Well, here goes. One of the trickiest letters of the Art Alphabet. Even the Tate Gallery website – which has a great list of explanations for art terms - has abandoned me here.
Q
1. A Fictional Character (Quasimodo): Quasimodo by Antoine Wiertz (18o6-1865)
Despite being one of the strangest, most deluded artists, Wiertz is nevertheless brilliant. Whether you’re a bit goth, a bit esoteric or just like weirdness, he’s your man. The gallery in Brussels dedicated to his works reeks of petrol & therein lies a tale, no doubt. Technically fantastic, mentally worrying.
2. An Animal (quokka): Derek Quokka (detail) by ATTY
Created digitally, ATTY’s works can usually take between 150-300 hours to make. ATTY is the artist name used by Australian artist Graham Atwell. Based in Sydney, he specialises in animal images. He says, “If you don’t like a quokka, well then there’s no point you still living, I think.” Fair point.
3. A Body Part (quadriceps): Laocoön & His Sons, Hagesandrus (c.100 BC–c.20 BC) (after) and Polydoros (c.50 BC–c.0 BC) (after) and Athenodorus (after)
To be honest, pretty much all the body parts are on display here but those quads are bigger than his head! Laocoön: never missed a leg day.
4. A Bird (quail): Quail Diagram (Partial), Li An-Zhong, Southern Song Dynasty, 12th-13th Century
This is attributed to Li An-Zhong & I like the patterning on the bird’s chest. There are multiple examples of quail in Chinese art – they’re easy to domesticate, don’t seem to move up, fast or far & so are ideal artist models.
5. A Historical Figure (Queen): Portrait of Elizabeth at Queen’s College, Cambridge
There exist many 16th Century portraits of Edward IV’s wife, Elizabeth Woodville, including some in stained glass & manuscripts. She is the subject of a drama The White Queen, apparently a BBC series that passed me by at the time. Presumably she has received so much attention due to being Queen consort at the time of the Wars of the Roses, but her likenesses give us many clues to the dress & fashions of the time.
6. A Title (quartz): Smoky Quartz by Anna Sidi-Yacoub (b. 1968)
Smoky Quartz is a circular sculpture made from aluminium & like other works by this Irish artist, is inspired by the movement of ocean waves recalled from seaside holidays as a child.
7. An Artist (Quaytman): Still Life by R.H. Quaytman (b. 1961)
Bostonican Quaytman is best known for her paintings (using abstraction & photography) on board. What doesn’t show up in this reproduction of Still Life is the “diamond dust” or crushed glass used to make the work glittery.
8. An Emotion (quarrelsome): Quarrel by Marie Laurencin (1883-1956)
Due to Laurencin’s characteristic painting style, it is difficult to see a “quarrel” going on in terms of the facial expressions in this painting, or indeed to work out who is having the quarrel. The body language however can be read as somewhat more tense, with one figure leaning heavily towards the other, whilst she leans in the other direction, covers her chest & crosses her legs away.
9. A Country (Qatar): Work by Wafika Sultan Al-Essa (b. 1952)
One of the first women to become a professional artist in Qatar, Wafika Sultan Al-Essa is a trailblazer who is influenced by the plants, animals, songs & folklore of Qatar. She also utilises calligraphic elements inspired by Islam in some of her works & as a production designer has constructed backdrops for Qatar TV.
10. A Plant (quince): Painting of quince fruit & foliage by Pancrace Bessa (1772-1846)
There was a time when no-one in my life seemed to know anything about quince beyond the fact an unlikely owl & cat pairing scoffed it in slices. For a while, since it was Edward Lear, I supposed it was a made up foodstuff & the only thing that might rhyme & work contextually with “mince.” I remember asking (no doubt to tedious effect), “But what IS quince?” & basically being fobbed off time after time. Strange as it seems now, there was no internet in the 1970s & there was no easy opportunity to dash off & get a dictionary to provide answers to a child getting on your last nerve. All this before you get to the issue of a five pound note being of sufficient size to house not only honey but “plenty” of money.
Ha! Q! I did it.
Comments
Post a Comment