The Feminine Gaze and Botticelli’s Smeralda ✎

Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli by Botticelli (1470-1480)

This portrait (at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London) always makes me smile.

I think she has a real warmth and presence that jumps right across 550 years.

For its time, this was a radical painting: it’s one of the most early Florentine portrait depictions of a secular woman in a three-quarter pose. If you look at the early renaissance, this kind of painting really marks a shift. For example, Verrocchio, who later trained Botticelli, easily conformed to religious paintings (of the time) in which the Virgin Mary is rendered in three-quarter - e.g. The Virgin and Child with Two Angels at the National Gallery, London. But not an ordinary woman.

Botticelli rendered a level of psychological presence going beyond (even exceeding) those reserved for the Virgin Mary.

I think the pinnacle of this artistic psychological depth and artistic power (with respect to the feminine gaze) was wielded by Leonardo da Vinci:

Portrait of Ginevra de Benci by Leonardo da Vinci

A funny twist to this legend, and which directly ties the Italian renaissance to Victorian London is that Dante Gabriel Rossetti spotted this painting at Christie’s and bought it. It’s connection to the Pre-Raphaelites is quite obvious, I think.

The Lady of Pity by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

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At any rate, I was curious to know who this lady was that Botticelli painted.

Thanks to deligent art historians at the V&A it is possible that a grandson or descendant from the Bandinelli family (in the 1600s) added that name to the bottom of the painting way after it was painted. In those days, families would sometimes “forge” inscriptions to older beautiful artworks to claim that their ancestors were noble and important enough to be painted by masters, like Botticelli.

This leaves us with the fascinating reality that she remains a mysterious beautiful lady from 1470s Florence. 

Her very anonymity draws us to searched out the actual person Botticelli captured on the wood panel.

“Caravaggio’s Cupid” exhibition at the Wallace Collection ✎

Earlier this year, I visited the Wallace Collection in London to see Caravaggio’s famous Victorious Cupid (also known as Amor Vincit Omnia), painted in 1601-02.

This was the first time this monumental Baroque masterpiece had ever been seen in public in the UK. I really enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime display of one of the great masterpieces.

Rating: 4/5 ★★★★

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Victorious Cupid by Caravaggio (1601-1602)

I found this painting both captivating and a bit unsettling.

As I stood in front of it, the tension between classical idealism and raw gritty street reality becomes clear.

Caravaggio painted Cupid. As embodiment of love, he conquers the lute (music), armour (war), a globe (travel), manuscript (learning).

Usually, Cupid was depicted as a soft cherubic being. But, Caravaggio did the opposite. He hired a real street kid from Rome - it was suggested that the model was his lover (Francesco Boneri).

Also, is there something mocking in Cupid’s grin? He knows we want love, or carnality. 😉

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Caravaggio painted heavy sweeping eagle wings with extraordinary plumage and feathers.

The chiaroscuro emphasises his soft & warm rounded fleshiness of cheeks. 

I think Caravaggio’s smile carries a sense of playful, perhaps teasing intimacy.

“Wellington’s Dutch Masterpieces” exhibition at Apsley House ✎

Earlier this year, I went to Apsley House at Hyde Park Corner for a very special exhibition.

Apsley House is the home of the Duke of Wellington. The 1st Duke established both his fame and wealth in the Napoleonic wars.

France, in 1816-1818, was a period time of immense economic disruption and ruination. Napoleon’s defeat left many French aristocrats, military officers, and financiers financially ruined. As such, the Duke purchased these 17th-century Dutch paintings at public auctions in Paris, and out-bid everyone & acquired top-tier masterworks, like Jan Steen’s The Wedding Party, with ease.

What makes this exhibition fascinating, and beautiful, is that it displays 18 magnificent 17th-century Dutch paintings collected by the 1st Duke of Wellington. These intimate genre scenes and landscapes of Wellington’s feature the ordinary people of the Dutch Golden Age, their social gatherings, and daily life. They are magnificent and v. beautiful.

They also include some my personal favourites: Pieter de Hooch, Jan Steen, and Jan van der Heyden.

Rating: 10/10.

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A Musical Party by Pieter de Hooch (1675)

For those that follow my blog, Pieter de Hooch is an absolute personal favourite of mine among the Dutch masters.

For me, though, I think I prefer his earlier Delft works (focusing on simple, sunlit courtyards and modest hearty domestic life). His later Amsterdam paintings shifted toward high society, grander architecture, and wealthy patrons enjoying their leisurely time.

Here the painting is split between the music at the fore and the love/holding hands/kissing at the back. I love the two dogs playing at the fore too.

As ever, the atmosphere is beautifully captured with rich red curtains that filter and warm the incoming light. It even reflects off the marble tiled floor.

Me :)

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A Wedding Party by Jan Steen (1667)

Love it.

Jan Steen is antithesis of De Hooch.

Loud, chaotic, theatrical, and packed with brilliant Dutch wit.

He even paints himself at the fore leaning against a large wooden barrel, looking directly out at the viewer with a glazed smirk.

Jan Steen depicting himself.

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The Milkwoman by Nicolaes Maes (c. 1655-1657)

Wonderful.

Classic Maes with his distinctive vibrant colour saturation. 

Before he became famous for his genre scenes, he was Rembrandt’s star pupil in Amsterdam during the late 1640s. It’s obvious he inherited Rembrandt’s powerful chiaroscuro: the light directs the viewer’s eyes to the story here. A brilliant white light strikes the milkwoman’s crisp white sleeve and the open palm of her hand.

Milkmaids were often a flirtatious subject in Dutch art. Here, she is the embodiment of honest work and virtue.

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The Eavesdropper by Nicolaes Maes (1656)

What a lovely and v. famous painting. 😆

It’s amazing that Duke Wellington managed to get his hands on this painting.

The maid stands at the foot of a wooden staircase, making direct eye contact with us, holding a finger to her mouth in a classic “shh” gesture.

As ever, with Dutch art, trying to convey some high-brow moralism.

I love the smile. It’s like she’s trying not to giggle.

A kiss? A fondle?

It’s interesting the orange/white colours define both maids.

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The Château of Goudestein by Jan van der Heyden (1674)

Beautiful.

For me, Jan van der Heyden’s View of the Westerkerk, Amsterdam at the National Gallery is breathtaking in its meticulous, near-microscopic attention to detail.

This painting typifies the cultural phenomenon of 17th-century Dutch life: atristoractic country retreats.

Not only meticulous in landscape, but his sweeping blue skies with their soft drifting clouds, elegant swans etc.

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The Dissolute Household by Jan Steen (1668)

Famous painting by Jan Steen.

Prosperous bourgeois home turned upside down when people in charge completely abandon their duties.

A hanging basket, with monkeys.

 

A faithless husband, a slumbering mother, thieving children.

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The Courtyard of an Inn with a Game of Shuffleboard by Adriaen van Ostade (1677)

What a joy.

Charming, and radical for its day.

Jan Steen treated peasant-life like a raucous & theatrical comedy; Van Ostade depicted them with a sense of warmth & empathy.

Thus, ordinary peasant life depicted beautifully in Dutch art.

Hardworking man relaxing with his pipe lost in his thoughts

Kids playing next to him.

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A Village Scene by Jan Victors (1654)

A charming depiction of street life.

I have come across Jan Victors at the National Gallery in A Village Scene with a Cobbler (which is so beautiful) that I was pleased to come across his work again.

I love the camaraderie, the earnest facial expressions (Rembrandt?), and the joie-de-vivre sense of a summer’s evening. 

Wonderful find.

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The Intruder: A Lady at her Toilet, Surprised by Her Lover by Pieter de Hooch (1665)

Wow.

De Hooch’s treatment of light is just incredible. 

I love the way his luminous daylight pours into the room reflecting the textures of the silk garments and the polished wood.

In 1661, De Hooch had moved to Amsterdam, and his handling of light underwent a profound transformation, becoming noticeably darker & heavier, and more subdued. I really love his earlier domestic scenes of mothers peeling apples, or maids sweeping yards ...

In the 17th-century, a “toilette” referred to the practice of a lady getting dressed, styling her hair, and applying perfume etc... So, when her lover “intrudes” on her at her toilette, he is catching her in a highly private & vulnerable moment. He removes his hat politely.

The vibrant textures draw us in.

Deep blue skirt wrapped in a rich red fur-trimmed jacket.

His vibrant yellow doublet exquisitely rendered.

An intricately embroidered sash that glows.

 

Beautiful depth and layers via the doorkijkje.

Is the dog the moral admonition? 

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The Physician’s Visit by Jan Steen (c. 1660)

Another Jan Steen.

This painting is not about “illness” - the lady is lovesick, and, quite possibly, pregnant. As per ArtUK:

The girl in this painting is not ill but lovesick. To underline the point, there is a picture of ‘Venus and Adonis’ on the wall and the boy in the foreground is Cupid in seventeenth-century costume, putting an arrow in his bow. The doctor takes the woman’s pulse and looks knowingly at the maid, who is holding a urine bottle. Erotic melancholy was allegedly detected by feeling the pulse, whilst visual examination of the urine was claimed to reveal the same disorder, or pregnancy.

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Leftovers

A Bigger Splash by David Hockney (1967) ✎

In honour of David Hockney who recently passed away.

I really love the feeling of:

1. nostalgia and ephemerality of good-times (captured in the fleeting nature of a splash)

2. that warm sun-baked Californian palette of turquoise & flesh-toned pinks. They’re so relaxing and inviting. Hockney perfectly captured his own joy of Southern California. 

My Upcoming Art Exhibitions List for the Summer and Autumn ✎

Hi everyone,

I have been away from blogging for some time. I’ve been focusing on going to the gym and my fitness, and have been doing some travelling lately. I want to get back into blogging about art.

I have just secured some tickets - for this year - which I am so v. excited about. 😁

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1) The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum

This is one of the most famous and magnificent panoramic masterpieces of medieval art that survives today. This embroidered piece of linen cloth is as important as it is beautiful. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!! (Please see this BBC YouTube documentary)

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2) Frida: The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern

A major retrospective on Frida Kahlo the artist and the icon. I am very excited about this because she is not an artist I know a lot about. So, I am excited to see an intellectual and aesthetic exploration of this iconic artist.

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3) Francisco de Zurbaran at the National Gallery

For me, when it comes to Spanish Baroque, I venerate Bartolome Esteban Murillo and, of course, the great Velazquez. Yet, Zurbaran’s famous Saint Francis in Meditation is one of the National Gallery’s most iconic paintings and typifies this artist’s quiet, powerful & intense chiaroscuro & style.

I am so very excited to get a deep dive into an artist who, for me, has been rather marginal in Spanish Baroque.

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4) Early Netherlandish Drawings at British Museum

I love the Dutch Golden Age and the Northern Renaissance. So this exhibition at the British Musuem is so up my alley. It is a VERY rare survey of highly detailed 15th and 16th century Northern Renaissance drafts, including the greats: Rogier van der Weyden, Pieter Bruegel the Elder etc...

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5) Tracey Emin retrospective at the Tate Modern

Merh.

I think Emin is an underwhelming and tedious artist. I expect to be bored, but I feel I owe to myself to make an effort when presented with a major retrospective of a so-called serious artist.

The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ✎

I saw this commemorative medal dedicated to Emperor Charles V. 

He is on my list of top 10 historical figures I wish I could talk to.

Beautiful German Renaissance craftsmanship: “silver-gilt medal was made by Hans Reinhardt the Elder, in Germany in 1537.”

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I’ve been deeply fascinated by Charles V. 

His power was unrivalled in the 16th century and he completely changed European history, but I also think an overall decent(ish) Emperor.

• The Sack of Rome - Charles V’s own army caused the Sack of Rome. The army hadn’t been paid in months, and they were practically starving. The Duke of Bourbon (defecting from King Francis I of France) was nominally the “commander”, but had very little control over them. He gave an order to “take Rome”. His Imperial troops attacked and the army turned into a leaderless mob. The Sack of Rome was a total collapse in all human decency and human restraint. Torture, mass murders, and mass rapes (even of nuns). The great basilica of St Peters was used as a stable for horses. It’s probably unknown how many irreplaceable manuscripts and masterpieces were destroyed. He was publically horrified by his own army and it is a great irony: the man who spent his life fighting to preserve the Catholic Church against the Reformation was the same man whose army effectively destroyed the Renaissance Papacy. Renaissance too. 
• The Dutch Golden Age - Flemish Charles V was the unintentional “founding father” of the Dutch Golden Age. His religious policies and his eventual abdication, and giving the Netherland to Spanish Philip II, set the stage for the Netherlands to become a global superpower.
• Causing Henry VIII to leave the Catholic Church - Normally, Popes granted favors to kings all the time. But Charles V forced the Pope’s hand preventing the annulment. The irony here is that Charles inadvertently helped create one of the most powerful Protestant nations in European history which then became a massive rival to his own deeply Catholic son, Philip II. One of the first major Catholic but secular forces that reigned Papal power.
• Humble End - He died as a simple monk (mostly), wearing plain clothes instead of robes.

The Madonna of the Meadow by Raphael (1506) ✎

I saw this exquisite masterpiece in Vienna.

The harmony of the composition is absolutely captivating.

Raphael painted this when he was only about 23 years old. Raphael lived a brilliant but tragically short life, dying at the age of 37 in 1520.

I like the contrast between Mary’s slightly melancholic expression (reflecting her tragic prescience) and the two children playing.

Serene Italian landscape.

Baby Christ’s soft chubby cheeks and baby fat is High Renaissance naturalism.

A departure from the medieval homunculus to the divine as fully human in the flesh.

St John the Baptist giving Christ the cross.

Yellow Islands by Jackson Pollock (1952) ✎

From the Tate.

I don’t enjoy the chaos & nor do I really appreciate the appeal.

But I can see how revolutionary it was in art history.

No doubt a reflection of the world during the atomic age. The nuclear arms race, power of electrons and molecular matter. Artists from this era lived through two world wars, the Holocaust and the Great Depression. How do you make art that is meaningful? The expressionists turned inwards to themselves, and painted what they felt instead.

To me, a bit cheap and cheerful - more of a craft than art.

The Grand Turk Giving a Concert to his Mistress by Carle van Loo (1737) ✎

I saw this at the Wallace Collection.  It’s a historically significant work of art.

Carle van Loo was part of the 18th century French Rococo movement, and especially the “Turquerie” trend of the time.

This was a European artistic trend for “Oriental” scenes (v. popular in the 18th century). It was a reflection of the French aristocracy’s fascination with the exotic East. And, as the Wallace Collection argue, one of the “best examples of the Turquerie”. It was exhibited at the Salon of 1737 and was one of a famous pair.

The “mistress” is singing positioned to the left of the Grand Turk, leaning in towards a musical score. Laden with symbolism.

The Eltenburg Reliquary ✎

Wow. Saw this stunning object at the V&A in London. 

The Eltenberg Reliquary is a magnificent 12th-century masterpiece of Rhenish Romanesque art - 1180 AD.

Probably used to house sacred relics, e.g. the Eucharist.

Has that Byzantine dome, gilded bronze, exquisitely carved ivory ...

It shows how redundant our views of the Middle Ages as the ‘Dark Ages’, as little more than mud and superstition.

Elephant ivory used to depict the Crucifixion.

The Hunt in the Forest by Paolo Uccello (1470) ✎

Famous masterpiece by Paolo Uccello. I saw this at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Uccello was one of the early pioneers of linear perspective in art, and he used this painting to show off. All lines converge at a single vanishing point deep in the pitch-black center of the forest.

The posture is hysterical, did he spot a spider in the trees above him?

Linear geometry over human anatomy.

At the Ashmolean.

A statute to the homosexual and the homoerotic ✎

My favourite statute at the British Museum.

This is a statue of Ganymede (Roman copy of Greek original).

Ganymede was a Greco-Romano coda or symbol of same-sex attraction in classical mythology and art. (Technically, not "homosexuality" as we understand it today.)

But, I like to us gays represented, and looking gorgeous. 😎

Monument of King Hammurabi by Ancient Mesopotamians ✎

An exquisite object I came across at the British Museum.

This monument was for personal religious devotion. From 1792BC–1750BC.

Ancient Mesopotamians hammer-and-chiseled it. A terrific level of craftsmanship.

The figure on the left is King Hammurabi himself, shown in a classic profile with his right hand raised in a gesture of prayer or worship.

The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest written sets of laws in human history. King Hammurabi is shown receiving laws from the sun god Shamash. It is now in the Louvre Museum, Paris. (I have been twice, and have missed IT on both occasions — too focused on the art! 😏)

The Wall Paintings of the Chapel-Tomb of Nebamun ✎

The British Museum has some of the most exquisite collections of Ancient art.

The chapel-tomb of Nebamun is a masterpiece.

Nebamun was an ancient Egyptian official and scribe. Today, he is famous for the incredible discovery of the richly decorated - and now lost - Tomb of Nebamun in Thebes. The tomb’s walls were covered with high-quality fresco paintings considered by scholars to be the chef-d’oeuvre of ancient Egyptian art.

The paintings are incredible, especially when you realise they were painted around 1350 BC - making it over 3,370 years old! 😎

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Nebamun Hunting in the Marshes by Master of the Tomb of Nebamun

So beautiful.

Nebamun is depicted hunting in the marshes, powerful and strong. In his small raft, with his wife Hatshepsut next to him, and their young daughter holding onto him.

What marks this art as remarkable is its move away from rigid formal stylised depictions of the Old Kingdom to more lifelike and sensory art.

The ginger cat catching three birds at once in the papyrus thicket is iconic.

It reminds me of modern art.

 

Cats, ducks, fowl, pigeons, butterflies all around Nebamun.

With hunting device in one hand, and other filled with geese. 

As the British Museum notes:

Fertile marshes were a place of rebirth and eroticism, making this more than a simple image of recreation. The huge striding figure of Nebamun dominates, forever happy and forever young, surrounded by the rich and teening life of the marsh. Hunting not only supplied food but represented Nebamun’s triumph over the forces of chaos.

Me, Room 61.

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Surveying the fields for Nebamun by Master of the Tomb of Nebamun

This scene shows an official inspecting fields.

Nebamun was the accountant in charge of grain at the great Temple of Amun at Thebes (Karnak).

Chariot awaiting.

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Nebamun’s Garden of the West by Master of the Tomb of Nebamun

Nebamun’s garden in the afterlife is like his beautiful earthly gardens of ancient Egypt.

Pool is full of birds and fish, surrounded by of flowers and trees.

Sycamore-figs, date palms. 

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Offering bringers by Master of the Tomb of Nebamun

A procession of servants bringing food offerings for Nebamun: grain and desert animals.

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Offerings for Nebamun by Master of the Tomb of Nebamun

This painting displays a massive lavish pile of food meant to sustain Nebamun in the afterlife.

A roast duck, joints of meat, wine jars, baskets of seeds and fruits, loafs of bread.

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A feast for Nebamun by Master of the Tomb of Nebamun

Entire painting dedicated to a lively gathering in honor of Nebamun. His friends and family being served wine and entertained.

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More Information:

• Paintings from the Tomb-chapel of Nebamun by The British Museum (smarthistory)