COLIN WIGGINS LECTURE: RESHAPING THE HUMAN FIGURE

RESHAPING THE HUMAN FIGURE: FROM ANTIQUITY TO MAPPLETHORPE

What an excellent lecture last week at Richmond on Thames as part of a series of lectures organized by the Richmond Art Society.

NATIONAL GALLERY

Colin Wiggins started by telling us that he is now Curator of Special Projects at the National Gallery.

Until recently he was Head of Education there.

He gave a one hour lecture with the above title, showing the continuity which is evident in  Western Europen art, depicting and sculpting the human figure from sources in Antiquity.

During this lecture he made many witty comments about modern practices in art; he said that the Leonard da Vince exhibition was a thorn in his side at present and that they had had 'turned David Hockey away this morning'.

He began by saying the central foundation stone of Western European art is 'us', in other words, the human figure. Of these works, the male figure is the most important.  He commenced by showing slides of sculpture of the male from ancient Greece.

Greek sculpture

He showed immediate links to figures sculpted by Michaelangelo,  and paintings by Velazquez and Lucien Freud.


This was demonstrated by a projected image of a Roman god next to a painting of the god Mars by Velazquez and a nude full-length portrait of Leigh Bowery by Lucien Freud.

Mars by Velazquez

Top part of Leigh Bowery portrait

Colin had many slides demonstrating his points, all of them interesting and relevant, particularly the works of the Italian Renaissance artists, such Raphael, who, he said, was not able to work from the nude female figure, it being impossible for a young man to have access to a nude female model.

Also we were asked to look at the Joshua Reynolds portrait of Sir BanastreTarleton, who fought in the American War of Independence.  Reynold had a directory of poses, from his time in Rome, and used a pose of Cincinnatus from antiquity for the Tarleton portrait.  Tarleton was apparently very 'thick' and Reynolds did not like him at all. He painted the figure in a battle scene with a cannon right behind his backside!

Cincinnatus sculpture

Sir Banastre Tarleton by Reynolds

The interest in ancient art was widespread in the USA too, from Victorian times, and he told of a mail order facility to order art from Europe, which resulted in a copy of the Venus de Milo being sent by railroad to the mid-west, where it was found to be without arms.  The purchasers sued the railroad company for the loss of her arms, and won their case!

Veus de Milo

There was a very amusing point made that maidens were painted and sculpted being very modest, and while nude, covered their 'private parts'.  This he demonstrated by showing us a sculpture of a Roman or Greek (not sure which) girl, then a nude by Renoir

Bather by Renoir

and then a still from the comedy Carry on Camping, when Barabara Windsor is bra-less and covering her bosom with her hands.

Still from Carry on Camping

Colin admires the 'passive and beautiful' male nudes of David Hockney and is looking forward to the exhibition later this year at the Royal Academy.

However he did not like the Gerhard Richter work at the London exhibition (now ended), and said he finds German contemporary art takes itself too seriously.
 TATE GALLERY, LONDON

My understanding is Colin suggested he likes humour in art and showed us a Johann Zoffany painting of the Tribuna in the Uffizi, Florence, where a collection of Milords are admiring the bottom of the Venus de Milo.

Johann Zoffany - more about him

I found a link to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge which shows Frank Auerbach standing beside a portrait etching of Colin Wiggins.
FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM, CAMBRIDGE 

COLIN WIGGINS - HE IS A 'NATIONAL (GALLERY) TREASURE'

TRAMPOLINES AT LONDON PREPARES, O2 ARENA

LONDON PREPARES SERIES AT 02 ARENA - GYMNASTICS IN 2012

We went along to North Greenwich last Friday morning, or rather, we attempted to get to North Greenwich but the Jubilee Line from London Bridge was delayed 'due to a signal failure' so nobody could get on the train.  

Much later we finally got to our destination, after going back to Waterloo.

It was very disappointing to find we could not bring in cameras, as I had lugged my heavy one with zoom lens.  However, I did these three sketches

Competitiors in the O2 Arena

Competitiors, who appear one at a time.

Audience included a lot of small children at O2 Arena

The Arena was almost full on one side, nearest the entrance, and no seats near the front. Nevertheless we could see quite well, as the Trampolines were in the centre of the arena, and the athletes were easy to follow, their jumps and twists quite spectacular.



GYMNASTS

It was very interesting because I have never seen top class gymnasts before and was not aware how spectacular their movements are.  Of course they compete one at a time, and not together as I have drawn them.  First was the men's competition and then the women's.  The Chinese men did very well.

More details can be found at BRITISH GYMNASTICS ORG.

VISA INTERNATIONAL GYMNASTICS - NORTH GREENWICH ARENA

Here is a quote from the Booklet with the above title: 

'At the 2011 Trampoline World Championships in Birmingham the top eight competitiors claimed places for their country at London 2012.  Those who missed qualifying at this event will battle for the five places up for grabs at this month's test event.  The FIG will aware a final three places at their discretion at a later date.'

LONDON MARATHON 2011 PAINTING

LONDON MARATHON 2011

I went along to the Marathon last April to get information and images for a painting.

I did some sketches and took photographs.

After all this time, I have started the new oil painting, which will be 50cm x 70cm/

Prepared some sketches and pencil drawings.

Here are some of them

A marshall takes some photos

I guess he is an official photographer

I stood near Churchill's statue

Two policemen near Westminster Tube

Westminster hidden by April trees

Two Japanese ladies

 Here are a couple of my sketch book pages

Spectators before the runners arrive

Runners are too fast to capture

THE FIRST ACRESSES: NELL GWYN TO SARAH SIDDONS

THE FIRST ACTRESSES, AT NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

It was good news, I found I had won two tickets for the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, plus a copy of the exhibition catalogue.  If something costs nothing, it is even nicer, I find!

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

National Portrait Gallery poster for Late Shift

I love this gallery, and often go in.  To see most of the displays does not require an entrance fee, but donations are welcomed, of course.

This particular exhibition is small, well of course it is limited by virtue of its title.  There are some brilliant portraits.

Most of the paintings, prints, ceramics and engravings are of women.  There are themes in each room, for example:

DIVAS AND DANCERS, which includes a lucious portrait by Gainsborough, entitled Elizabeth Linley (Elizabeth Ann Sheridan)

I noted in my little book that it is a full-length portrait in a landscape, with loose flicky brush strokes.

The Gainsborough portraits are the highlights for me, since they display the consumate technique that Gainsborough developed - the actresses' faces, white and pink, shining, luminous, brilliant against the muted background.  The hands and neck are next in importance, then look at the fluid, sketchy dress and feet, then the greeny brown background.  

Gainsborough portrait of Elizabeth Sheridan

 Also in this room are two pastel portraits by John Russell - pastel is not an easy medium - but this artist has demonstrated his mastery.

WILLIAM HOGARTH

Also here is a Hogarth oil painting of The Beggar's Opera, from Birmingham Museum, one of several versions Hogarth produced, in a dramatic and narrative style.

William Hogarth, The Beggar's Opera, 

Throughout the exhibition there is mention that the women actresses were fighting prejudice and were careful to represent themselves as respectable, not being prostitutes (which was originally a profession that went hand in hand with acting).  Several of these well-known actresses married well, into the artistocracy or monied upper class.

PLAYS AND NOVELS

Quite a few were successful literary figures, writing plays and novels - not something that I have hear of, in respect of modern actresses.

Some actresses did their memoirs and benefitted from the interest in salacious gossip of their times; there was then, as there is now, the desire to read shocking tales of sex and success which we still find in our media.

These women were the first in England in particular (not sure about Scotland, Ireland and Wales) who established themselves earning an income from their talents, setting out in a very competitive field, some of course with the support of men but later standing alone and managing to show independence. 

The first acresses emerged with the establishment of the court of Charles II, and at that time women could take female roles which had previously been played by boys and men.

Later the actresses turned the tables by appearing in male dress, much like our own modern-day principal boys in panto.

The main artists, Reynolds, Romney, Gainsborough are well represented and there are also excellent works by Zoffany, Hoppner and Lawrence, John Russell (pastels), Lely and Gilray.

MODERN ACTRESSES

However, in another two galleries there is a display of images of modern actresses, from film, TV and theatre.  Only three of them are paintings.  There are two pencil drawings.  All the other images are photographs.  This is bad news for us painters!

Nell Gwyn by Simon Vereist

Come on,  actresses, support the arts and commission an artist to paint your portrait!  Like your predecessors did.