Happy Thanksgiving!!

Norman Rockwell’s was an American illustrator he worked predominantly for the Saturday Evening Post creating works for the front cover that expressed America’s visual identity.

His works have become iconic of this period in American history and hugely influential for advertising, they still have an impact today.

They largely speak of tradition and the workings of everyday life, with a huge kitsch appeal, although some have a political bent particularly his later work and those that coincided with the war.

Many of his paintings focus upon Thanksgiving.

                                                    Norman Rockwell Saving Grace 1951

Saying Grace as the name suggests shows a family saying their prayers around a rather unusual thanksgiving table. It was produced and published for the Thanksgiving edition of the post in 1951. It is a poignant scene in which the family sit in a diner saying grace while other figures look on incredulously. It reminds the viewer that Thanksgiving is not just about turkey but is a testament of faith and tradition.

                                               Norman Rockwell Freedom from Want 1943

On the other end of the spectrum we find Freedom from Want, which is a self proclaimed celebration of plenty. The MASSIVE turkey about to be carved completes the table which includes a variety of other sumptuously painted food. The table is surrounded by smiling faces leaning in as if smelling the turkey and laughing and joking with each other.

However the painting also sits within a political dialogue, it is one of the four freedoms referred to in a speech by Roosevelt, they included Speech, Want, Fear and Worship and were intended as a reminder of the reasons for the World War.

Regardless of the political statement behind the painting it is primarily a painting of a family including a variety of generations being united in celebration.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving full of food fun family and friendship!!



Ice Skating in Style

The Somerset House Ice Rink opened to the public today and is in my opinion a really magical experience. As you pass through the three arched entrance from the strand you enter a small oasis of Christmas, with a large and colourfully decorated Christmas tree set against the magnificent building of Somerset House built in the classical style. I always find the atmosphere of this enclosed square truly surreal especially when juxtaposed with the frenetic pace of the strand on which it stands.

Sponsored by Tiffany’s expect to find lots of egg shell blue, you might even fancy a quick visit to their pop up shop, (far left of photo).

There is also a cafe for those all important warming drinks once you have fallen over one to many times.

Get arty with it!

If you wanted to make a day of it why not visit the Courtauld Gallery where you can escape to other equally atmospheric venues and places:

The vibrant Parisian Folies-Bergere

The idealised Egypt of Bruegel

Or the sun soaked Tahiti of Gauguin

Regardless of how you choose to spend the rest of your day a trip to the Somerset House ice rink should be in the diary, there are even some special events going on that are worth taking a look at.

 All the details about the skating are on: http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/ice-rink

For any more information about the Gallery go to http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/index.shtml

P.S Pippa Middleton even attended the opening evening!!

Some different interpretations of London

You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford

Samuel Johnson

London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idler of the Empire are irresistibly drained.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

                          Arthur Boyd Houghton London Scene 1836-1875 (At the Tate Modern)

You are now In London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow

At once is deaf and loud, and on the shore

Vomits its wrecks, and still howls on for more.

Yet in its depth what treasures!

Shelley

Claude-Oscar Monet The Thames below Westminster c1871 (Can be seen at the National Gallery)

When it’s three o’clock in New York, it’s still 1938 in London.

Bette Midler

I’m leaving because the weather is too good. I hate London when it’s not raining.

Groucho Marx

The First Actresses

The First Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons 20^th October 2011- 8^th January 2012 at the National Portrait Gallery. Adults - £11 Concessions - £9

While this exhibition may not pack the clout of this years blockbusters such as the Leonardo or the Degas it is equally unmissable. With its own helping of star names including Hogarth, Gainsborough and Reynolds there is plenty to engage the visitor. I went with my father last Saturday and was shocked at the peaceful atmosphere of the exhibition, which enabled us to get up comparatively close to the works on display. A luxury that was particularly appreciated when it allowed a close viewing of the Hogarth print ‘The Strolling Players’ which gives the opportunity to revel in the intricate satirical details always to be expected in a Hogarth.

 Hogarth The Strolling Players 1738

In our day and age the Hollywood actress is revered given an almost sacred status however this exhibition charts the seedy roots of the profession in the late 17^th and 18^th centuries. The erotic tones of the portraits of Nell Gwyn the Kings mistress are plain for all to see.

Simon Verelst Nell Gwyn c.1680 and, right, c.1680-5

However the actresses inclusion in the paintings some of which (particularly those in the third room) would have graced the walls of the Royal Academy demonstrates the elevated status of these women and to some extent a level of emancipation from their traditional roles. As well as allowing the painter to experiment with less conventional poses and types.

A particular favourite of mine which encapsulates this sense of experimentation and fun is The Three Witches from Macbeth by David Gardner 1775. Which includes portraits of various prominent women including the influential and fashionable Duchess of Devonshire.

David Gardner The Three Witches from Macbeth 1775

Should the exhibition merely whet your appetite then there is its contemporary counterpart also at the National Portrait Gallery. This is in rooms 41 and 41a and is a free exhibition. There is even a very tempting Catalogue with good quality images and some interesting articles.

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/the-first-actresses/first_actresses_exhibition.php

Fur Coats ... not just a passing trend

I recently bought myself my much loved and incredibly cosy faux fur coat and it got me thinking about the long tradition of the representation of fur in art.  

Donatello St John the Baptist c.1386-1466

Some of the earliest uses of fur in art are in paintings and sculptures of St John the Baptist such as this sculpture by Donatello. St John the Baptist was often clothed in fur, in Matthew 3:4 he is described thus, 'And the same John had his clothing of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.' This describes John during his time preaching in the desert before his baptism of Christ.

Jan Gossaert Portrait of Hendrick III c. 1517

In this portrait Hendrick III is represented wearing a fur shawl alongside his velvet hat and elaborately herringboned tunic. Here the rich materials are used for their symbolic value, representing the wealth and importance of the sitter in a dialogue of opulence. Additionally they celebrate the prowess of the painter and his mastery of complex painting techniques in the attempt to create naturalism.

John Currin Rachel in Fur 2002

From the Renaissance we turn to a painting with a more contemporary feel by the American painter John Currin. Here while the fur still speaks of opulence there is a newly glamorous edge, particularly when paired with the Nicole Richiesque dark sunglasses. It is a look that would grace the pages of Vogue.

Meret Oppenheim Object 1936

While here I deviate from clothing a look at fur in art simply wouldn’t be complete without this most notorious surrealist object. Supposedly deriving its appearance from a discussion between Oppenheim Picasso and Dora Maar at a Parisian cafe. Admiring Oppenheim's fur-covered bracelet, Picasso remarked that one could cover anything with fur, to which she replied, "Even this cup and saucer" and with that an art work was born.