews were forced to convert to Christianity in the years following the conquest of Granada by forces loyal to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

In 1884 and 1885 Sir Merton and Annie travelled the world bringing back artifacts from Russia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Hawaii, the Middle East and Japan.  On route to South Africa the ship on which the couple were travelling stopped at the island of St.Helena, where Napoleon Bonapart had been sent to by the British following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.  While the ship was at St.Helena, Merton and Annie got the chance to quickly view Longwood House where Napoleon had lived from 1815 until his death in 1821.  Many years after their visit Sir Merton purchased an octagonal table that had come from Longwood, after it had been passed down through the Bonapart family and finally sold at auction following the death of Princess Eugenie.  This table can be seen today in the dining room near to a wine cooler, which was also once in Longwood House.  The wine cooler was donated to the collection of the Russell-Cotes Gallery & Museum in 1944.

Viewing the paintings, sculptures, furniture, and other artifacts in the museum tells the visitor much about the tastes of two Victorian collectors.  As well as being avid art collectors Sir Merton and Annie Russell-Cotes must have been shrewd business people, because their collection itself would have also played a part in attracting wealthy clientele to their hotel.  However, this was not their sole motive in collecting as they wished it to educate the public and bring beauty to a wider audience, which is why they left their home and collection to Bournemouth Borough Council.

Temporary exhibition

Useful information

Address: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Russell-Cotes Road, East Cliff, Bournemouth, BH1 3AA, United Kingdom.

Tel: + 44 (0)1202 451858 or + 44 (0)1202 45100 (answer-phone)

An Exhibition to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson

In 1929 the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression that followed, had a profound impact on America and the world.  The economic collapse of the 1930’s caused mass unemployment throwing millions into poverty overnight.  Some of the images in the exhibition capture the misery of the people who were living in those times.  It is coincidental that recent events have made the Photographing America exhibition relevant.  Today a similar economic crash is happening called the credit crunch, the final result of which is yet to be felt.

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work is brought together with that of Walker Evans, because Evans was one of the photographers whose work Cartier-Bresson most admired.  Evans also had equal regard for Cartier-Bresson’s photography.  The exhibition which opened on 10th September and will continue until 21st December 2008, is part of the celebration of the life and work of Henri Cartier-Bresson marking the centenary of his birth. Other events marking the centenary of the photographer’s birth are two symposiums: the first entitled Henri Cartier-Bresson: Images de l’histoire will take place at the Centre Culturel International in Cerisy-la-Salle from 4th to 7th October 2008; the second entitled Revoir Henri Cartier-Bresson will take place at the Petit Palais in Paris on 14th and 15th November 2008.

©Jolyon Gumbrell 2008

Information

Astarte Gallery, Paris

Paris has many commercial art galleries where an art collector can purchase the work of a living artist, who might be the next Pablo Picasso or Lucian Freud. It is quite difficult to anticipate whose work will become the most sought after from an investment point of view, but one should never be motivated into purchasing a work of art solely as an investment. One has to love a piece of art before purchasing it, and understand what the painting or sculpture is saying.

Astarte Gallery in Paris, has an interesting selection of exhibits by artists who are leaders in their field. The work of all these atists is memorable: take for instance the painting by Fabio D'Aroma called 'Spiritual Growth'. This painting depicts Jesus playing basketball with two boys.

In the work of the artist Gerablie Denis, one can see by his style and use of colour, an influence of the cubists and fauvists of the early 20th Century. The painting entitled 'La Tour de Babel' is a good example of his style.

The Canadian artist Ginette Beaulieu, has been influenced in her work by the Renaissance. She uses her knowledge of the old techniques of the great masters, to create paintings of beautiful women from our own time. The two women in the painting 'Deux Ames Complice' are eye catching and demonstate how the artist captures the beauty of her subjects. Ginette Beaulieu was one of a group of Quebec artists, whose work was exhibited by the Société Nationale des Beaux - Arts de Paris, at the Carrousel of the Louvre Museum in December 2007.

Many of the artists whose work is exhibited and on sale at the Astarte Gallery bring together the old and new. For example Fabio D'Aroma and Gerablie Denis, have used the old genre of religious painting in a modern context, whereas Ginette Beaulieu has used an old technique to paint modern women.

Oasis, watercolour by Albert Marquet, c. 1920-22

Albert Marquet: Voyages

The Connaught Brown gallery in Albemarle Street, London is presently hosting an exhibition of watercolours and line drawings in ink by the Post Impressionist artist, Albert Marquet (1875-1947). The exhibition entitled ‘Albert Marquet: Voyages’ consists of sketches of places in Europe and North Africa made by the artist between 1900 and 1936.

Although many of the ink sketches in the exhibition use just a few lines, each one gives the sense of time and place when it was created. These sketches and watercolours were drawn and painted while Marqet was visiting various locations such as the Doges’ Palace in Venice, a flower and cypress field in Algiers, an Oais, and the port of Boulogne. Marquet would have carried a sketch pad and box of watercolours around with him on his travels, so he could quickly make a sketch in each place he visited.

Albert Marquet was one of the Fauve artists, who - along with Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck and others - shocked the artistic establishment, by the way they used primary colours in their paintings exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1905. The art critic Louis Vauxcelles gave the artists the nick name of les fauves, which is French for wild cats or beasts. The artists found inspiration for their use of colour from Van Gogh.

There are none of Marquet’s oil paintings in the ‘Albert Marquet: Voyages’ exhibition, as it is specifically dedicated to his works on paper. Many of his oil paintings are in the permanent collections of large institutional art galleries around the world such The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersberg, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Sketches in the ‘Albert Marquet: Voyages’ exhibition have been authenticated by the Wildenstein Institute in Paris. There are 65 works of art listed in the exhibition catalogue, varying in price from £900 to £24,000, some of which have already been sold. The Albert Marquet: Voyages exhibition is running from 14th April to 17th May 2008.

©Jolyon Gumbrell 2008

The Cranach Exhibition

The study of history and art history complement one another. If a student is studying the Reformation in Europe during the 16th Century, then seeing a painting of Martin Luther, will help the student make a visual connection with the historical period. Likewise if another student is studying 16th Century German art, then a knowledge of the historical period will help this student understand, why a work of art was commissioned and created. The Cranach Exhibition does this well, as the visitor gets a good idea of the religious upheavals, politics, social attitudes, and not least the demands of patron and clients, that influenced the work of Lucus Cranach the Elder (1472 - 1553).

Little is known about Lucas Cranach’s life prior to 1500, except that he was born in the town of Kronach in the state of Franconia in Germany, from where he took the name Cranach. His father was the painter Hans Maler, from whom Lucas probably received his earliest training as an artist. It has been suggested that Cranach may have worked for a short time in the studio of Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) in Nuremberg. It is known that Cranach was living and working in Vienna around 1500 when he painted The Crucifixion, which is the earliest painting in the exhibition.

In 1505 Cranach was appointed as court painter to the Elector of Saxony, Frederick the Wise (1463 - 1525) in Wittenberg. Cranach had a wide variety of duties in this role such as painting religious pictures; portraits; interior decorations; props such as banners, coats of arms and decorative lances for festivals and tournaments; designing costumes and masks; and producing illustrations of the Elector’s collection of relics etc. While Cranach was in the employment of Frederick, he visited the court of the Holy Roman Emporer, Maximilian I in the Netherlands.

It is likely that this trip led to the creation of the religious painting of 1509, Triptych with the Holy Kinship. This painting is of particular interest to the historian, because it demonstrates the purpose that wealthy and powerful people would have used art and religion for, during the 16th Century. The triptych was created originally as an altar-piece for a church. It consists of three painted panels depicting the Holy family. What is striking about the triptych is that the figure of Frederick the Wise is included in the left panel, his brother John is in the right panel, with the Emperor Maximilian I and a courtier in the central panel.

There is something narcissistic about the patron’s desire to be portrayed alongside Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and Mary’s mother Anne, but at that time it would have been considered a powerful propaganda tool. In an age of superstition, such a religious icon would have elevated the status of a prince to that of righteousness, merely by his juxtaposition with the Holy family. An analogy can be made between this 16th Century publicity stunt, and the way modern day politicians and business leaders like to be photographed alongside of film stars, pop stars and footballers.

As an historical figure Lucus Cranach is famous for his association with Martin Luther. The first editions of Luther’s books were printed under Cranach’s supervision in Wittenburg, with Cranach producing the woodcuts used to illustrate those books. Without the collaboration of Cranach and the technology of the printing press, it is doubtful whether Luther’s message or the Reformation would have got very far.

In 1511, Martin Luther had arrived at Wittenberg as an Augustinian monk, to teach theology at the university. He is famous for instigating the Reformation in 1517, by nailing 95 theses to the door of the castle church, which criticised corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. Luther was concerned by the Church’s practice of selling indulgences for the remission of sins. Luther felt that on a range of issues the clergy were not committed to the Christian faith, because their practices were not in accordance with what was written in the Bible.

Cranach not only supported Luther by creating woodcuts and supervising the printing of Luther’s books, he also produced many portraits of Luther as part of what would today be called a publicity campaign. One of these is a double portrait of Luther and his wife Katherine von Bora. This would have been extremely significant as Martin had been a monk and Katherine a nun, so their marriage would have been in defiance of Roman Catholic dogma of celibacy for the clergy.

In spite of Cranach’s role in the Reformation, he still managed to get commissions from Catholic patrons such as Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenberg. It is to Cranach’s credit as a businessman as well as a painter, that he was able to draw on such a diverse customer base. The painter’s workshop was similar to a small to medium sized company of today, with the master employing assistants just as a modern managing director employs staff to deliver the company’s product or service. This type of workshop could even be described as the forerunner to the modern factory, with standardised formats being used as templates for producing paintings that had been commissioned. However, although themes such as Venus and Cupid were often used, specific variations were applied to all works of art leaving Cranach’s workshop.

This image of Cranach as an entrepreneurial painter, is very different from the archetypical image of an artists as impoverished loner living on the margins of society. Cranach’s wealth and status would have been on a level equal to someone who would today have their profile in The Sunday Times Rich List. Like many influential people Cranach got himself involved in politics, getting elected to the council of Wittenberg in 1519 and serving as mayor from 1537.

The Cranach exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts is taking place from 8th March to 8th June 2008. This exhibition allows the visitor to put Cranach’s work into a wider context, and make comparisons between the artist’s time and that of our own.

Bibliography

Wallace, Peter G., The Long European Reformation Religion: Political Conflict, and the Search for Conformity 1350-1750 (Palgrave 2004)

©Jolyon Gumbrell 2008

Mad Meg by Pieter Breughel the Elder, painted around 1561-62. This painting belongs to the collection of the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp, Belguim. The museum's website is: