December at the National Portrait Gallery

Apologies for my absence from this blog, but as I'm sure you're all finding, the festive season can be a bit of a busy one! Anyway, better late than never...

The National Portrait Gallery has to be up there as one of my favourites of all the London galleries. I think it’s because in life, and in art, I’m most fascinated with people, and their stories, and this is exactly what NPG is all about. There are always interesting exhibitions on display, and a wonderful permanent collection, but this month was a particularly good time to go.

Until 5th January, The National Portrait Gallery will be displaying “Elizabeth I & Her People”, an exhibition, unsurprisingly, about the life of the Tudors in Queen Elizabeth’s court. For me, it was the perfect size; relatively small in terms of ground covered, but packed full of exciting paintings and artifacts. Right in the entrance, before you’re introduced to any individuals, were a few landscape paintings, showing tudor life both in court and rurally, and the most incredible map. Engraved by Jodocus Hondius, we could have spent hours finding towns, working out the old English names, and it was also incredible to see how he had hand-painted the map, the splodges and mistakes making it even more human. The most fascinating thing about the map, however, was the royal family tree in the top right hand corner. Intricate branches laid out all of the monarchs and their heirs since William Conqueror to Elizabeth herself. Truly amazing, but sadly, I haven’t been able to find it online.

I particularly liked the first room of the exhibition because it was dedicated the professors, writers and artists. There were portraits of figures like Esther Inglis the calligrapher (a profession which I didn’t think a woman could hold in those days) and a self-portrait by painter George Gower which depicts a pair of scales behind him to represent how his position as an artist outweighs his heritage. There was also a interesting portrait of a group of gentlemen in an anatomy class, the man on the slab being the only one with a smile of his face…

Although mainly portraits, the exhibition also included statues, garments, weapons, and jewellery, which dotted every room. Magnifying glasses were on hand so you could really get up close and personal with all the pieces. I loved the rings in the second room, which gleamed from behind the glass. They were decorated with such fine details, many of which looked quite contemporary. If only they’d sold replicas in the shop. Sigh.

You really can learn so much from a Tudor portrait. Traditionally, the artist would have included the names, titles and age of the sitter right onto the canvas. This usually means that the only piece of information that could possibly be unknown would be the artist's name, which unfortunately was the case for a lot of the portraits in the exhibition. One in particular stood out to me, which was of three unknown children from 1580. As the name suggests, the names and titles were of course not present, but the ages (“ÆTATIS SVÆ” seven, six and five) were there, right above each child. I think I loved it not just because of the skill and style of the artist, but how he managed to capture that wonderful stubborn glare in all of them (a look I am very accustomed with). I also had quite a soft spot for their pet guinea pig.

In the same room were a pair of breathtaking portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, painted by Hans Eworth in 1563. We did wonder whether at one point these had been one painting, or if the half coat of arms in each was intentional. Either way, they were stunning, only enhanced by the elaborate frames (the Duke’s was decorated with inlayed velvet panels).

There was one person missing so far from the exhibition and that Liz herself, but entering the last room, the walls hang with some of the best portraits you will ever see of her: The Ermine Portrait, the Cambridge portrait, and also some interesting ones, including a beautiful sketch by Federico Zuccaro and a print by Remigius Hogerberg. I’ve read some reviews that have criticized the exhibition for purely focusing solely on the hierarchy and aristocrats. Although I agree that the portraits included were rather one sided, that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

From a relaxed waltz around the Tudor court to a treasure-map adventure, hunting down portraits that were dotted about the gallery. For the past month and a half, we’ve been watching Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2013. I’ve loved the program, and watching the artists progress each week, and feeling so inspired, I’ve even signed up for a portraiture course next month.

The four portraits by each of the four finalists were on display, and it was such a thrill to see them in the flesh, having witnessed the painting process of each. My favourite from the series had to be Luis Morris' portrait of ballet dancer Lauren Cuthbertson. The palette, the composition and the moment captured were all stunning. I also loved the winner, Nick Lord's portrait of Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry.

Of course, the National Portrait Gallery doesn't only have paintings on display. Until July in a Room 33, a collection of photographs of actress Vivien Leigh will me hanging, to mark the centenary of her birth. There are gorgeous shots from photographers like Sasha and Angus McBean, as well as film stills, theatre programs, magazines and promotional movie stills, including a beautiful, later shot from Deep Blue Sea.

The Portrait Artist pictures have now been taken down, but make sure you get yourself to the portrait gallery to see Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth I, as well as their extensive and ever changing displays.

Sir Roy Strong at the V&A

As a friend of the Victoria and Albert Museum, I've attended some amazing talks over the years - Mary Quant, Zaha Hadid, Wayne Hemmingway, Celia Birtwell, Grayson Perry, Rankin, Matthew Williamson - the list goes on. Last night, I went to see Sir Roy Strong.

I don't think Roy Strong is very well known amongst my generation, and I have to admit, I didn't know who he was before we booked the tickets. But we all should, especially living in London and working in the arts.

Last night, Strong talked about his new book, Self-Portrait As A Young Man, in which he relays his childhood memories and what laid the foundations for an incredible career and life.

In a letter to his head of sixth form in 1953, Strong remarked that one day he would like to become Director of somewhere like the National Portrait Gallery, or head of a department at the Victoria and Albert museum - in fact, he went on to supersede these expectations, being Director of the former from 1967-1973, and Director of the latter from 1973-1987 (he was actually the youngest ever Director of them both being only 32 then 38 years old).

Between that letter and the NPG he gained a first class honours degree in History at Queen Mary College, University of London and then later went on to achieve a PhD. Being well-educated in this way means that he is a wonderful speaker. He spoke enthusiastically and gracefully, and with huge amounts of detail when relaying facts or anecdotes.

During the talk, however, he became quite cross when talking about his childhood, saying that despite what critics have said over the years, he did not come from a privileged background;  his father had 5 pounds a week to raise a family of 3 children, and after the war and his brothers' return from evacuation, he said the house was very divided (the two boys hardly recognising their mother, and longing to be back in the country).

Luckily for him, and for us, Strong attended a grammar school filled with kind and inspiring teachers, who he still remembers by name. Seeing his passion and talent, he was taught extra Latin classes, told about shows they saw up in London, and he broke down momentarily when remembering a teacher who, knowing he loved the portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, came up to the library of the British Museum and copied out in long hand the only catalogue in existence, just for him. Now, of course, the library will have Strong's to add to their collection.

You couldn't say that Sir Roy Strong was a modest man, as he remarked often how he changed both museums for the better. He's been hailed as changing museum exhibitions into theatre, which he admits to quite happily.

I agreed with so much of what Strong had to say (except when he was rude about Lowry and Tracey Emin, that wasn't quite right ;) ). He spoke of the photographer being just as important as any other artist, which was the motivation for his defining exhibition of Cecil Beaton's 600 portraits in 1968. He relayed the importance of the arts and education, as well as his sadness at the loss of respect in today's culture. He also talked about luck playing a huge role in life, and how being in the right place at the right time is incredibly important (something I believe in hugely in my early stages in the working world!). The talk stopped just as we were about to get to the good bits, assuming most of the audience already knew it all already. Unfortunately I was the exception here, but so look forward to doing my own research and learning more about Sir Roy.

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.