J.M.W. Turner, In Rome, Watercolour collection

Turner

Opere della Tate

Chiostro Del Bramante - Rome

16th July 2018

When in Rome ? Go and see Turner an English great, as it turns out the ticket was 11 euro, to see Turner in England it would cost at least £60 with the train fare to London, so a bargain.

A collection of water colours, I was engrossed, this painter breaks the rules, in my opinion Turner is the first modernist, forget Courbet's Funeral at Ornans, if the Salons had existed in London art history would be taught differently. My thoughts on Modernism, which touches on Turner are expressed in this essay, What is Modernism.

                                                              J.M.W Turner, A Wreak, 1834

J.M.W Turner, Lands End, 1834

J.M.W.Turner, The Eddystone Lighthouse, 1817.

Canaletto

Canaletto 1697-1768

Museo Di Roma - Palazzo Braschi

10th July 2018

This exhibition is the one exhibition that has effected me the most, in a positive way, seeing this painter's genius with colour and accuracy has concentrated my mine on being a bit more conscious of realism, which perhaps may be seen in the few sketches I have produced during my stay at the BSR (see BSR page on this blog).

I even set the alarms off getting too close to the work...oops. Here are a few images from the exhibition, 

I was fascinated by the characters that inhabited the paintings, the beggars, the dogs, the nobles, the fluttering cloth. Canaletto painted onto media primed with red to create the luminosity prevalent in his work, I have started experimenting with sketches using red watercolour on cartridge paper, I will see how I go.

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

Popped in here on 12th July 2018, for one reason only and that was to see this

Diego Velazquez, Pope Innocent X, 1650

I had to see what influenced one of the great British painters, Francis Bacon who created this after visiting Rome

Francis Bacon, Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953

The Velazquez portrays a stern individual, it would certainly cower the god fearing sinner, Bacon, certainly a sinner in the eyes of god portrays a resistance to the Catholic doctrine, a dark sinister caged figure.

The overall experience of this collection was one of disappointment, the remarkable collection is poorly lit, pre enlightenment masterpieces go unappreciated by the viewer, annoying reflections blind the viewer from seeing colours and painting technique.

The exception is this Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Rest On The Flight To Egypt, 1592

The positioning of this painting enabled me to appreciate its magnificence. Up until visiting Rome I have not really been enamoured by religious pieces, pre enlightenment, I had no interest in the subject so have never looked, however I now have a interest, not in the subject but the genius of the painting, I am not worthy.

Francesco Clemente

Galleria Lorcan O'Neill

Rome, 24th July 2018

Francesco Clemente, After Frederico Garcia Lorca

Francesco Clemente, Black Flags Blue Sky 1, 2017

Francesco Clemente, Great Prisoner King, 2017

Francesco Clemente, With a Spoon, 2017

There was two paintings that took my eye, Black Flags 1 and 2. Comments on the 2016 presidential elections in the US. Interesting painting technique, using oil in the way watercolours are applied, I presume using terps. The result is quite similar to the results I had in my two oils from 'Existing Removed', using terps. 

Gagosian, Rome, Tatiana Trouve

The Gagosian Gallery

Rome, 24th July 2018

Tatiana Trouve

Tatiana Trouve, Les Indefinis 2017/2018

Interesting pieces consisting of Bronze sculpture and perspex, a piece making comment and influenced by Giorgio Morandi and Arte Povera. I certainly felt the work portrayed a disconnect between rich and poor, the promise of a fair capitalist society but in fact the consequences of  a badly regulated capitalist world breeds a society forever splitting the rich and poor further apart,  resulting in an unbalanced unfair society. 

The Maxxi, Kara Walker, Anselm Kiefer and Marlene Dumas

The Maxxi

Rome, 18th July 2018

The Place To Be

The general opinion around the BSR had been quite negative about this space, mainly from a group of curators on a course run by Goldsmiths in London so I headed to this exhibition with slight trepidation, my concerns were unfounded, I found the whole experience an aesthetically fulfilling one, especially as I entered the first space, on the wall a piece by Kara Walker, an artist that has informed two of my pieces, Ties That Bind and Strange Fruit.

Kara Walker, The Emancipation Approximation - 1989

Further on through the exhibition having enjoyed seeing a Kara Walker in the real, I was excited to see only my fourth Anselm Kiefer, truly this work is just astonishing, a comment on Germany, living with its past, the Holocaust, its out there in the cosmos for all to see, the biggest void of them all, space. Kiefer's work is a big influence on mine, in particular 'Duff's Legacy' and 'Where Is Uri'

Anselm Kiefer, Sternenfell 1998.

Another piece of note was up in a exhibition of African Art, African Metropolis, Any imaginary city, not sure why a piece by Dutch artist Marlene Dumas was in it but it was, seems to be a trait in Italian curating to mix things up, I suppose the sitter is African in appearance, painted in South Africa, the artist is not African, anyhow this piece impressed and the artist herself has influenced my animations and painting as part of 'Existing Removed'

Marlene Dumas, Black Jesus Man, 1994.

Frutta - Roma. Group Show

Group Show

Frutta - Roma

July 7th 2018:

Not much to say about this show, just good to see some contemporary art. Sorry there was no published literature about the artists so I can't say who the work is by, but hey the author is dead, right ?

This piece was the most interesting for me personally. Made from layers of veneer, could have been made from a found item, a piece of furniture a table perhaps. The sculpture is in the shape of a bread loaf? empty, perhaps reference to hunger, who knows ! its what I think anyway