Laura Knight, National Portrait Gallery

I love the National Portrait Gallery! There are always new and exciting additions in the general collection, either made by someone interesting or of someone interesting. My favourites from my trip on Thursday were Maggie Hambling’s Stephen Fry and, in a completely different style, Andrew Tift’s incredible portrait of Eric Sykes, both of which hang side by side. It was also thrilling to see, out the corner of my eye, Mark Quinn’s blood head (I’m a big fan, although I know not everyone is!).

Despite enjoying the general collection, I was at the National Portrait Gallery to see the Laura Knight exhibition. Dame Laura Knight was an English impressionist painter who specialized in portraiture. In 1936 she was the first woman in 167 years to be elected to the Royal Academy, a destiny her mother had foretold when Knight was only five years old! The portraits in this exhibition are a great representation of how Knight not only enjoyed painting diverse cultural groups, but would immerse herself into the lifestyle as well. She spent several months with ballets, circuses, gypsies, in racially segregated hospital wards in America, in wartime factories and, in 1945 when the war ended, she travelled to Nuremberg as a war correspondent to record the trial of Nazi war criminals.

I love Knight’s paintings, and was so pleased to be introduced to more of her work (before I had only known her most famous self-portrait, which hangs permanently in the Portrait Gallery). Although she uses impressionistic strokes and bold colour, Knight always paints the faces and hands of her sitters with such care so that their character and personality really shines through.

Unsurprisingly, I had quite a few favourites! Above all, I loved the portraits of the women of the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force). Corporal J.M. Robins, Corporal Elspeth Henderson and Sergeant Helen Turner were amongst the first women to receive the Military Medal for bravery in the Battle of Britain, and went on to achieve even greater military success. Despite being women of war, Knight’s attention to detail in the make-up and jewellery makes them undoubtedly feminine. 

Joan Rhodes or ‘The Mighty Mannequin’ as she was known is exceptionally beautiful in her portrait; you would never guess from this angelic pose that she was actually a wrestler and stuntwoman from an incredibly troubling background. The most colourful portrait in the exhibition would have to be Rose and Gold, whose fiery hair leaps at you from across the room. Standing amongst flowers in almost a pre-Raephalite fashion, the sitter Dolly Henry sadly also had a tragic end; shortly after this portrait was made, Henry’s lover, artist John Currie, shot her and then took his own life. It is fitting to have portraits of these inspirational women hanging in the collection, considering what an inspiration Knight was herself. Everyone she painted was real, and Knight would give them importance whether they were poor or rich, famous or unknown.

Aside from the paintings, her sketchbooks are also on view, as well as articles about her work (shockingly sexist, as you can probably imagine!) and some wonderful footage. This exhibition is full of life and character and, at £7 for a full price ticket, is a must-see. Open until 13^th October.

Summer Exhibition 1953, Russell Westwood

After seeing this wonderful photograph on the Royal Academy website, I had to share it with everyone. Taken by Russell Westwood in 1953, the canvases lazily propped up against the building are the public’s submissions for the Summer Exhibition! How things have changed!

Mexico and Hugh Casson, Royal Academy

Today I saw two wonderful exhibitions at the Royal Academy. Mexico: A Revolution in Art looks at a period of great political and social change from 1910-1940, documented by photographers and painters of the time. Not all of the artists were Mexican though; many well known international figures made short or extended visits to Mexico at this time, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paul Strand and Edward Burra.

The photographs in the introductory room relayed the harsh realities of the revolution. Images by Walter H. Horne and others, showing firing squads, public executions and bodies lying in the street were turned into postcards and sold to American troops. They’re powerful, but at the same time I found their amateurish nature easier to handle than some of the paintings in the exhibition that represented death. There was also a shot later in the exhibition taken by Robert Capa for Life Magazine, named First Fatality on the Day of the Presidential Election (annoyingly, I can't find it online!). Although taken by a more experience photographer, death here is both fascinating and intriguing to the viewer as well as the people surrounding the body in the photograph.

However, the highlights of the exhibition in my opinion were the paintings that, for me, really symbolise Mexican art. Diego Riviera’s Dance In Tehuantepec is full of colour and life, depicting a great celebratory atmosphere in his signature style. There is piece by Riviera’s assistant, Jean Charlot, named Coiffure that also brought a smile to my face. But there was one thing missing, a thought shared by every visitor I’m sure, until I walked into the last room. The final piece of the exhibition, hanging right by the door was a small but perfectly formed miniature self-portrait by Frida Kahlo from 1938 (even the postcard in the gift shop was bigger than the original!). I’ve loved Kahlo and her work for such a long time, seeing one in the flesh always gives me a little excited shiver!

Tucked away in the Tennant Gallery is a sweet exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Sir Hugh Casson, architect, painter, illustrator and President of the Royal Academy from 1976-1984. The collection includes his stage designs, architectural drawings (my favourite was the Elephant House at London Zoo), watercolours and sketches of London and Oxford, and other little drawings for family and friends, which are absolutely charming. Like other illustrators of his generation, you can tell from his style what a cheerful, fun-loving man he must have been. I also loved seeing the Riviera set of Midwinter pottery that he designed, as we have a plate hanging on our wall at home!

I signed the visitor’s book as I left, and noticed that someone had written in it “Massively overrated, I’m afraid!”. Personally I agree with the message underneath which simply read, in big capital letters, “BULLS**T!” If you’re in the Royal Academy seeing the Mexico or Summer Exhibition, definitely make a trip here too.

Caulfield and Hume Exhibition, Tate Britain

I’m a big fan of Patrick Caulfield, and have been ever since I was an A-Level graphic design student and first studied his work (I may even be able to find my project! Watch this space…). Caulfield always steered away from the label of “Pop Artist”, preferring “Formal Artist”, which was new term to me. I hadn’t understood why, but learning now that formalism means looking at the form and style of objects and representing how they are made, I agree that this is a much more suitable description. This not only explains Caulfield’s style, but of course influences his subject matter too.

The five rooms of the exhibition take you through Caulfield’s work chronologically. For me, Room 3 was the winner, as it housed my most favourite Caulfield painting, After Lunch. Although I loved it before, the size (just over eight feet high) really draws you in, until you're there, with the waiter at the end of his long shift. Many people dismiss modern art as being simple and unsophisticated, but the great thing about Caulfield’s work, and especially After Lunch, is that the longer you look, the more you notice. There are always new things to find, like the light and the rope in the bottom left corner, which lead you downstairs to a whole other floor (the loos, from my experience of restaurants!). His representation of form, from the straight ceiling beams to the curved dining chairs are technically accurate and amazingly effortless all at the same time. Caulfield also plays with different styles of representation in his work and here, the mural of the French château by the lake is such a beautiful show-off of how talented he really was.

Although I wasn’t too keen on his later work (a little too abstract for me, sorry), I did make some lovely new finds, like Town and Country, and Foyer, which belongs to a certain Mr. David Bowie… it all makes sense now ;)

Having bought the ticket to see Caulfield, you also gain entry to the Gary Hume exhibition. Hume is known for his use of bold, gloss paint on aluminium, which has an incredible effect. It was like the little girl with the little curl in the middle of her forehead; when I liked a work, the medium amplified my enjoyment, but when I didn’t like the work, I could hardly bear to stand in front of it! Focusing on the good, I loved Blackbird and the amazing textures created in Tulips, although sadly the t-shirt in the gift shop was above my price range. I was also amused by Beautiful, which shows Michael Jackson’s nostrils superimposed onto a subtle outline of Kate Moss’ face.

There was also the opportunity to take a Hume home with you! His work 1000 Windows offers visitors the chance to buy up to four “windows” for £150, therefore spreading the work potentially across the world.

Find out more about the exhibition here. Open until 1^st September.

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