Charles Saatchi's Great Masterpieces: How illness and insanity inspired The Scream

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-illness-insanity-inspired/


Edvard Munch lived a somewhat joyless life. Death and sickness shrouded much of his childhood; in 1868, when he was five, his mother died from tuberculosis, leaving Edvard, his three sisters and younger brother in the care of his religiously doctrinaire and overbearing father.
Munch’s deepest ties were to his older sister Sophie, who also suffered from tuberculosis and died nine years later, when she was just 15. He would never recover from this loss. Another of Edvard’s sisters was institutionalised for mental illness and spent the greater part of her life in confinement. His only brother died while young of pneumonia.
Munch’s father was a Norwegian physician who was consumed by thoughts of the hereafter. Death was therefore always imminent and whispering its way into Munch’s subconscious. In a journal he wrote: “I inherited two of mankind’s most frightful enemies – the heritage of tuberculosis and insanity – illness and madness and death were the black angels that stood at my cradle.”
Understandably perhaps, Munch had little interest in his father’s belief in a protective, omnipresent god. He turned to life within the Bohemian circles of Oslo, and descended into bouts of alcoholism, always deeply ridden with guilt. Munch was 21 when he had his first sexual experience with Millie Thaulow, the wife of a distant cousin. They would meet in secrecy in the woods near a fishing village in Åsgårdstrand. Munch was consumed by his desire for her, and profoundly depressed when she abandoned him and ended their relationship after two years.
His father’s sudden death from a stroke in 1889 spurred one of the greatest stages of Munch’s artistic development. Living between Paris and Germany, he embarked on a series of paintings he called The Frieze of Life. Suggestive of his state of mind, the paintings bore such melodramatic titles as Melancholy, Jealousy, Despair, Anxiety, Death in the Sickroom and The Scream. Shown in Berlin in 1902, the exhibition was a critical and commercial success.

The Scream, 1893 (oil, tempera & pastel on cardboard) 

Charles Saatchi's Great Masterpieces: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – how art was transformed by Seurat’s science

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-sunday-afternoon-island/

A grand day out: Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte




Sunday in the Park with George was a Stephen Sondheim musical inspired by an iconic George Seurat painting. The production opened on Broadway in 1984, exactly 100 years after the artist started work on A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte; the show went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and many other notable awards.
The Seurat picture has also featured on the cover of Playboy, in the film comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, TV shows Modern Family, The Simpsons, and Family Guy, Looney Tunes cartoons, and has even been recreated in topiary.
When Seurat began this now ubiquitous work, his single ambition was that it might be accepted for exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants. He had no notion of the immense popular appeal that his painting would one day achieve.
The mile-long La Grande Jatte, an island in Paris, on the Seine between Neuilly and Levallois-Perret, was once a rural retreat for the bourgeoisie, a bucolic area that was also renowned as a venue for prostitutes. Seurat spent numerous hours at the park simply observing potential subjects, and completed many preparatory studies – 30 oil sketches, 28 drawings and three large canvases.

Charles Saatchi's Great Masterpieces: Olympia by Édouard Manet - The Parisian Venus who shocked polite society

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-olympia-edouard-manet/

Negative response: Manet’s Olympia employed a new technique that used quick, broad brushstrokes




In the Salon de Paris in 1865, there was one room that was far more crowded than usual. On Sundays, it was so overwhelmingly packed that visitors struggled to get close to the one painting that they all wanted to see. People were shocked that Édouard Manet’s Olympia was even allowed to be displayed. It was fiercely condemned, not only by the public but also by most art critics and the press.
Olympia differed from classical representations of Eve or Venus. Instead of an angel, she was unmistakably a naked contemporary woman. Manet painted her neither bathing, dreaming nor dressing, but simply doing nothing. This suggested that she was there waiting purely for sex, as a prostitute. A critic wrote: “We prefer to think he has made a mistake. And what is his aim? His canvases are too unfinished for us possibly to tell.” Eventually, the painting was physically attacked and guards had to be posted next to it for protection. Pregnant women were advised against viewing the picture as it was likely to be distressing.

100 Years Ago

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2017-08-17/register/two-great-attacks-zzxzq7hmn

AUGUST 17, 1917

Two great attacks

In the last 48 hours two great and successful attacks have been delivered by the British forces on the Western front. At dawn on Wednesday the Canadians advanced on a wide front north of Lens, and carried the famous Hill 70. They also destroyed the bulk of the 4th Division of the Prussian Guard while it was making a counter-attack in close formation. Yesterday English and Irish units in Flanders, with the French on their left, attacked on a front which extended from the Polygon Wood, east of Ypres, to the flooded area beyond Bixschoote. Much ground was gained. Meantime the French advanced on the heights north of the Aisne and west of Craonne. The offensive initiated at the end of July before Ypres is evidently part of larger plans.
The system of rapid counter-attacks which the Germans have devised appears to be conspicuously wasteful of men, and though it leads sometimes to the temporary recovery of lost ground, it produces no permanent results. The massing of reserves for early counter-attacks can doubtless be practised best when an offensive limited to one area has to be met. When, however, our troops begin attacks at widely separate areas, a much heavier strain is placed upon the dwindling resources of Germany. How great that strain has become is indicated by the numbers of German boys of the 1919 class in the battle-line.
Such an example of the heavy simultaneous attack was furnished yesterday, when the third battle of Ypres was renewed on an extensive scale. The central feature was the capture of Langemarck. This represents perhaps the most notable gain yet effected in the whole of the Ypres operations. It was made under very difficult conditions, for the ground is exceptionally swampy.
We are now in the principal stage of the summer campaign in the West, and the enemy are being subjected to a pressure exceeding anything they have known this year. Our advances are methodical and carefully defined beforehand. There is no expectation of attaining overwhelming results by a sudden rush, but it is reasonable to assume that the full fruits have still to be gathered. At Lens and before Ypres great issues are in the balance, but Sir Douglas Haig’s plans are steadily moving towards attainment.

100 Years Ago

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2017-08-09/register/m-kerenskys-heavy-task-2325bls5q

AUGUST 9, 1917

M Kerensky’s heavy task

M Kerensky’s new Cabinet is perhaps as strong as could be expected in the circumstances, when differences of opinion on questions of principle had to be sacrificed to obtain an outward semblance of unity. The Prime Minister’s task is one of immense difficulty in face of the indiscipline in the Army, the agrarian question, and the crisis in financial, economic, transport, and food matters. The work requires a Colossus, for not only has the work to be done, but the implements wherewith to do it have to be forged.
The first question before the Provisional Government, now armed with practically dictatorial powers, is the reintroduction of discipline and order into the Army. M Kerensky will give this all his attention. With the exception of the Maximalist rump, which is still vocal in the Soviet, the whole country knows this is the primary necessity. General Korniloff has large powers to this end, and if they are insufficient he will, if necessary, obtain further authority.
The state of the Army warrants great anxiety, but not despair. If the new Government will exchange party for patriotism and give M Kerensky the support he deserves, it is yet possible to pull the situation out of the fire. The Cadet (Constitutional Democrat) Party has blessed its four members who have entered the Government as private individuals, not as representatives of the party. The Revolutionary Socialists carried their point in regard to M Tchernoff’s inclusion as Minister of Agriculture, after an inquiry into his activities abroad during the period of the war had proved him innocent.
Two points stand out in the formation of the Cabinet. One is the inclusion of M Avksentieff, the leader of the Peasants’ Delegates, as Minister of the Interior. The second is M Tseretelli’s decision to remain outside, with M Kerensky’s approval. He will remain a link between the Provisional Government and the Soviet. Perhaps this is the best solution, as his authority with the masses was immense.
If M Kerensky has the support of all parties with a real desire to save Russia from her accumulating ills, his efforts should meet with success. If he fails, democracy in Russia will receive a blow from which it will be difficult to recover.

100 Years Ago - The Jewish Corps

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/the-jewish-corps-8nkpdcv09

august 8, 1917

The Jewish Corps

There is an ancient Jewish prophecy which says that the Jews will be led back to their own land by a man of another race. In a measure this prophecy is likely to be fulfilled. Under the new mandate of the British Government the Russian Jews have to choose between joining the British Army or returning to Russia. Certain far-sighted people with an eye to the better use of these men have set the machinery in motion, and a Jewish force is to be formed. There are 40,000 Jews in the British Army at present, and of this number 32,000 are English Jews, the remaining 8,000 are from the Empire abroad. There are 8,000 Jews in the forces still in Britain, and they should be useful in training and stiffening the newcomers.
The formation of a Jewish division or brigade must be handled carefully. The men will be subject to the same discipline as the British soldier, will be given the same pay, and will have all the privileges of pensions and allowances enjoyed by the rest of the Army. They will, moreover, have their own butchers for killing “kosher” meat, and all their food will be prepared by cooks of their own faith. Rabbis will be appointed as chaplains, and at the camp there will be a synagogue. Colonel Paterson, who will be given command of the force, accomplished wonders with similar material in Gallipoli. He was the commandant of the Zion Mule Corps, that extraordinary unit of Russian Jews recruited in Alexandria after their escape from Palestine. They landed with the first troops on the peninsula and stayed there until the last, doing hard and gallant work under the most trying conditions. They carried the praise of every general under whom they served. The work now is much harder, but Colonel Paterson will be helped a great deal by the men he is trying to enlist. He is living in an atmosphere of Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian, and helping him is a most able Russian author and journalist who speaks eight languages, and has already risen to sergeant’s rank. There are 20,000 Jews of military age in London, so there is ample material to work on. After serving for three months with the Colours the Jewish soldier, if he wishes it, will become automatically naturalized, without expense to himself. It is intended that the field of operations for the Jewish force will be in Palestine.

Charles Saatchi's Great Masterpieces: The Burial of Count Orgaz – an astonishing scene from a solitary genius

The Burial of Count Orgaz, from a Legend of 1323, 1586-88 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-burial-count-orgaz-astonishing/

Doménikos Theotokópoulos, known as El Greco (“the Greek”), was an outsider – a strange young man who came to Spain from his native Crete to seek advancement. He quickly established his reputation as an artist of remarkable powers, at the fulcrum of Spanish society in the court of King Phillip II.

His painterly style positioned him as a mystic, a tortured solitary genius. The character of the man, certainly when he was in Venice and Rome as an apprentice, can best be understood through one of the key moments of his life. When asked his opinion of Michelangelo, then dead but a pre-eminent artist whose legacy must have weighed heavily on the shoulders of aspiring painters, El Greco replied: “He was a good man, but he did not know how to paint.” He further dismissed Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, offering the Pope his services to paint over the entire fresco.

100 Years Ago - France

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/the-third-battle-of-ypres-jvzhm9gwv

august 3, 1917

The third battle of Ypres

“The rain it raineth every day,” and the result is that the third battle of Ypres, which began so auspiciously on Tuesday, is necessarily marked by long pauses. On the other hand the Allied assault has brought the Kaiser to the Western front with a swiftness which does not seem in keeping with the almost elated German bulletin published yesterday. In an effusive message to Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria His Majesty suggests that the Anglo-French attack of July 31 was “intended to conquer the coast of Flanders”. No attack was delivered on that day within 17 or 18 miles of the coast; but doubtless any statement is good enough for the Berlin public. We seem to get a little nearer the anxiety which evidently prompted the Imperial rush from the Riga front when we learn that a War Council was held at Brussels yesterday at which all the military dignitaries were present. A further commentary upon the “great success” which the Kaiser mendaciously claims is furnished by the fierce and costly counter-attacks which the enemy launched on Wednesday along the area traversed by the road from Ypres to Zonnebeke. These counter-attacks at first recovered a little of the lost ground, but late on Wednesday night were driven back at all points. Until the weather clears we must not expect a further advance, but meanwhile the enemy may rest assured that the Allied commanders are well satisfied with the progress made. Considering the difficult ground, the strength of the defences, and the fact that the enemy were forewarned, our Correspondent regards the operation of Tuesday as a “wonderful achievement”. We may add that in no respect was it more wonderful than in the comparative smallness of the number of casualties. The public are perhaps inclined to be sceptical when they are told that the first stage of a mighty conflict has been cheaply won. They may rest assured that on this occasion the statement is in no sense conventional, but is happily true in all respects. The public must not, however, conclude that because our methodical attacks are now being delivered at a lower price, the question of sending steady reinforcements to the armies in the field can be neglected. A steady flow of recruits is as urgently necessary now as it was last winter.

Charles Saatchi's Great Masterpieces: how The Night Watch helped lay Rembrandt low

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-night-watch-helped-lay-rembrandt/

 

The Night Watch (detail), painted in 1642 Credit: Rembrandt/Bridgeman, courtesy Rijksmuseum

In 17th-century Amsterdam, becoming a member of the civic guard, accepted as one of the prominent burghers of the city, meant great social and political prestige. 

In order to be eligible for membership, you needed to show an annual income of at least 600 guilders, and acknowledge that you were prohibited from visiting taverns and brothels or swearing.

The chosen ones of Amsterdam decided to immortalise themselves in paint, and Rembrandt was commissioned to create a group portrait; he was paid a minimum of 100 guilders by each of the 18 members, under the command of Captain Frans Cocq.

Cocq and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch, offered Rembrandt a premium for being prominently positioned in the painting, and in fact the artist decided each gentleman’s placement based on the individual commission price they agreed to pay him. 

This unseemly marriage of vanity and greed was to become one of Rembrandt’s greatest masterpieces, The Night Watch.

100 Years Ago

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/yser-crossed-by-the-allies-6wnz6vd8f

august 1, 1917

Yser crossed by the Allies

The tension of the past few days snapped at 3 o’clock this morning. The British Army has taken the field in what I believe will prove to be the biggest battle of this war on the Western front. The front from the River Lys to Boesinghe is blazing and booming as I write. Gas masks were worn by our troops, as rumour had it that they might be needed.
The enemy troops bearing the brunt of the renewed British offensive are the Fourth Army of the Group of the Crown Prince Rupprecht, several divisions of which are known to have been very much knocked about, so that there is reason to believe that some have recently been withdrawn to reserve.
The weather is humid and misty, and not favourable to the airmen. The work done by the Royal Flying Corps and the Naval Air Service is magnificent, and we have established complete supremacy of the air in the region of the offensive.
Later. We have got on with the war famously within the past 12 hours. We have crossed the Yser in many places. The artillery has been literally pursuing the enemy. I hear that one minute after the appointed moment for the attack our guns were moving forward. For the conduct of our men I hear nothing but praise. They went in, not only with the will to win, but with the conviction that they would win. In many places the infantry had crept up close to the German front line in the wake of the barrage, ready to leap up and rush the trenches the instant the guns lengthened their range. In one case our troops saw a number of Huns beginning to run on the other side of our barrage, and actually dashed through the fire to prevent them escaping, being rewarded with a considerable bag of prisoners. It is small wonder to find the enemy sometimes lacking in stomach for the fight, for our attacks nowadays, when we are putting out the full weight of our resources, are a terrible ordeal to face. The boiling oil drums in themselves are enough to quench the most heroic spirits. Two officers, who were captured, are profoundly pessimistic. In the course of conversation, their interrogator said: “We shall go on fighting until you are beaten,” to which they replied that they were beaten already, that there were no more men left in Germany, and that the present was the last battle of the war.