Herbert Schmalz

I first became aware of, and interested in, Herbert Schmalz when I saw the painting below, Rabboni, which can be seen along with a few more of his works in Bramhall Hall, Stockport. I thought it was rather Pre-Raphaelite but nicely different, so decided to research into the artist. My searches resulted in finding not a great amount of work, but work of exceptional talent and beauty.

Rabboni

Herbert Gustave Schmalz was born in Ryton, Tyne and Wear, in 1856; the son of a German father and English mother. He studied at the South Kensington Art School, then at the Royal Academy with Frank Dicksee, Arthur hacker and Stanhope Forbes. He was friends with William Holman Hunt, Frederic Leighton and Val Prinsep.
Schmalz's best known works at the time were historical in theme, with strong influences from the Pre-Raphaelites, an influence which he retained throughout his life. After a trip to Jeruselam, a fashionable trip of the time and probably inspired by Holman Hunt, he produced many Biblical themed paintings, such as Return From Calvary, below.

Return From Calvary 1891

During the 1890's Schmalz turned increasingly to painting portraits and works of classical themes. He had his own solo exhibition in 1900 entitled 'A Dream Of Fair Women', at the Fine Art Society on Bond Street. After the First World War Schmalz changed his name to John Wilson Carmichael. He died in London in 1935.

Denise 1883

Too Late c.1884-6

The Great Awakening

Iphigenia

The Daughter of Jairus

The Awakening of Galatea 

Waterhouse's Circe

In my Classics class, we have just finished studying Homer's The Odyssey. I have come to really love The Odyssey - it is a great story and is surprisingly easy to read, given it is over two thousand years old. One of my favourite characters that is included in the epic poem is the Goddess Circe. Circe was a favourite subject of Pre-Raphaelite painters; the wonderful John William Waterhouse produced three finished paintings.    

Circe Offering The Cup To Ulysses 1891

This painting depicts the moment when Circe offers the cup of poison to Odysseus/Ulysses which will turn him into an animal, like his crewmen before. In this version Circe looks rather powerful, for at this moment she does not realise that Odysseus has taken an antidote given to him by the god Hermes. The mirror is useful to let much needed light into the scene and to give the viewer a chance to see Odysseus. Circles are used to good effect in this painting; the mirror, the tiled floor, the curve of marble and chair, and the cup. They balance out the straight lines of the column, the diagonal line of Circe's dress and her outstretched arms. 

Circe Invidiosa 1892

This second Waterhouse painting is not a depiction of Circe from The Odyssey, but taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. In Metamorphoses the story is told of Glaucus and Scylla ( another Odyssey character). The sea-god Glaucus falls in love with the beautiful Scylla, and asks Circe for a love potion. Circe, however, fancies taking Glaucus as her lover and, when he refuses, she takes revenge and pours poison into the pool where Scylla bathes; transforming her into a monster. The act of poisoning the water is the scene which Waterhouse chose to depict for his second painting of the Greek sorceress. The strange sea monster (?) at her feet hints at the outcome of this jealous act. Again, different shapes are contrasted in the composition  the vertical features such as the rectangular canvas shape, Circe's body elongated by the fall of her dress, and the thin stream of poison, are balanced by the circular shape of the bowl, the curl of the ghostly tail, and the ripples and bubbles in the water. The colours in this painting are really beautiful. the variants of gorgeous blue are balanced by the darker hues of Circe's dress and the woods and the pale colour of her skin. I find her dress is very aesthetic - the lose flowing lines and pattern of peacock feathers, which is also suggestive of vanity.

 Circe (The Sorceress) 1911-15

This is the last painting of Circe that Waterhouse did. I think it is quite different from the previous two, for Circe is not shown as a powerful enchantress, but rather a normal woman. She looks quite sullen and thoughtful. The colour orange is prevalent and varies in shades, most striking is Circe's hair and dress. Beautiful!
Best wishes

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Having read John Keats' poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci for the first time yesterday, I wish to share this beautiful poem and some of the lovely artworks inspired by it. John Keats was very popular with the Pre-Raphaelites, Rossetti in particular. Rossetti himself insisted that Keats be included in the 'List of Immortals' of 1848. Throughout the various Pre-Raphaelite phases Keat's poem continued to be a source of inspiration with generations of painters.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,

Alone and palely loitering?

The sedge has withered from the lake,

And no birds sing.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,

So haggard and so woe-begone?

The squirrel’s granary is full,

And the harvest’s done.

I see a lily on thy brow,

With anguish moist and fever-dew,

And on thy cheeks a fading rose

Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,

Full beautiful—a faery’s child,

Her hair was long, her foot was light,

And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,

And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;

She looked at me as she did love,

And made sweet moan.

I set her on my pacing steed,

And nothing else saw all day long,

For sidelong would she bend, and sing

A faery’s song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,

And honey wild, and manna-dew,

And sure in language strange she said—

‘I love thee true’.

She took me to her Elfin grot,

And there she wept and sighed full sore,

And there I shut her wild wild eyes

With kisses four.

And there she lullèd me asleep,

And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!—

The latest dream I ever dreamt

On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings and princes too,

Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;

They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci

Thee hath in thrall!’

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,

With horrid warning gapèd wide,

And I awoke and found me here,

On the cold hill’s side.

And this is why I sojourn here,

Alone and palely loitering,

Though the sedge is withered from the lake,

And no birds sing.

 This is an early pencil sketch by Rossetti, from April 1848 - a few months before the PRB was founded. The first of three sketches Rossetti would do for this poem, a watercolour of a similar composition was done in 1855 with Lizzie Siddal as the model. This sketch is just a little early for Lizzie to be the model, but I do think that the knight looks like Walter Deverell.
The unfinished sketch below is a later one, 1855, with Lizzie most probably as the model. Though unfinished, it is a beautiful work, and illustrates the 6th stanza which is written above the horse's head. (always nice to see Rossetti's handwriting) I am surprised that Rossetti never completed a full painting of La Belle Dame sans Merci, despite doing some sketches.

                                                             

Frank Cadogan Cowper 1926

I love this version by Frank Cadogan Cowper. He is often described as 'the last of the Pre-Raphaelites' because he carried on the Pre-Raphaelite style long after that kind of work had fallen out of favour with the public. It is very aesthetic in its composition; focusing mainly on the beautiful woman in the centre, with the sleeping knight lying rather comically in the foreground, the evening light glinting of his armor and the poppies, symbolic of sleep and death, are beginning to grow around him.  The woman is traditional Pre-Raphaelite, but  her dress I find unusual; rather Art Nouveau - the date of this painting is 1926, though an earlier version is 1905; these both would have been after the Art Nouveau period, which I think was influential of this painting.

Sir Frank Dicksee 1903

Ah! What a lovely painting! Frank Dicksee sure knows how to paint a really aesthetically pleasing work of art. The landscape, horse and woman are all beautiful. I especially like the details on the horse's reins and the overall glowing light. However, I do admit to finding the knight a little odd. Yes, he is wonderfully painted, but why is he standing in that position? It looks more like something from a religious subject. I think Dicksee is depicting, like Rossetti, stanza 6 where the woman is enchanting the knight with her singing, rather like the sirens... and he cannot look at anything else but her. 

John William Waterhouse is a favourite of mine, and this version of La Belle Dame Sans Merci is really lovely. This depiction I find a little darker than the others, for in the other paintings the woman is rather removed, but in Waterhouse's version we see the woman in the act of enchanting the knight and literally trapping him, with that lovely hair of hers... how I wish I had hair like that! The light of the woman's face and dress contrasted with the man in shadow makes the audience focus on her; she is the primary subject in the painting. Also, her dress is beautiful...The colour of it is divine!

So, I now feel inspired to read more of John Keats' poems, and I also fancy watching that film about Keats with the great Ben Whishaw in it - a good reason to watch any film I think! 

Best Wishes

Medea

When I decided to study Classical Civilization at A-Level, my only knowledge of the Classical world was watching the great films Jason and the Argonauts and Gladiator, and various classical subjects depicted in art. Taking this most curious and wondrous subject has to be one of the best decisions I have made - it is so very interesting! One painting always fascinated me - Medea by Frederick Sandys. I wondered what the story was. After going to see Euripides' play of the same name, I decided to research more about this interesting mythical woman. 

Medea by Frederick Sandys 1868. The model was Keomi Gray, a Gypsy woman Sandys used for many of his paintings. They had two sons together, before Sandys married the actress Mary Emma Jones (known as Miss Clive). The painting was submitted to the Royal Academy in 1868 but was rejected because of the paintings subject. It was accepted the following year and received good reviews. 

In Greek Mythology, Medea is best known as the wife of the hero Jason, of Jason and the Argonauts fame. She was the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe and granddaughter to the sun god Helios. She met Jason and fell in love with him, offering to help him on his quest for the golden fleece, but only if he took her home as his wife. Medea is often depicted as an enchantress or sorceress - she helps Jason using magic; potions, mysterious drugs, predicting the future. She also kills her brother... and Jason kills her understandably outraged father. According to some sources they stop by her aunt Circe to be cleansed for the murders.

Medea by Evelyn De Morgan. I find this depiction rather unusual, because to just glance at the painting you would not suppose this beautiful and serene woman to be a murderous sorceress. I love the flowing lines and colours of the fabric - one of my favourite aspects of De Morgans work. 

In his play, Euripides focuses on the later part of Medea's life. Jason has abandoned her for another king's daughter - driven mad by rage she swears her revenge. This takes the form of sending a poisoned dress to Jason's new wife; resulting in the woman's and her father's deaths. Still bent on revenge, Medea also kills her two children by Jason. After their murder, she flees to Athens on a golden chariot pulled by dragons, organised by her sun god grandfather... I suppose the ancient Greek equivalent to a fancy sports car?

 Jason and Medea by John William Waterhouse. In this painting, like many, Medea seems very much in control, Jason seems a little bemused and, rightfully, rather worried. In the play, Jason is not portrayed as the manly hero he is famed for, but more a little cowardly man, scared of his ex-wife. This contrast serves to highlight Medea's power over men. 

Medea 1862 by Eugene Delacroix

Because this is Ancient Greek myth, there cannot be just one ending - there are many, and none are happy. According to some, Medea murders her children by accident, in other variants she does not kill them at all. Her deliberate murders seem to be an invention of Euripides. As well as having the opportunity to watch some tremendous acting, I was very interested in the content of the play. Because the version I saw was a modern day adaptation, a mad, scary, powerful woman did not seem too far fetched, and her actions seemed like something out of a soap opera. However, to an ancient Greek audience this would have been rather controversial, I think, and I was surprised that her actions went unpunished - she was not put in her rightful place by a man or even punished by the gods by dying horribly. The modernization did loose some context - I am rather disappointed that there was no dragon at the end, though I was consoled with it being a very bloody ending - but it was very good, and interesting to contrast between modern and ancient perceptions. If the chance arises that you are able to see any version of this play please do - it is very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. I hope my post was of some use to anybody wishing to know a little more about the interesting Medea and I hope my choice of paintings helped.
Best Wishes

Rossetti Drawings Part 3 - Lizzie Siddal

Elizabeth Siddal has become the symbol of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and their ideals of beauty. She was engaged to and finally married Dante Gabriel Rossetti. During their relationship, Rossetti made thousands of drawings of Lizzie; some preliminary sketches for paintings, others just observations during daily life. These drawings are both beautiful and sorrowful, for many of these were drawn when Lizzie was in a state of severe depression - she and Rossetti had a stillborn child in 1861 and she was addicted to laudanum, the substance which was to take her life in 1862. 

This is a watercolour sketch of Lizzie painting. She was not just an artists model; under the tuition of Rossetti and the patronage of John Ruskin, Lizzie pursued her love of painting, drawing and poetry.

These are three of my favourite portraits of Lizzie, for Rossetti has captured her expression perfectly. 

Rossetti Drawings Part 2 - Jane Morris

This post is dedicated to Dante Gabriel Rossetti's drawings of Jane Morris,wife of William Morris. Rossetti was obsessed with Jane and produced many works with her as the model. They also had a rather long affair... I have always found Jane to be the coldest, or rather, the most distant of Rossetti's models. However, for me, these drawings seem to offer a more expressionistic view of Jane and give quite an intimate insight into the nature of their somewhat puzzling relationship.

The Roseleaf 1870. This is a beautiful little drawing - the hair, hand and expression are lovely. The square format and Jane's pose are unusual - it shows off her profile and thoughtful expression that Rossetti was so interested in. 

 There are many drawings of Jane sitting or lying down.Because she was such an unusually tall woman she suffered from back problems, especially later in her life. 

I love this drawing - the hands are so well drawn and the dress is beautiful; very unusual and aesthetic.

A nice sketch of Jane in another lovely dress.

It was very hard to chose which drawings to put in this post. I decided to pick a range of different styles - the quick sketches show Jane in daily life,  the more stylized, posed works show her renowned beauty that so captivated Rossetti for so many years. 

Rossetti Drawings Part 1

Dante Gabriel Rossetti is perhaps my favourite Pre-Raphaelite artist. I cannot describe how much I love and admire his art. Though his paintings are the most famous of his works, I have recently discovered the wealth of beautiful drawings that Rossetti drew in the later and darker years of his life.

This is a portrait of an unidentified man 1870, the same model for Found. I love the expression and the defined features of the face. A very handsome gentleman with lovely hair.

Two lovely drawings of Fanny Cornforth. The first, from the warm colours, I think, is quite intimate and emphatic. The second is more dignified, the earring and plaited hair are beautifully detailed.

A beautiful portrait of Marie Spartali Stillman. What lovely hair she had!

 There are so many beautiful drawings, too many to put in one post. I will dedicate the next couple of posts to drawings of certain models - Jane Morris and Lizzie Siddal to come next week!