Tag: portrait

Brasil! Brasil! A glimpse of the artistic heritage of this lively country is on show at the Royal Academy and it’s fascinating to see how a mix of European and indigenous artists have combined to create a distinctive Brasilian aesthetic.

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This image, entitled Three Orishas, was painted by Djanira da Motta e Silva in 1966. It’s an example of the ‘newer’ art in a show which exhibits the art of Brasil from the 1920-70s. The bright colours, stylised look and clear mingling of cultural languages captures, for me the true spirit of this young South American country.

I’m always drawn to portraits and there are some very interesting examples. The muted colours betray the period of the painting and the inheritance of German expressionism. Left: Self-portrait with Orange Dress 1921 by Tarsila do Amaral, Portrait of a Young Man 1943 by Roberto Burle Marx and Lucy with Flower by Lasar Segall painted in 1939-42.

You can see the influence of expressionism and abstraction here with Djanira da Motta e Silva’s self-portrait from 1945, Flavio de Carvalho’s Portrait of Ivone Levi from 1951.

Interesting examples of social commentary with these two paintings. The rather sinister Migrants by Candido Portinari from 1944 represents the migration of northeastern rural communities who were forced to move to other part of the country in search of work. And Tarsila do Amaral’s ‘Second Class’ from 1933 illustrates the awful poverty resulting from the economic crash of 1929.

I liked the stylised tennis player in Vincente deo Rego Monteiro’s limited palette painting from 1928. And I really liked the Marrapaia Dance, Pariti painted by Djanira da Motta e Silva in 1961. Such a striking resemblance to the UK’s Morris dancers with strings of bells tied to the performers’ knees!

And here’s a pick and mix of abstracts and figurative work which show the evolution of Brasilian art.

The show is on at the Royal Academy until 21st April 2025

So good to be back at the National Portrait Gallery for the press launch of the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award. Fifty portraits were selected from over 40,000 entries from all over the world. The results are fascinating, full of variety and made with many different media – but all involving traditional material such as oil, acrylic, tempera. And it’s always fun to meet the artists and some of the subjects too.

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Above is a very compelling and painterly portrait of Adam Pearson, British TV presenter and disability rights campaigner, by Tim Benson. I chatted to Adam about the process and he told me that the portrait had been completed in under four hours in one sitting. It’s that immediacy of image and energy which really attracted me to it.

I was very taken by this portrait entitled Chewing the Cud by Emily Ponsonby. Using the ‘encaustic’ technique using honeyed wax, scraped and mixed with oil and oil pastel, I think it’s a very successful painting both technically and in terms of composition. The viewer is given a surprising ‘fly on the wall’ viewpoint and absolutely absorbed into the conversation in a Dorset kitchen.

Above, a couple of winners. First prize went to Antony Williams‘ portrait: Jacqueline with Still Life. It’s been meticulously painted in tempera, which is a difficult medium (you mix egg yolk with pigment and it’s full of depth and interest. On the right is the Second Prize, Isabella Watling‘s portrait of Zizi which combines very traditional use of paint and pose but gives the subject and the whole atmosphere of the painting, a very contemporary feel.

These two portraits, above, captivated me for their narrative quality. They are not just good paintings but they capture a moment and an emotion. On the left is Estuary English by Ray Richardson and the subject is Adé, a young actor. The two met by chance and became good friends. The title refers both to the body of water in the background of the painting and also the English accent associated with areas of London, along the River Thames, where both men live.

On the right is 1111, by Shinji Ihara. The artist records his partner on the day their beloved cat died. It took over a year and 90 sittings to complete.

By contrast, I was very struck by the photo-realism of this painting on aluminium of Agnese by Massimiliano Poronti. I chatted to the artist who told me that it took a very long time to complete this one.

And above is just a selection of other portraits which caught my eye. I do like a brush stroke and these paintings delivered!

The Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024 exhibition is free to visit at the National Portrait Gallery from 11th July until 27th October 2024. Good stuff.

NOW YOU SEE US: Women artists in Britain 1520-1920. What a fabulous show this is at Tate Britain. We all know that, for centuries, women were not accepted as professional artists, but there were a few exceptions who earned their livings through art. It’s great to see the work of many unfamiliar female artists on show. The talent is breathtaking.

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We take it for granted these days that men and women can forge equally successful careers in art. Four hundred years ago it was a different story. But women still studied art, became proficient at their skill and even earned a living. The curators of this excellent show have found examples of work by over 100 female artists working in Britain from 1520 – 1920 and it’s the most uplifting exhibition.

I really liked this portrait of Messenger Monsey by Mary Black,1737-1814. This is her only known oil painting and it’s so full of character and technical skill. Apparently, Black expected Monsey to pay her £25 for the portrait but her subject objected and suggested that she should not be paid at all for her work, claiming it would damage her reputation and that she might be regarded as a ‘slut’, if she sold her skills. Dear, dear.

This is a tiny self-portrait by Sarah Biffin (1784-1850) who was born without arms or legs. Yet she taught herself to paint, sew and write using her mouth and shoulder. She specialised in portrait miniatures and often signed her work, ‘painted by Miss Biffin Without Hands’.

This is a portrait of Elizabeth Montagu by Frances Reynolds, sister of Joshua Reynolds, President of the Royal Academy. Frances was denied the opportunities of her brother and kept house for him in London and learned to paint by making copies of his work. She was a member of the Bluestocking Circle, a group of women writers, artists and intellectuals who met at the house of philanthropist Elizabeth Montagu, the subject of this wonderful painting.

A charming portrait of Miss Helena Beatson made using pastel on paper by Katherine Read 1723-1778, her aunt. Pastels were not rated by the oil painting men of the period but they were easier to obtain and use by women. The young child in the portrait turned out to be a prodigy and was exhibiting at the Society of Artists at the age of eight.

This fascinated me. It’s a self-portrait made entirely from embroidery by Mary Knowles 1733-1807. Queen Charlotte commissioned her to make a portrait of her husband, King George III, you can see she’s working on it. The clever way she uses silks to create the moulding and lively look of the picture is amazing.

Loved the strength of this and the painterly confidence. It’s by Ethel Wright 1855-1939 and a portrait of Una Dugdale Duval who is famous for refusing to promise to obey her husband during their marriage vows in 1913.

These are two paper cutouts, mosaics created by Mrs Delaney 1700-1782, who used collage, based on the Dutch art known as knipkunst, and used fragments of cut paper to depict, with amazing accuracy, examples of plants and flowers. Mrs Delaney was a favourite in the court of King George III and was given an apartment to live in at Windsor Castle.

Here are just a few more of the pictures which caught my eye. A really, really great show. it’s on until 13th October 2024 at Tate Britain.

It’s taken a couple of centuries but Angelica Kauffman has finally been given a solo show at the Royal Academy in London. She was an inaugural member of this illustrious group which was founded in 1768. She was renowned and admired across Europe as one of the most cultured, talented and influential artists of her generation. It’s wonderful to see so much of her work on these walls.

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In this fabulous self-portrait, Angelica Kauffman represents herself ‘At the Crossroads between the Arts of Music and Painting’. She was a talented singer and musician and torn between the two art forms. But, thank goodness, she decided to dedicate her life to painting. For forty years of her working career (born 1741 and died November 1807) she produced hundreds of remarkable paintings. She was especially enjoyed creating historical, narrative paintings but putting the female character or heroine at the centre of the action. In fact, she was a consummate feminist and celebrated the achievements of women in her work.

Painted by Richard Samuel, here is Angelica, seated in front of the easel, in the company of illustrious women of the day who are all depicted as ‘Characters of the Muses in the Temple of Apollo’. A group portrait of some of the best-known, intellectual and creative women of late 18th century Britain. She is the only artist in the group.

She made several exquisite self-portraits. All of them show her direct, intelligent gaze and are painted with such poise and incorporate classical references in the pose.

According to the curator of the show, Bettina Bamgärtel who spoke at the press preview I attended, Kauffman regarded commissioned portraits as a necessary money-making aspect of her practice, and not her main focus. However, she was extremely good at them. I liked these two portraits. On the left is Joshua Reynolds, who became a close friend. Reynolds introduced her to his royal patron, Queen Charlotte and gave her an entree into London society. On the right is the actor David Garrick. He pose is very unstuffy and shows how very comfortable he felt engaging her gaze and, one imagines, having lively conversations while the painting was being made.

This beautiful portrait of is Emma Hamilton as Muse of Comedy. Emma (who was famously the lover of Lord Nelson) was well known for her ‘attitudes’ – recreating the poses of classical figures as an entertainment. She was invited to country houses and palaces on the promise that she would perform these stylised dances in diaphanous drapes.

This is a portrait of the first Royal Academicians painted by Johan Zoffany gathered in the life drawing room of new Academy. This was not deemed a suitable environment for women so Angelica Kauffman and and Mary Moser, the two female Academicians, are represented in portraits on wall. Kauffman is on the left, looking directly out of her portrait at us.

It’s a wonderful exhibition which is well worth a visit. It opens on 1st March and is on until 30th June 2024.