Art Appreciation – November/December 2024

For the November meeting, members were invited to choose a work of art on the theme of ‘Clothing or Costume’. Unfortunately, a number of members were not able to attend but nonetheless there was a fascinating, diverse range of selections to discuss, ranging from one of the most famous works of medieval art to some extraordinary Dada images.

The late 14th century Wilton Diptych shows four paintings showing Richard II, three highly venerated saints, the Virgin Mary with a host of angels, and a white hart, the emblem of King Richard. The king was, of course, dressed sumptuously with much gold in the fabric of his gown. The Virgin and angels were also dressed in blue made of lapis lazuli, a fabulously expensive dye from Afghanistan. The emblem of the white hart decorated all their robes.

El Greco’s The Burial of the Count Orgaz (1586) also showed the elite of the community as well as a bishop, demonstrating their status by their sumptuous clothing. Although it depicts an event 200 years before the painting was made, all the costumes are contemporary with the artist.

The ultimate in power dressing is seen in Ingres’ 1806 portrait of Napoleon. He is dressed in ermine robes and rich fabrics, adorned by jewels, crowned with a laurel garland, and holds sceptres and other indicators of his supreme power. There is a lot of gold!

Gainsborough’s ‘Mr and Mrs Andrews’ is one of the most famous 18th century portraits. The couple are shown in an informal pose, apparently after a day shooting game, modestly but confidently showing their considerable estates in the background.

Monet’s ‘La Japonaise’ shows his wife dressed in a kimono decorated with dramatic images of a Japanese warrior. The pose was characteristic of classic Japanese subjects, and Monet was clearly responding to the huge interest in Japanese and oriental art in that period.

From a similar period, Repin’s portrait of a Ukrainian girl shows the beautiful embroideries, head dress and jewellery from that part of the Russian empire. Repin was a lover of Ukraine and much of his art celebrated its traditions at a time when Tsarist policy was to suppress the language and culture of his homeland, so works of art such as this were in some measure, political statements.

Frank Bramley was a leading member of the Newlyn School of artists who portrayed everyday life in their local community. ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’ (1891) is a very moving picture showing the funeral of a child. The procession of mourners, with women and girls dressed in beautifully painted white and cream dresses, is moving through the village with local people observing the scene and paying their respects. There is a marked contrast between the clothing of those in the procession and the local villagers.

One of the most charming pictures was William Nicholson’s Portrait of Francis and Christopher Bacon (1907). The two young children are both boys but both are dressed in what most modern viewers would regard as girls’ clothing. It seems that it was still quite customary for young boys to be dressed in dresses and ‘feminine’ clothes until they outgrew the nursery and were ‘breeched’.

It would be hard to find a greater contrast with this than Hugo Ball’s ‘ ‘Cabaret Voltaire’. Ball was part of the Dada movement which was a negative reaction to the horrors and folly of First World War. The response was often satirical and nonsensical in character, and this is seen in some photographs of cabaret performances where the characters wear absurd costumes.

For our next meeting on 10th December, Darran will give a presentation on ‘Female Surrealist Artists’. This seems certain to take us on to some unfamiliar territory.