The Chicago Faun

The Art Institute of Chicago - Paul Gauguin - Faun
Originally uploaded by cerdsp NOT IN FACT A GAUGUIN.

The Art Institute has one of the finest collections of 19th Century art in the world. But it does not have a sculpture by Paul Gauguin. For a brief period it thought that it did have one but this turned out to be a forgery. The object was forged and so was the provenance yet scholars felt able to identify it as the earliest surviving ceramic by Gauguin. They also had knowledge of an authentic drawing -apparently rather slight-which suggested the faun to them (and to the forger). This image can be seen on page 14 of Gray's book on the artist's sculpture and ceramics. It shows the first page of  the Album Gauguin now in the Louvre. This sketchbook is concerned with projects for ceramic work and some of these do survive and are undoubtedly by Gauguin. This  provided clear evidence that Gauguin thought about an image of a faun. So it was possible that a similar ceramic would one day be found. This along with the forged provenance suggested that an unknown work by Gauguin had been found.If you look at the illustration in Gray you will see that the faun's pectoral area suggests femininity as much as  masculinity.I suggest-and it is easy with hindsight to do this-that the Faun looks rather like some sort of fantasy art model.

It is extremely easy to be wise after the event but the Art Institute's advisors should have noticed the poor quality of the modelling  of the faun and compared it with the  early family portrait busts by Gauguin .These show a bland and sophisticated modelling. These works exist as marbles  which must have been realised after the original clays by the artist, realised by a praticien a highly skilled craftsman and not by Gauguin himself. It is of course the case that Gauguin was consciously attempting a  primitivism in his work and that is the reason we admire his ceramics so much. But do look at the modelling of the chest and arms. Gauguin would not have been satisfied with something so slapdash . Primitivism is one thing but incompetence entirely another. Some will say that those who authenticated the work were influenced by the very fact that Gauguin ceramics are not easy to obtain.

It is sad/amusing to relate that at one point Gauguin did offer to work as a praticien. This can only have been in a moment of desperation or fantasy. It is even more improbable than the idea of James Joyce as a cinema manager.You can read more about the perpetrator of this forgery here

Museum Studies

The new museum in Athens is opening this weekend. There have been a few articles in the press and photos on the web but it is hard to get a good impression of the building and its displays. My first thoughts about the exterior is that it is gross/crass. Regarding the display of standing figures, well they should not be dwarfed by the architecture around them.

Regarding the moral blackmail which the Greeks are trying to use over the Elgin "marbles" I will say that the sculptures should stay in London . The suggestion that they could be loaned to Athens if British ownership was admitted was a foolish one to get into and one wonders if it is really the BM 's opinion. Repatriation of the "marbles", however much sentiment may urge it, would not be a good move from the point of view of museums in general. It  has been allowed in the case of body parts from indigenous peoples or after looting during major wars.   It would be a major operation to move these sculptures. They should not be moved except for conservation purposes. Maybe it was all a storm in a teacup.Perhaps Italy will ask for Veronese's Marriage at Cana to be sent back from the Louvre.The case seems to be similar.

The genius of Steve Bell

Steve Bell is undoubtedly the finest cartoonist working for the Guardian/Observer group. The Guardian has indulged him as he learned to draw and matured as an artist and for this one is truly grateful. His work seems to fit best with the  tradition of clear, hardhitting imagery. I would hazard a guess that the improvement in Martin Rowson's work owes something to Bell's influence.

Today's cartoon is not one of his best. 

It is a parody of Holman Hunt's  The Scapegoat.

 It shows Speaker Martin as the latest outcast, stumbling in his robes and adjacent to the head of our lamentable Prime Minister. There is the traditional, "apologies to...",  inscribed at the side. 

Cartoonists probably don't do their best work when there is an "apologies to..."situation. They are taking someone else's symbolism and bending it to their own theme and there is an inevitable collision between the original symbolism and the adaptation-which can of course be interesting in itself. The suggestion here is that the Speaker is literally a scapegoat and indeed you could make out a case for this. How many of those turning on him are without sin? His performance yesterday was indeed pathetic. And who would want the support of Sir Stuart Bell?  

When I say that Martin Rowson's work has improved recently I mean to say that it is often clearer and more direct than it used to be. But there is still too much of the more complicated symbolism and lurid, heavy handed clumsiness. He isn't very good with likenesses either.

Brinkburn Priory

It was thirty years ago that we first visited Brinkburn, just after it was opened after being taken into the care of English Heritage. As a building it is worth a visit: it is also enjoyable because of its secluded site. You approach it down a gently sloping track which yesterday abounded in primroses and speedwell. You are lead down into the valley where the Coquet runs around the site. Brinkburn is also worth a visit because of its mature trees, many grow high on the steep banks on the opposite bank of the river. In winter this situation would have reduced the already  small amount of sunlight available.

What do you see when you get there?  You see the 12th century Priory and the much later house partly built from monastic outbuildings and sited over the ranges between the church and the river. The house has a large extension by Dobson. You can enter  and see the dilapidation .

The church itself is empty of most of the usual church furniture and this helps to emphasize the severity of the building.The north door is well worth a look for its late Norman details. Perhaps the most interesting object inside the church is the tombstone of Prior William who died in 1484. I did not photograph inside the church as a small choir were practicing there.

The weather was extraordinary and this would be an excellent  spot for a picnic or a  spot for children to play. I am not surprised that someone thought of holding a music festival here. Artists wishing to redo the Turner view would definitely have a problem due to the growth of trees since his time and difficulty in getting to his viewpoint.

Old Libraries and New

In June of this year there opens the new City Library of Newcastle. This is the third City Library in living memory. Any literate Novocastrian over the age of about 55 can remember the Victorian library which stood on the same site. Then came Basil Spence's version from the late 1960s. When that   building had outlived its usefulness (said who?), a  new one was designed by Ryder and built by Kajima . Thus was lost the opportunity to  commission a noteworthy  building demonstrating civic pride. It would surely have been possible to find an architectural firm which could have made the statement without making it overblown or turning the project into an "ideas store" .  

 The aesthetic nullity of the new library is unbelievable. It contrasts unfavourably with the more humble suburban library at Jesmond which was opened in 1963. This one has a circular book/reading room and was designed by Harry Faulkner Brown and Partners.It fits comfortably into a small corner site and is reasonably well lit. The only disadvantage is that (if I remember rightly) it does not have a public lavatory).

 Libraries are in the news at the moment,there are the planned closures of several of them in the Wirral and now-according to "The Guardian" there is the suggestion that piped music should be supplied. The mind boggles but boggle it must. One recent proposal was that booksellers should choose what goes onto library shelves. Judging from the state of my own local branch that may already be happening.