On the one hand, it’s going to be more time to do something else. On the other, I never thought I’d get this far, last this long or be able to sustain writing an arty entry EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Yet since starting almost three years ago, I’ve managed to keep it going & in particular through the past (& hardest) ten months of my life.
So although it’s fine that the Consortium of Seven is coming to an end as a group of bloggers, it’s been a year of endings for me.
Perhaps it is the right time after all.
This is dedicated to all my fellow Consortium bloggers, who are members of what has been a generous & attentive group.
In particular, thanks to Garbo who gently shoved me into doing something I didn’t think for a minute I could do. People like that are valuable. Let them wrangle you into the apparently impossible. In your bid to avoid disappointing them, you may find out something about yourself.
Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Portrait of Paris von Gütersloh, 1918
Okay, I won’t lie – I’ve sneaked in a few favourite artists here & as usual won’t apologise. They’re often favourites because I like their style & said style is recognisable. This is the case with Egon. Egon-wise, this painting’s got the lot. Expressive hands. Unnerving stare. Life & energy. Reality & emotion. Seemingly unnecessary coloured patches all over that don’t look as if they should work coming together to make an incredible & unified whole. We’re used to seeing his drawings with blank backgrounds, but when he painted larger works, more “complete” works, they’re beyond compare. & this isn’t even finished. von Gütersloh & Egon were friends, the former a deeply arty type involved in theatre, painting & writing, who Egon is said to have regarded as a genius. It’s an edgy, taut portrayal & the overall effect puts me in mind of a hypnotist or escape artist such as Harry Houdini. Ultimately, this oil painting sucks us in; it transfixes & entrances the viewer.
Did I ever tell you I once wrote a short story about a drawing of his & IT CAME TRUE IN REAL LIFE? Shame if I didn’t, since it’s the last arty blog…
John Byrne (b. 1940), Tilda Swinton
Of the great Scottish artists that are still here, John Byrne is surely the best. Multi-talented & a warm demeanour that nevertheless suggests he’s seen it all, done it all. He’s such a shape-shifter in terms of style but they’re all him & they’re all wonderful.
Alasdair Gray (1934-2019), Portrait of Bill McLean
Of the great Scottish artists that are not still here, Alasdair Gray is perhaps my most missed. I’ve been a fan of his art all my adult life & I’d recommend much of his writing too. His ability to capture a likeness in a few lines is nothing short of astonishing, as are his frequently off-the-wall compositions for book illustration. Of any artist, he’s the one that made me look UP in Glasgow. Those statues carved into walls too high to notice without prompting certainly influenced certain pieces & were always worth a glance.
Ekene Ngige (b. 1982), A cup of truce small, 2018
This beautiful work is painted with coffee. There is a nice interview with him here:
Gustave Doré (1832-1883), Portrait of Dante Alighieri, 1860
Yes, that Dante. Doré’s wondrous works never cease to amaze, but in this portrait, my amazement occurs for a different reason. In real life could Dante really have appeared so imposing, frankly terrifying, so Game of Thrones? Doré was a master though & there is a death mask of Dante in existence that confirms he certainly had a very strong look. There are other portraits of Dante, which are undoubtedly softer yet a lot less memorable. It’s believed he suffered from palpitations & narcolepsy, diagnoses made from evidence in his own writing; this might go some way to explaining his preoccupations.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), Portrait of Johannes Kleberger, 1526
Although it’s painted as if it’s a medal or plaque of some sort, with the sitter cut off as if he’s a model in a museum, Dürer can’t resist making it look otherwise completely realistic & amazing. What a guy.
Hans Holbein the Younger, (c. 1497-1543), Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel & a Starling, c. 1527–28
OMG Holbein. Just OMG. Quite likely my favourite portraitist of all & unquestionably the one who gets me most excited with just realistic images of heads. His figures are REAL people. They look as if they’ll talk to you. O. M. G.
Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), Lucas Vorsterman, c. 1630/33
Vorsterman was an engraver that produced facsimiles of the work of Rubens until the two had a monumental dust-up…whereupon van Dyck – a student or chief assistant of Rubens – snaffled him. This is an etching made by van Dyck of the master engraver.
Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530), Portrait of a Young Man, c. 1517-18
The identity of this sitter is unclear, although it’s thought it might be a stationer named Lorenzo di Matteo Peri. It’s such a subtle work, yet it was one of my favourite paintings on a visit to the already stuffed-full-of-favourite-paintings National Gallery in London last year. Despite the painterly style, it’s a painting full of life – the light, the model’s expression & his posture. It’s as if he’s just glanced up from that book at the call of his name…which we’re not even sure of…
Harry Clarke (1889-1931), Self Portrait
Although the portraits on these particular lists weren’t meant to be self portraits, it is the last image of the last arty blog.
It had to be a Harry selfie.
A multi-disciplinarian, colour & monochrome genius with a unique & distinct style, Harry is for me simply the greatest artist who ever lived.
I think for that reason I can bend my self-imposed rules.
Thank you for your kind attention.
I have really enjoyed your art pieces, I learned things, thanks for your enthusiasm and longevity.
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