Floralia

 

Floralia III, (detail)

                                    "Rise and put on your foliage, and be seen
                                     To come forth, like the spring-time, fresh and green,
                                     And sweet as Flora. Take no care
                                     For jewels for your gown or hair
                                     Fear not; the leaves will strew
                                     Gems in abundance upon you
                                    Besides, the childhood of the day has kept,
                                    Against you come, some orient pearls unwept.
                                    Come, and receive them while the light
                                    Hangs on the dew-locks of the night
                                    And Titan on the eastern hill
                                    Retires himself, or else stands still
                                   Till you come forth! Wash, dress, be brief in praying
                                   Few beads are best when once we go a-Maying."

                                    - Robert Herrick.

Floralia is a new series of artworks that I began creating in the late winter of last year. They anticipated the coming season, principally taking their inspiration from the celebrations in honour of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers, vegetation, fertility and the season of spring. Floralia first began in ancient Rome in 238 BCE, with the festival taking place from April 28th to May 3rd. Festivities would have included pleasure-seekers enjoying games (Ludi Florae), drinking, feasting and in some cases naked dancing, all against a backdrop of floral garlands and wreath decorations adorning homes, trees and participators in the festivities. Floralia celebrations still occur annually though as a flower festival in the private park of Groot-Bijgaarden's Castle in Brussels, and as part of May Day events here in the British Isles. The season of spring and its depiction by other artists has provided inspiration for my work previously, namely in the dress silhouette I created entitled Sweetheart Neckline (here), which was inspired by the figure of Flora in Botticelli's Primavera, c.1470/1480. In the case of these Floralia artworks it was the magnificently surreal paintings titled Flora and Primavera by artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo, with their subject's beautiful, intricate ruff collars of blooming flowers so delicately rendered by the Renaissance artist. I recently had the pleasure of seeing the latter when I came across it in the flesh on a recent trip to Madrid at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes, which was a fantastic surprise. It was just as enchanting in the original as in reproductions in books and online. Unusually for me central to the creation of this collection was also music. In my head there was a soundtrack to these pieces because of the almost ritualistic way in which they were created. The soundtrack was that of Baroque-era music which you can experience on my various Instagram posts documenting the development of the artworks. For some reason the music seemed to perfectly match the intricate rhythms and patterns created by and reflected in the artworks. The music and subsequent dance patterns of the Baroque era could be quite complex. Baroque music and dance is based on a series of elegant, highly structured and symmetrically harmonious movements, something that I have tried to capture in the structure of these artworks. The various forms of classical ballet and opera that we are familiar with today were developed from the Baroque period. The artworks created for this series and my interpretation of Floralia as well being rooted in Baroque-era music and dance patterns are also based on principles of pattern, symmetry and repetition found in nature and plants, and in this respect are similar in spirit to my earlier series of Kaleidoscope collages (here, and screen-prints here). This pattern and symmetry gives the collages a sense of rhythm and movement. Below are some pictures of the construction of the four different Floralia designs, and how the different elements all came together to form the completed artworks. It was a real revelation to see how the shapes of the artwork mutated, changing form with each set of elements added. Floralia artworks employs my signature gold-leafed and individually hand-cut butterfly silhouettes alongside, and in harmony with new bold, floral blossom shapes and curlicued foliate elements. They all coalesce in unison, singing the praises of spring, the season of rebirth, and in celebration of its host the goddess Flora.

Guiseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) - Flora, c.1589

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Guiseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) - Primavera, 1563

Floralia I

Floralia II

Floralia III

Floralia IV

Zurbarán

 

Francisco de Zurbarán - Saint Casilda of Toledo, (1630-1635) detail

I'd had a taste of Zurbarán's paintings during visits to the National Gallery previously, and on my trip to Madrid (here), earlier this year and was struck by his obvious talents as a painter. The two versions of his Agnus Dei painting - a trussed up sacrificial lamb awaiting slaughter representing the body of Christ seen at both the Prado and the Palacio De Bellas Artes museums are just the most tender and magical paintings I'd encountered on my trip. The way in which the artist tenderly captures the texture of the lamb's fleece, and its vulnerable body, oblivious to its fate in its innocence, yet lying in a state of quietude were quite emotive. These were paintings that would have been commissioned from the artist by patrons for private devotion and contemplation. They left a lasting impression on me, and were but a taster for this retrospective exhibition back home in London at the National Gallery, which further underlines his skills as an artist. Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), was born in Fuente de Cantos, Extremadura and was a Spanish painter of the Baroque era recognised for his large religious paintings and smaller still life studies. He was known as the "Spanish Caravaggio" because of his similar use of the chiaroscuro technique. Zurbarán is thought to have been largely self-taught, but at the age of 16, he began an apprenticeship in Seville under the artist Pedro Díaz Villanueva. Seville would be his base for the majority of his life. During this period Zurbarán befriended his contemporary, Diego Velázquez, who was training nearby under Francisco Pacheco. Although born just one year apart, they developed their own approaches to painting, yet maintained a lifelong friendship. Zurbarán went on to meet Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, the artist he would compete with most for commissions. Together, these three significant artists exemplify 17th-century Spanish painting, producing rich and poignant works within the Spanish Golden Age. This period from around 1492 to 1659 saw a surge in Spanish political, intellectual, military, and creative expansion and output where the profits of global colonisation were used to commission writers, musicians, architects, and artists to create under patronage. Zurbarán gained most of his commissions as an artist from the Spanish church. Despite his work being likened to that of Caravaggio in terms of the treatment of light and the figure, Zurbarán never left Spain, so it’s highly unlikely that he ever encountered Caravaggio's work in person. What makes Zurbarán's work distinct is the sense of naturalism, relatively simple compositions, painting a single figure emerging from darkness without spatial devices, resisting the typical Baroque style of dynamic theatricality, instead painting figures with an air of solemnity and a sense of the meditative. One of my favourite rooms in the exhibition was that filled with large single portraits of the saints. Their figures emerge from voids of total darkness, evoking in the viewer a religious fervour as well as reflections on mortality and what awaits us beyond the unknowable blackness. The story of St Francis was a firm favourite with Zurbarán, and there are known to be at least 14 versions painted by him. Two are displayed here, the National's own version of the saint kneeling, and one from Lyon's Musee des Beaux-arts with the saint standing in the darkness of his tomb looking up towards God in devotion. They masterfully showcase Zurbarán's use of both chiaroscuro and colour and a sense of serenity despite the saints trials. Zurbarán began to make a name for himself in 1627 when he painted a series of works for the Dominican monastery of Saint Pablo in Seville, including The Crucifixion. The painting was acclaimed for its handling of light and form, convincing viewers it was a sculpture rather than a painting in the dim light of the friary. Jesus’ body is deathly pale with knocked knees and his head hanging limp. Zurbarán had a very keen eye and is clearly a superb renderer of ordinary details. The devil is indeed in the details here and the viewer is rewarded on close inspection of the paintings to take in the level of care and attention the artist has gone to in capturing the embroidered and satiny surfaces and textures of the sculptural fabrics especially the luminous loincloths in the crucifixions. Tenderly observed still lives or bodegóns as they are also known are another important aspect of Zurbarán's oeuvre these are much smaller than his large religious works but certain pieces still allude to the Virgin Mary with their depiction of a thornless rose. These intimate bodegóns are marvels. Through them the artist again reveals his skill at rendering the different surface textures of each object with the pitted, waxy sheen of lemon rinds, the broken skin and luscious sheen of pomegranates and their seeds, the delicate luminosity of flower petals, the hard reflection of light on a metal platter or spout of a ceramic jug. These are all rendered with the consummate, sure hand of a true master. It is clear that he revels in in the physicality of things. sadly no verified portraits of Zurbarán are thought to exist, but my final picture below The Crucified Christ with a Painter, is regarded by some critics as being a likeness of the artist casting himself as the model for St Luke who was both an artist and doctor. It was a real treat to have experienced more of Zurbarán's larger works here which I'd never seen before. Hopefully this exhibition will go some way to making Zurbarán more of a household name in the UK. It was a real pleasure to see one of those incredible Agnus Dei paintings again. 

Zurbarán

until 23rd August

The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

London

WC2N