Raphael - Italian Master and Top Turtle

I take a look around my favourite Ninja Turtle's exhibition at the National Gallery.

You'll probably know Raphael from his depiction of two cherubs happily chatting away, usually to be found on the walls of all good Italian trattorias. Despite the popularity of this work, which is actually just the footnote of a much larger painting called Sistine Madonna, there's a lot more to him as I found out at the National's current exhibition.

More than any of the other Italian Renaissance Masters, Raphael was definitely the original user of the 'insta filter'. In comparison to the technical realism created by Leonardo and Michelagelo's depictions of strength and beauty, Raphael's works feature some questionably smooth-faced and chilled out individuals; you won't find a wrinkle amongst them. The subjects of his paintings often radiate a feeling of serenity but he didnt aim for perfection, and often balanced this 'inner calm' with a few hints of every day life; whether that's a stray hair out of place or a nod to normality through the odd gesture, usually as a result of his life long study of live models.

He was also a master of conveying relationships between his subjects. In contrast to other religious artists, Raph (I'll use his turtle name) often represented Madonna simply as a new mum looking after her little one, keeping an eye on him in case he was about to kick-off. It makes the whole scene look much more 'normal' and accessible,  and it's a style he used time and again, especially when creating commissions for friends and family, in my opinion the best room of the exhibition.

What you might not have realised when watching 90s kids TV, is that the relationship between the two older turtles, Leo and Raph wasn't actually that far from the truth...you know, aside from being brothers and heroes in half shells and all that.

Both artists worked in Florence around the same time and clearly knew of each other's work. Raphael definitely looked up to Leonardo, even to the extent that he created a series of sketches and paintings which were directly inspired by the composition of the Mona Lisa (google La Muta).

Despite being so ridiculously young when he started to hit the big time and only living to 37, Raphael had the ability to learn quickly from those he admired and push their ideas annoyingly just that little bit further, creating seriously impressive works as a result of it.

The Credit Suisse exhibition is definitely worth a visit, on at the National Gallery until 31 July 2022.

I'll talk about the relationship between Raph, Leo and their mutual nemesis Mikey (Michelagelo) another time, their rivalry would have made a great episode.

Galleries in Lockdown

I’ve had a busy morning; I went to two gallery exhibitions in my pyjamas.

There’s no doubt we’re living in strange and unsettling times.  If there’s one small positive we can take from the current crisis, it’s highlighting the importance of the role that creative industries can play in our lives. 

In the last few weeks I’ve been to plays I could never get tickets to, exhibitions that are usually crowded and concerts I could only imagine being on the front row of.

My own little exhibition went online this year too: https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/favourite-places/

Here’s the two I ‘walked around’ this morning.

Royal Academy of Arts - Picasso and Paper

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/picasso-and-paper

I didn’t initially buy tickets to see this exhibition but I kind of wish I had now.  Picasso painted well into his nineties and so there’s generally a lot of opportunity to see his work throughout the world.

Whilst I love a Picasso exhibition when I see it, the title of this one made me think I probably wouldn’t be missing much.  Today’s online tour of the exhibition definitely made me think otherwise.

At one point it explained that Picasso is ‘endlessly resourceful’ and this really comes across. The exhibition shows Picasso’s love of creating art out of pretty much anything and everything, from hotel letterheaded paper, to wallpaper samples. Cut-outs and collages helped to shaped some of Picasso’s most famous works, from Guernica to Weeping Woman.   

One of the most interesting parts about this exhibition is how most of the work on display has even survived!  Some are just frail scraps of ripped paper, others are massive cardboard costumes. I’ve no idea how they’ve been preserved but I’m glad they did.

Tate Modern - Andy Warhol

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/andy-warhol/exhibition-guide

The exhibition is a biography of Warhol’s life, showing his transition from commercial illustrator to the creator of some of the most iconic images in recent history. In particular, the exhibition focusses on sexuality and Warhol’s experiences living as a gay man during a time of significant cultural change.  

There are some important works on display, including images from Silver Clouds, marking his transition from artist to filmmaker.

Overall, I came away with a better understanding of who Andy Warhola was (he dropped the ‘a’ when he moved to New York) and a much better awareness of who and what inspired him before he became a modern-day icon.

I don’t think anyone is saying an online exhibition will ever replace getting up close and personal to actual works of art, but I still came away from both feeling I understood more about the artists and their works.  Let’s hope they are still running once we’re able to leave the house!

How to Look at a Painting - Composition

Google ‘Edvard Munch The Scream’

Until recently I was in the “a 5 year-old could do that” camp on Munch. That was, until I went to the British Museum’s Love and Angst exhibition and saw his work in a totally new light.

The Scream is a great example of composition, it’s like a game of snakes and ladders. Every line or curve on the canvas, from the diagonal of the promenade to the swirling clouds takes you straight back to the skull-like image, covering his ears from the screaming sky (a common misconception is that he is the one screaming; he’s actually distanced himself from his group on the pier to try and avoid an anxiety attack).

It’s an incredible composition. Wherever you look your eyes keep getting guided back to the focal point of the painting. It’s like Munch is saying “nope don’t look there, back you go, have a look again at that man having the worst time of his life.”

Composition is a useful thing to look for in any painting. Your eyes will naturally go on a journey across the canvas, with markers of lines, shapes and objects that the artist has structured to get you to focus on where they want your attention.

The Scream was part of a group of works Munch called “The Frieze of Life”. They were some of his most evocative works, but he wasn’t precious about his art, famously saying “it does them good to fend for themselves” when they were damaged or rained on.

Munch knew each and every aspect of The Scream by heart; each element, from the mummified expression on the man, to the promenade, to the sky and the people in the background. Every detail had already featured in other works, or had come from inspirations in his earlier life. He chose The Scream to bring them all together. The simplicity of the painting (pastels or woodcut- there are several versions) helps to keep the message concise; it’s scratchy, dark and there’s not a trace of glamour or romance.

I’d like to see a 5-year old try that.

How to Look at a Painting- Introduction

Aside from actually painting, a solo visit to a gallery is probably one my favourite pastimes. I’m pretty sure I even have a special ‘museum walk’ (no idea why).

I’ve been lucky enough to go to a lot of the world’s best galleries. Closer to home I tend to visit the London galleries after work. Most run late nights one Friday a month, when they stay open until about 10pm. For me, these are the best times to visit as you’ll pretty much get the place to yourself once it gets to 8pm, and you can get up close and personal to the paintings (well, as far as the serious looking security guard sat in the corner will allow you to).

Everyone looks for different things in a painting; for some it’s whether they like it (a pretty valid reason in my opinion) through to the more technical aspects of the painting. Whilst I can’t profess to being an expert (there are a lot of people who are and have also written on this subject) I can tell you a bit about some of the things an artist or art lover might be looking at when they visit a gallery.

PS it’s pretty tricky getting permission to show famous masterpieces on my little site, so just google it alongside the blog and you’ll see what I’m talking about!

Topics I’ll cover in future posts include:

• Composition

• Technique

• Messaging

• Lighting

• Context

If you’re interested in reading more, see my blog How to Look at a Painting - Composition.