Art Alphabet: J - Esther

Hooray! It’s the Art Alphabet! We’re not even halfway through yet & we’ve still to meet those tricky Qs, Xs & Zs. I remain quite optimistic at this point however, so we’re ploughing on.

J

1. An Artist (Johnston): The Pillar Box by Alexander Johnston (1815-1891)

From what I’ve seen, Johnston’s works tend to be lavish & accomplished but quite dull. This however smacks a little of something furtive going on. Who is the letter addressed to? Why does the woman look so suspicious? & why does she also seem somewhat excited…?

2. An Animal (jaguar): Cheval Attaque par un Jaguar (Jaguar Attacking a Horse) by Henri Rousseau (1844-1910)

I often find Rousseau’s work odd & confounding, but this is more weird than usually. It does look as if the horse is attacking the jaguar & that can’t be right. It’s a peculiar pose for both animals although in fairness, that horse does look very taken aback. 

3. A Bird (jackdaw): Jackdaw by Edna Bizon (1929-2016)

I love a corvid & jackdaws are no exception. I can confirm they are nice to draw. They have that lovely blue eye too & their small size & posture makes them instantly recognisable. I love this little painting & at first thought it might be in pastels since the application is so soft & sensitive. I also like the unusual but more natural angle at which we look at the bird, rather than a full profile or facing image.

4. An Object (jar): Canopic Jar c. 750-700 BC

In Ancient Egypt, canopic jars were for, quite frankly, your innards after death. There were four jars for different organs. Here we have Hapy, who despite his name would look after your mummified lungs. He has a baboon head (falcon, human & jackal heads for your intestines, liver & stomach respectively).

5. A Month (June):  Flaming June by Frederic Leighton (1830-1896)

Or is it…? We don’t know if June is the woman, her hair, her dress or the month personified but we can tell from the model’s complexion that the atmosphere is warm. In the UK, June (the month) is typically mixed weather-wise - not “flaming” at all - but apparently unimaginative headline writers like to use the phrase. “Flaming Unpredictable” would make more sense. Anyway, the model’s at a very awkward angle & Leighton is said to have done several sketches for this painting, trying to get the pose correct. Foreshortening – the bane of the artist’s life.

6. A Body Part (jaw):  Philip IV of Spain by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660)

I feel slightly bad about this one, since the “Habsburg Jaw” has been analysed & found to be a result of interbreeding. It's arguably the most famous jaw in art. See also the Habsburg lip & Habsburg nose apparently with Charles II of Spain being an example. Of course I’m not about to make fun of people with facial deformities, but they are pronounced & as awful as it sounds, because they’re in paintings, I know who they are & what they look like. As court artist, Velázquez painted Philip IV a number of times & we can be pretty sure it’s a good likeness, as it’s definitely the same guy. In the art world, Diego’s pretty much accepted as a genius but is quite honestly not lauded enough in the mainstream. I think a shift is happening however, but perhaps it is simply because his paintings are a bit odd & he doesn’t shy away from people’s true appearance. 

7. An Artwork (Jewish, Jackie): Jewish Jackie by Deborah Kass (b. 1952)

Here, Kass has appropriated the style & principles of Andy Warhol, who of course appropriated the style & principles of…well, everyone. Kass used Warhol’s pictures of Jackie Kennedy as a starting point. In all, Kass worked for several years on “The Warhol Project.” However for Kass, this work also a form of representation – she didn’t see people in popular culture with Jewish heritage that she could relate to until Barbra Streisand appeared. Barbra was not the samey standard beauty of Hollywood, nevertheless she was glamorous (in Kass’s words “fabulous”) & many people who felt they’d been excluded from the mainstream before could identify with her.

8. A Country (Jamaica): Conversation, Barrington Watson (1931-2016) 

Talking of representation, Watson was renowned for his painterly style & merging his European training with the people & scenes of his own country. His works are similar to genre paintings although there has been some criticism of Watson’s focus & “controlling” use of women in purely domestic circumstances. 

9. An Art Trend (Japonisme): Young Ladies Looking At Japanese Objects by James Tissot (1836-1902)

It can’t really be called a movement as it wasn’t a deliberate gathering of artists as such, more a craze for the features & styles of Japanese art at the end of the 19th Century. In any case, it was a critic’s term. Japanese art influenced a whole raft of European artists, (as Europeans tend to do, they seemed to feel they’d “discovered” it) when trade links were re-established with Western Europe for the first time in about 150 years. Japonisme was typified by a stylised approach, strong colour, flatness & simplicity. Degas, van Gogh, Manet, Gaugin & Beardsley were among those enamoured of & heavily influenced by Japanese art. Here, Tissot shows the women gazing admiringly at some Japanese artefacts as Tissot himself might have done.  

10. An Occupation (judge): The Three Judges by Honoré Daumier (1808-1879)

Here are three of them & you get the feeling they’re not exactly thrilled by their work. It’s a very expressive little watercolour that perhaps tells us something about Daumier’s opinion too. This exceptionally prolific artist spent a lot of his career working on social commentary through his art, taking down the political figures of the day. Although we don’t know if he participated in fighting, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Revolution. He was even jailed for one picture of King Louis-Philippe in 1832, which I feel shows tremendous commitment. Shall I post it? Of course I shall, despite having no "J" connection. Here it is. I’d say I hope you enjoy it but…