Page 76 - Studio International - March April 1975

the majority of critics. Daniel life to his art, and never marrying. posthumous fate of this greatest centre of the world. Now, this
Marchesseau3 recognizes that He lived a most retiring existence. of all English painters. outstanding landscape painter
David Hockney 'is also the `Every glance is a passing For there are two Turners: could not for a long time prevent
narrator of homosexual experience, scrutiny.' he used to say. And Ruskin's and ours. The one himself from peopling his shores,
its best "portrait painter" . . .' and what an eye! His perception of beloved by his contemporaries his forests and his splendid
considers that the painter 'could light and colour makes him one not without certain reservations solitary scenes with allegorical
be the most partial, the most of the precursors of and the one whom we regard as characters and small figures which
personal "witness of his time". The Impressionism, above all Monet, one of the forerunners of modern he was incapable of drawing
witness of a sexual liberation, the and of the Abstracts. Certain painting and who was unknown to correctly. This man who was
witness also of an acceleration of indoor scenes remind one of his contemporaries... so devoted to nature that he had
civilization, which overturns the Bonnard. His fascination with These oil paintings and water himself roped to a ship's mast
rules of propriety, mixes social the Rigi almost compares with colours of 'pure feeling' painted during a storm to observe to the
spheres, confronts the idea of the feeling Cézanne experienced so freely that they could have very limits, and at risk of his life,
beauty with that of comfort . . . the for the St Victoire mountain)... been completed in 1950, are the fury of the waves, was
witness equally of a return to The Alps frequently served as numerously represented at the infatuated with fables and
figuration — preceding Hyper- a theme of inspiration for Royal Academy. Carefully historical anecdotes. He was
realism — decadent poetry to read Turner who was an intrepid distributed they testify to all obsessed by mythology, the
to the second degree.' traveller. Not only did he cover that may be theatrical, Bible, Moses, Rome and
Remembering the Francis Bacon the British Isles on foot, but also antiquated, even occasionally Carthage, even if in the last
exhibition shown in Paris in France, Germany, Italy and somewhat ridiculous in his great instance, the feeling is deeper as
1971-72, José Pierre' states on Switzerland. He made several historical landscapes; one of the Napoleon's struggle against
the same subject : 'If we renderings of Lake Leman, of most fascinating questions Europe reminds him of the Punic
remember the whole dramatic which the exhibition shows us arising from this exhibition wars, appearing to his
burden which in Bacon's work one (belonging to a private centres on whether these secret fundamental pessimism as the
accompanies the homosexual collection in Indianapolis) in works were for him only studies, symbol of the fragile fate of
disclosure, we cannot fail to be hazy colouring, as well as a view abandoned rough drafts or empires.
aware of the difference: there is, in of Lausanne and its cathedral, completed works which pride A story on the subject of
Hockney's work, a protestation also surrounded by a halo of and fear prevented him from Carthage is a fine indication of
of innocence, a claim for purity . . smoke, clouds or fire. exhibiting. Only Diderot really the workings of his imagination,
Claude Mauriac10 who is (Whitworth Art Gallery, matches Turner in revealing so for better or for worse. One of
fascinated by the man as much Manchester). much after his death. his friends came across him
as by his painting, shows how the Courrier de Lausanne While still very young, he during a storm, making sketches
exhibition and the film on sketched like a god or rather on the back of a letter. After the
Hockney complement each other: The importance attached by like people of that period storm ended, Turner said to him:
`This man's works make us want to the English painter to light and imagined a god sketched, which 'Within two years I'll make a
get near him. They tell us colour prefigures the was: scrupulously exact. His painting which will be Hannibal
fragments of his story. The bits of Impressionists and Abstract art. father, who regarded him as an crossing the Alps.' All the more
the puzzle don't always fit His seascapes and landscapes excellent source of income, made strange since it happened in
together; there are bits missing of the English countryside and him put his talents to some use Yorkshire. What was said was
that appear on the screen. And in the Alps are probably most well- as a colourer of engravings and done and, for once, there is no
turn the film revives the desire to known. But other aspects of his architectural designs. Afterwards cause for complaint. A very fine
see the paintings again, they are art can be discovered such as he was briefly employed as a picture emerged, a great and
crystalline splashes from the indoor scenes reminiscent of topographer and illustrator of terrifying visionary work almost
fountain of instants forming this Bonnard, architectural drawings, Roman antiquities, and one of mad where Turner developed
brief but deep immersion that is a self-portrait at the age of his first employers was William his liking for extremes with great
the life of a man.' twenty-three, historical and Beckford for whom he carried dramatic effects. It is a good
We should perhaps consider mythological scenes and even a out some vistas of Fonthill indicator of the gulf
separately Pierre Sterckx's character from Shakespeare, Abbey then in the process of separating him from the
articles analysing the symbolic Jessica which is not, furthermore, being built. But already we can Hollywood-style Babylons.of his
role of constant themes in in good taste. see forests, gorges, reminiscent to rival John Martin, to which
Hockney's painting, such as the It is evident that this very a certain extent of wallpaper or (let it be said in passing) French
shower and the curtain for 'the gifted artist (who exhibited his tapestry backgrounds, and a fire, Romanticism gave its
images and the anecdotes are both first sketch at the R.A. at the age (the Pantheon in Oxford Street, wholehearted support.
the setting-off point and the line of of sixteen) never stopped working 1792) which merit comparison But for one masterpiece, how
arrival of the themes, i.e. the his whole life. with the water colours inspired many pictures were spoilt by
structures.' This study confirms He never rested on his by the fire forty years later, of useless and arid cultural
how very seriously the French laurels. Every moment was the House of Commons. Storms, references! That tepid Aeneas,
critics are prepared to consider devoted to his passion. Even landscapes illumined by the all those Sibyls, those
this work. ' • when he went fishing he stored moon, rainbows, and a Agrippinas, those Jasons, and
' Jacques Michel: Le Monde, 31 Oct. 1974 away impressions which he later mythological painting, Aeneas even some of those naval battles,
Charlie. Nov. 1974. transcribed : 'Every glance is a with the Sybil the first in a are really a bore! Ingres had
' Daniel Marchesseau3: Nouvelles passing scrutiny,' he used to say. series of historical compositions similar fantasies but at least made
Littéraires, 4 Nov. 1974. For hours and hours he walked which the tastes of his period the pictures in attractive, small
Rene Micha: Art Spectrum, Vol. I, across the English countryside, rather than any particular sizes and it could be said that
Jan. 1975. studying nature and the ensuing vocation will make him paint and
• Claude Bouyeure: Opus International. to which it now seems difficult to Gustave Moreau or Puvis de
No. 53, Nov./Dec. 1974. sketches may be seen in the Chavannes would have done
° Otto Hahn: L'Express, 28 Oct,/3 Nov. carefully kept sketchbooks. accord more than a polite and better in that kind of painting.
1974. respectfully dismayed admiration.
Le Soir Le Monde
' Jose Pierre: La Quinzaine Like all autodidacts, Turner
Littéraire, 1 Nov. 1974. was a 'man of culture' or rather
' Pierre Sterckx: L'Art Vivant, No. 52, The exhibition in London, he nourished quite ambiguous When Nikita Kruschev said
Oct. 1974. he thought modern art looked as
• Pierre Mazars: Le Figaro, 22 Oct. 1974. conceived and arranged most feelings in the sphere of culture. if it had been painted with a
" Claude Mauriac: Le Figaro, 20 Nov. carefully, with the help of an On the one hand he exaggerated
1974 excellent catalogue collects his rusticity to the point of donkey's tail, he caused much
together the main body of speaking (or rather mumbling) laughter in the western world. Yet
Turner's work, even if it is a and writing in a way which was 150 years ago, acknowledged
little overloaded (six hundred wilfully incorrect, and, with the critics of this same western world
judged with equal severity a
Turner: and fifty paintings, water colours exception of his youth, his art painter whom they today
and sketches without taking into
does not noticeably depend much
European account all the documents); there on the masters apart from celebrate as their greatest —
Joseph Mallord William Turner.
are however some omissions, in
Poussin and Titian and,
Press on the particular one of his most and Claude Lorrain, to whom Boaden was revolted at Turner's
In 1806 the critic James
sometimes, Rembrandt, Watteau
`contemporary' paintings,
Schaffhausen painting: 'It's
RA Show Rain, Steam and Speed which the he was much (too much) just madness.' And his colleague
National Gallery refused to lend.
indebted and of whose work he
On the other hand, it does reveal sometimes made real imitations. John Taylor supported him:
Turner's production was some hitherto unknown works on But the Royal Academy, `A madman.' The art magazine
enormous. He never stopped which centres once again the where he was a teacher of `Atlas' in 1829 censored a
working, dedicating his whole strange problem of the perspective, was for him the Boccaccio scene: 'One would
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