Goya and Giacometti

I have been wondering how artists represent kindness in paintings.  So I took myself off to London to see two portraiture exhibitions - Goya at the National Gallery, and Giacometti at National Portrait Gallery.  I did not see anything about kindness but had a great day out.

Goya (1746-1828) was the last of the great Masters, and is probably the best known of the spanish painters.  He is known for dark and melancholy works, (which would not appeal to me) but this exhibition was of his portraiture, by which he earned his living.  Like many painters, his first works of portraiture were quite busy, including a lot of symbolic references, but over time they simplified.  The exhibition started with an image of the Count of Almeira (1787), who was a tiny man.  He is portrayed in full scarlet uniform, but seated upon a bespoke low chair, with his arm resting on a normal height table, meaning his elbow is the same level as his ear.  It is a very compassionately drawn portrait, because the Count is portrayed as being completely in proportion, yet alludes to his small stature, by the use of the table.  It led to commissions of the rest of the family.

I had an audio guide which expands the narrative about the paintings and noted the music played after each description was appropriate to  the date at which the sitter posed.  Clever use of combining different senses to understand a situation.

There was a self portrait of Goya painting in front of a window.  The window alludes to the times of the Enlightenment.  Goya was a deep political man who had grave concerns about the religious and social habits of the times, and who was particularly opposed to the Spanish Inquisition.  However he trod a fine line between being patronised by Royalty and the Church and the liberal thinkers who were pushing political reform.  He wears an interesting hat in this self portrait.  It is a type of top hat, but has spikes around the edge, to hold candles, so he could work in the failing light.

There was interesting positioning of 3 portraits in the room Official Painter to the Spanish Court.  There is a pair of paintings of the King of Spain with his faithful spaniel looking up to him (symbolising the adoring populous looking up to their King) and a flattering portrait of the Queen.  Apparently after many pregnancies, she was toothless and ageing, but is portrayed as full cheeked, unwrinkled and dewy skinned, with beautiful arms (of which she was particularly proud)  enhanced by a black lace mantilla.  Facing these two images, there is the image of the Duchess of Alba, a famous if eccentric beauty with a fiery temper.  Apparently they did not get on!

There were some good observations of fashion.  I particularly like one of a count wearing very close fitting trousers - more like tights.  Apparently clothing that tight would make your skin smart - and is how we have come to the term "smart clothing".  Only the right could afford clothes so close fitting it smarted, and the poor had softly wrapped and pinned unshaped clothing.

Another pair of portraits were of the Minister of Grace and Justice, who was resting his head on hand as if deep in thought, with a detailed, considered painting style, and the Minister of Finance and War (because wars cost a lot?) who was meant to be decisive and a man of action, so was painted quickly to convey the different temperaments of the men.

General observations are that the audience had a high proportion of Spanish and French people attending; disability was well represented in the artworks (Goya was deaf from age 48, a person with reduced height, a person who had had a stroke and self-portrait of acute illness); and lots of affluent women.

Then I went on to see Giacometti at the NPG.  Not so enjoyable, but still good.  I am not sure why the Goya was 9 GBP for student rate with great explanatory booklet and 3 GBP for audio guide and 71 images, whereas Giacometti was 15 GBP student rate, no booklet or audio guide and only about 48 artworks.

His work moved from being strongly post impressionist as a youth, influenced to his father, to experimentalist at his death.  I very much liked his early works - mostly portraiture but with a highly coloured palette.  Bright and joyful.  Then his works moved to strongly linear, still portraiture, but moving through a person in a room using colour, to a person in a box motif mostly monochrome, to a head and shoulders, to a head in grey with penetrating eyes  Very distinctive scratchy linear lines and mark making.  Quite a few sculptures.  Very limited range of models - often his younger brother Diego, wife Annette, or later, model Caroline.  One or two portraits of key collectors of his work.  I wonder why he focussed on such a restricted range of subjects.