THE
ARTS
4051 Art 3 – Older Masters
Let me first of all dismiss two geniuses. Leonardo da Vinci is, for me, something of a waste of space. His ideas may have been way ahead of their time, but perhaps in much the same way as were those of Nostrodamus. More important, he never succeeded in putting them into practice, and thus had little impact on the world as we know it. It is only in the past century and a half that – retrospectively – people have come to appreciate these ideas. He was a glorious failure. In that respect at least I do identify with him, and both of us have a lot in common with Cassandra. However, he produced very few paintings and most of these seem to have disintegrated due to poor workmanship. Those remaining have become famous because of outside events – notably the ‘Mona Lisa’ which was almost unknown until it was stolen in the 19th century.
The second was Michaelangelo Bunarotti. In terms of sculpture he did produce some marvelous statues – most notably his ‘Pieta’. But I liked best of all his unfinished statues, which showed the power of his underlying designs. In terms of paintings I suspect he is best remembered for his marathon work in the Sistine Chapel – and for quantity rather than quality.
A real genius, who did influence the world of painting from a couple of centuries earlier, was Giotto. His frescos in the Arena Chapel in Padua are marvelous.
My favourite old master, who painted in the 15th century much the same as Leonardo and Michaelangelo, was the Venetian painter Titian; Tiziano Vecellio. Again, he revolutionized the world of painting, but also produced some of the best masterpieces ever. From his earlier, ‘Assumption of the Virgin’ and the vivacious ‘Bacchus and Ariadne’ to his later poetic series, which included ‘The Death of Acteon’ and especially the ‘Three Ages of Man’, I love all his paintings, especially the ‘Urbino Venus’.
Possibly my favourite single painting, from that period, is Botticelli’s ‘Prima Vera’, especially the figure of Flora, though his ‘Venus Rising’ is also superb; both of which I spent hours studying at the Uffizi in Florence.
I love the startling lighting of Caravaggio, especially in the ‘Supper at Emmaus’, in the National Gallery, but also the sheer vivacity of his portrait of ‘Bacchus’ as a young boy – in the Uffizi.
In terms of northern Europe, Jan van Eyck’s ‘Arnolfini Wedding’ is not just a superb painting, but something of a mystery. Durer’s engravings, as well as his paintings, are also interesting; as is the hellish work of Bosch. Above all, though, I love the work of Pieter Brueghels the Elder, from his ‘Peasant Wedding’ to his cycle of the seasons, especially ‘Hunters in the Snow’ and the ‘Harvesters’ which we saw in the Kunsthistoriche in Vienna. I do, though, confuse him with Pieter Brueghels the Younger, since their styles, and subject matter, are so alike.
In Spain, the paintings of Velasquez – from the ‘Water-Seller’ through to ‘The Royal Family’ (‘Maids of Honour’) in the Prado – show real people. At first I liked El Greco, but now I find his paintings too distorted, and too monochromatic, for my liking.
I do not really like the work of Reubens, since I find it overblown – even his landscapes – or that of Delacroix. Though I do like the work of Reubens’ pupil, Van Dyck, such as the portrait of ‘Charles I’. I also like Rembrandt’s paintings, especially his self-portraits and those of his wife Saskia, though I think his ‘Night Watch’ – being vastly out of character for him – is over-rated. Of course, I love the work of Jan Vermeer; the ‘Music Lesson’ is typical of his style, with light streaming in from a window on the left, though his more conventional ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ shows that he could handle different subjects without the (alleged) use of a camera obscurer.
Tainted for us English by his association with Napoleon, I still like David’s work; from the ‘Death of Marat’ to the ‘Coronation of Napoleon’.
I like both the portraits of Gainsborough, especially his ‘Mr. and Mrs. Andrews’ with its social observation, and Reynolds. I also like those of Ingres, especially his ‘Odalisque’.
From the Spanish School, I am very moved by the work of Goya, especially his ‘Third of May’, but find his later work (such as the ‘Disasters of War’) very disturbing. Once again, I find Gericault’s work, especially the ‘Raft of the Medusa’, very overblown.
I do not aspire to venerate horses, but I do love the pictures of them by Stubbs – especially that of “Whistlejacket’.
I do not go into raptures about the work of Constable, but perhaps it is the volume of poor reproductions – especially of the ‘Hay Wain’ – that puts me off.
On the other hand, his contemporary, Turner, is probably my favourite painter of all time; at least in terms of his later, almost expressionist, watercolours and oils. Of course I love the popular works, such as ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ and ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’, but I also love his series painted at Petworth and his seascapes.
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