One Hundred Great Artists: Part One - Esther

 

There are lots of ways to unwind & after a fraught fortnight of post(?)-lockdown back-to-work hysteria, I can think of any number of ways to forget about it all & clear my head. Apart from falling asleep in front of the TV what better way to do almost nothing than to look at some nice pictures? It certainly works for me. 

 

I may have mentioned I love a list & this one was made during lockdown. It’s not at all exhaustive & is quite Eurocentric. Had I made it two years ago, it would have been slightly different. Therefore in no order whatsoever, here is the first in a series of the Great Artists In My Opinion. There will be some obvious & popular favourites but you’ll find no Picasso or van Gogh, regardless of what other “Greats” lists might assert. Here there are artists whose works I’d be prepared to hang on my wall had I the money & limitless space. Here are people whose work has taught me, inspired me & blown me away & whilst you might believe it’s an incomplete – perhaps even inaccurate! - inventory, it’s my list & if you don’t like it, make your own. Here we go.

 

1. Harry Clarke (Republic of Ireland, 1889-1931): The Last Hour of the Night, 1922

Having just said there is no order to these lists, Harry Clarke is my number one artist. In part it’s because he’s the greatest stained glass artist that ever lived & also because his drawings & illustrations have everything I like. The fiddliness, the detail, the decoration, the patterning, the stylisation, the darkness & the magic – I don’t want to go into too much fawning. There will be another blog post for that. But this illustration for the Dublin of the Future publication about the city’s regeneration is one of his more deliciously sinister images. The line work is immaculate, the composition is forlorn & the figure downright eerie. Although its clear his thoughts were of the old version of Dublin post-Easter Rising, it’s entirely characteristic of Harry to apply the bleak, macabre & disturbing to a book about urban renewal. Sadly the original drawing is now lost.

 

2. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (France, 1780-1867): Self Portrait Aged 24, 1804

Ingres’s work is all undoubtedly highly accomplished & polished but for me often lacks a connection. Not so with his 1804 self-portrait. Here he stares us down, confidence verging on arrogance as if he knew the weight of art history would one day be upon him. Here we see a fiery, hungry young man nevertheless old enough to know his worth & have shed his former doubts & to recognise the glittering career ahead of him. Find his 78 year old self portrait & you’ve uncovered a changed man: buttoned up, world-weary but with an even more authoritative air of irritable self-belief. His painting as a 24 year old is to me an example of perfect portraiture. It declares the sitter, reveals his inner nature & provides a stunning, almost photographic likeness.

 

3. Vilhelm Hammershøi (Denmark, 1864-1916): Interior, Strandgade 30, 1908

“Internal” & “muted.” It’s as if Hammershøi chose these words for their various meanings & expressed them in painting. His interiors are among the strangest of representational & figurative works. His wife Ida was often his sitter for these & she was frequently rendered with her back to the viewer. Turned away from us, she seems unaware of rather than ignoring us & the possibility of voyeurism is one of the unsettling aspects of these images. The peaceful palette is calm & quiet. All is inward, all is internal. The colours are toned down & the woman & her room are silent.

 

4. Charles White (USA, 1918-1979): Nobody Knows My Name #1, 1965

This staggering image in charcoal & crayon is not only technically brilliant but it evokes the centuries of oppression & the ensuing pain & isolation. The symbolism of the vortex of light in the darkness is profound, the head defiant & proud but looking like he’s only just keeping it above water. Essentially socialist, White’s commitment to equality & fairness led him to produce murals, lithographs, linocuts & cartoons as an artist-activist for workers’ rights & the civil rights movement. As this piece shows, he did not forget the real people at the centre of the story.

 

5. Artemesia Gentileschi (Italy, 1583-c.1656): Judith & Her Maidservant, 1613-14

Much of Artemesia’s work chimes with the concept of female assertiveness, although she often takes it to the point of extreme violence. Her paintings often portray women visiting brutality against men, indulging in a range of un-stereotypical female behaviours & poses. Her rape has been interpreted as the reason to paint her revenge. She selected historical & biblical heroines to get her (presumed) point across. But this is not why she interests me. Again, it’s because her women are human. There might be a well-known narrative to the paintings but she is atypical in her depictions. They’re very refreshing & contemporary. Instead of seeing the act of Judith lopping off the head of Helofernes or her triumph, we see conspirators looking anxious & wondering where on earth they can hide it.

 

6. Katsushika Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849): Fine Wind, Clear Morning, c.1830-32

Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (in fact there are 46) combine to make one of the most enduring & charming collections of work left to us. Putting their beauty & influence in modern art aside, the sheer volume of individual pieces is enough to amaze. They show Fuji in all weathers & seasons & from different viewpoints. Now maintaining iconic status is The Great Wave off Kanagawa, where Mount Fuji is dwarfed in comparison with the enormous wave. If you search the various Views you’re sure to find a favourite & although I do love Rainstorm Beneath the Summit, Fine Wind, Clear Morning (also known as South Wind, Clear Sky or Red Fuji) just sneaks it. The combination of the simple, almost abstract quality of the mountain against the effect of dappled clouds has a pleasingly universal familiarity.

 

7. Austin Osman Spare (England, 1886-1956): Cat Burglar, 1932

Spare’s work seems to be all too often overlooked because of general art establishment snobbery about occultism & spiritualism, which greatly interested him & informed many of his creations. Highly influential in a range of media & styles, much of his work was atmospheric, esoteric & often unearthly. There is no doubting his draughtsmanship & imagination when we see drawings like Cat Burglar however. The quality of line & the tiny touches of colour & highlight are expert. Many aspects of his life can’t be verified, despite being gone less than one hundred years ago; this includes the tantalising question of whether or not Hitler was one of his sitters. Spare was fervently anti-Nazi so it’s nice to imagine him making a deliberately awful job of it.

 

8. Albrecht Dürer (Germany, 1471-1528): Young Hare, 1502

Dürer’s genius is evident in all his works & was apparent at a young age. Young Hare however is one of his most endearingly simple & un-showy pieces. This too is an iconic example, full of life & almost miraculous in its observed detail & accuracy. There is some debate about whether or not he used a live specimen as reference but it’s fun to picture such a large, potentially excitable creature such as a hare loping around the studio of a great master.

 

9. John Tenniel (England, 1820-1914): Through the Looking Glass, 1871

I’ve attempted many Alices in my time, as have thousands of artists before & after me. It doesn’t matter how many interpretations in film, TV & art we see, it’s surely impossible to erase the Tenniel originals from our collective consciousness. We might pretend we have another favourite (I favour Ralph Steadman’s & Arthur Rackham’s myself), but we are deluding ourselves. Tenniel developed a character - in fact, a set of characters - that have not only stood the test of time but appear timeless & have therefore not been bettered. I don’t care what you say: Tenniel’s Alice is the best.

 

10. Tamara de Łempicka (Poland, 1898-1980): Portrait of Ira Perrot, 1930

Is there a more recognisable Art Deco artist than de Łempicka? Her (nearly-Cubist) paintings are so stylised & striking they stand head & shoulders above anything else of their type. In fact, it feels wrong to lump her in with any art movement because her paintings are just so de Łempicka. Extremely clever, sophisticated & glamorous, the work was popular before WWII, falling out of favour again until the sixties. As an aside I strongly recommend an internet search into her biography, even a small one. From a few paragraphs, you’ll see she’s exactly as you’d expect whilst simultaneously opposing all your expectations. Superb.