DAVID BOMBERG IN NEWCASTLE

David Bomberg: Mount Zion with The Church of the Dormition-by Moonlight, 1923.

The Bomberg show at the Laing until the end of May should give you a lot of pleasure if you care about British painting. Bomberg is important for his near abstracts and for his more figurative late work. he has a high claim to importance in both these areas.But he has also been considerably neglected in his own time and later.The exhibition is organised jointly by Pallant House and the Ben Uri Art Gallery.

This show is billed as the first "complete" Bomberg exhibition in X years. It does only occupy two rooms rather than the three allotted to the previous Nash exhibition . Bomberg's early work when he was near but certainly not of the Vorticists is represented by numerous drawings. But there is no Mud Bath, there is no Ju-Jitsu.It belongs to the Tate and perhaps because of its importance they might be reluctant to lend it to a provincial gallery.But there were other possibilities as I have mentioned. But here it is as a reminder of what Bomberg could do. Exhibiting tiny abstractions does not have the same effect as showing something like the Mud Bath. You could make out a good case that it is the most radical 20th British painting  ever. Full stop. But it is not on show. Some small oils from that period do appear.There are plenty of drawings with similar themes.

David Bomberg: The Mud Bath. 1914.NOT IN EXHIBITION.

Bomberg was a Londoner, Jewish, and from the East End.He was at the Slade during its best time-with Carrington, Gertler, Spencer and Paul Nash .He was quite successful at the Slade,it was where he met his fellow East-Ender Isaac Rosenberg-so soon to die in the First World War. Bomberg comitted himself to modernism  early on when he destroyed dozens of perfect Slade type drawings. He knew that he wanted to do something different.

He enlisted as a sapper in the army early in the First World War and towards the end of it he became a War Artist. But apart from a few relatively weak drawings this isn't really covered in the exhibition.He  worked  for the Canadian War Memorial Fund and produced a  large picture of sappers at work- eventually accepted in the second more conservative version.

Bomberg's war was quite harrowing. In distress  he shot  himself in the foot. The loss of a brother and the death of both Rosenberg and T E Hulme  brought home the futility of it all. Bomberg seems to have had an understanding adjutant who listened to his explanation of why he had wounded himself. He was punished fairly  lightly in view of the serious nature of the offence. What effect all this had on his mental health can only be imagined.

Why Bomberg did not continue with his cuboid sem-figuration is unknown to me. But that is the case. By the early 1920s it was fading away to be replaced by a more obviously figurative method.
 He did  paint some Jewish, east end subjects. Most notably there is the Ghetto Theatre which is present in two versions here.

David Bomberg: The South-East Corner of Jerusalem.

When you look at the paintings he did of Palestine-in the second room you will likely feel that you have stumbled onto the work of a different personality. But only recall that Bomberg had a Slade training and you will not be surprised by the structure and perspective especially in the Jerusalem paintings. Here he catches the light and everything is light and bright. The shadows which must often have been intense are painted with their own interior light and often the colour range is relatively high key. The paint  is luscious and has the suavity all its own. It is not as thick or sculptural as you will find in the adjacent Spanish paintings.There is only one painting of the Petra series. The best of these-and there is only one in the show- are delightful in colour.This one has pinks and attractive blue greys and an interesting cropped structure. Here indeed you may find a wall of colour.

You may see the Jerusalem paintings as topography but they are not quite that. Bomberg certainly knew that he had a market which he might consider. The British administration received him with some respect and Sir Reginald Storrs bought a painting for a decent price. To those involved his work would have appeared  modernistic. It looks to me as if they were painted in tranquility and that Bomberg was enjoying himself.For a while he had no serious money worries.

His vision of Spain is freer and more expressive. He was working entirely for himself at Ronda, Cuenca, Toledo and in the Picos de Europa.But he travelled also to Cyprus and Scotland in search of motifs. In Cornwall towards the end of his life  he found the subject for the Laing's own painting. In one of the glass cases you can see the letter to the gallery giving instructions as to where the cheque should be sent.These late landscapes become clouds of colour. Late Bomberg deserves another exhibition.

As he got older Bomberg became more isolated from other artists. Often he felt unable to paint for considerable periods at a stretch. He was  depressed for he had a good and well justified opinion of himself  which many of his contemporaries  didn't take seriously.In these circumstances what does a poor artist do? He can teach if he can find someone to employ him. Or he can teach on his own. In Bomberg's case he first tried to open an art school in Spain in  the1930s. He tried again in the 1950s. At one point  he tried to run a small hotel but was fleeced by some residents. At another his wife ran a small shop.He also taught in London. And this is where he became, through his powerful personality a tutor  for young artists such as Auerbach. But Bomberg was often depressed and there were lengthy periods when he did no work.

In the Second World War he was also engaged to do some war  work.The Bomb Store is the subject and two of the many works associated with this theme are shown. It seems that Kenneth Clark was not enthusiastic about the results. These works have no relation to the toytown decorativeness of Ravillious or the fluent drawings of Anthony Gross. These are gloomy and Bomberg took the commission seriously, though many of the works, even quite large ones were done in oil  on tracing  paper. These are not descriptive pieces in the manner of Muirhead Bone. It isn't easy to understand what is going on in the Store. It is a dark and dramatic place, we can see that in Bomberg's response. But there is no topographical or illustration like element to these works-and that was what the WAAC wanted.

David Bomberg:Self -portrait.Made circa 1913-14.Just before or perhaps contemporary with the Mud Bath.

There are quite a few portraits in the show. Early on we see the self portrait now in the NPG, it is a clear  modern drawing. Bomberg's Slade training is obvious. Later on the portraits become more cloudy, less defined. They are often unlike any other portraits you will have seen. Ghostly forms appear as though cowled . There may be little facial detail.

When I recently reread Richard Cork's standard book on the artist I was surprised to learn that Bomberg applied to become Professor of Fine Art at the University of Durham-at what is now the Dept of Fine Art at Newcastle University. If the appointment had been made the University would have acquired one of its most distinguished painters. Bomberg was noted for the intense manner of his teaching. He would have loved the contact with students but administration wouldn't have interested him very much. Newcastle's loss was the Borough Polytechnic's gain.Newcastle got Robin Darwin for a couple of years before  he decided that London was more exciting.