'Troy' at the British Museum

The 'Troy' exhibition at the British Museum is closing soon so I scooted along to catch it while I still can. I've been fascinated by Troy since I was young and read Homer's 'The Iliad' in my teenage years (in translation, obviously). It's strange how that story has wound its way into our culture through art, poetry, storytelling, films and virtually every medium you can think of. A universal tale if ever there was one.

There are so many different aspects to the tale of Troy, so many different stories that there's something in there for everyone. There are love stories, tales of war and mighty warriors, jealousy, greed, power struggles, domesticity, magic and the gods, so many different angles to it that can't possibly be captured in a single exhibition. This exhibition tries to be as broad as possible and, largely succeeds.

There are three parts to the exhibition. It starts with ancient views on the Troy story as illustrated in pottery, carvings and paintings, followed by a section on the archaeology of the site in modern Turkey, and finally a view of how the story has influenced more modern culture in the last thousand years or so through books, paintings and sculptures, and, of course, films.

There were some quite astonishing paintings from Pompeii on display that re-told the tales of the old story and showed how the Romans relished the tales. The quality of the paintings is amazing and the sad thing is that we'll never know who painted them two millennia ago. I didn't notice any information about the paintings in the signage - are they frescoes or painted on dried plaster? What sort of pigments were used to create those colours?

While many of the images dealt with the big parts of the story, like the judgement of Paris or the entry of the horse into Troy, some of them picked up on the smaller aspects, like the image of Ajax and Achilles chatting over a campfire on the side of a storage jar. In a way, it's these scenes that are more interesting since they're unusual but remind us that not everything in grand tales is grand or earth-shattering, that there's a lot of waiting around. There are quiet moments amongst all the noise and rush of war and great events.

After considering how the tales of Troy were dealt with in antiquity there was a section that looked at the archeology and the fact behind the legends. There is a lot of evidence for an ancient settlement on the site thought to be Troy - quite a few settlements over the millennia - but is there evidence for a war, mass migration, Greek invasion? This section had a range of artefacts from the different cities or settlements on the site of Troy, mostly small objects that were difficult to get close to given how crowded the exhibition was.

The next section looked at the influence on art and culture of the Troy stories and legends over the last thousand years, with examples of illuminated manuscripts re-telling the story, paintings. sculptures, films and videos.

One of the earliest examples were two gorgeous panel paintings by Biaggio d'Antonio from around 1490, a Florentine artist I've not heard of before but the colours shout out Quattrocento. They're on loan from the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge so I'll have to take a trip to Cambridge to see what other treasures it might have. These panels show the 'Death of Hector' and 'The Wooden Horse' so someone had obviously read Homer (or possibly, Virgil) back then to get all the details.

There's a great statue of 'The Wounded Achilles' by Filippo Albacini from 1825 on loan from Chatsworth, which is the poster boy for the exhibition.

Further along is a lovely painting by Lucas Cranach of the 'Judgement of Paris' from around 1530 on loan from the Royal Collection. We see Paris in contemporary armour as a knight as he decides which goddess is the most beautiful and it's interesting that Cranach has chosen Aphrodite as the goddess to look out at the viewer - it could have been any of them really.

There are more modern pieces of art to illustrate the continuing fascination with Troy in all it's aspects. We see William Blake's version of the 'Judgement of Paris' and George Romney's painting 'Lady Hamilton as Clytemnestra' amongst a range of Victorian paintings.

The final exhibit was a bit of a surprise, a large light installation based on light readings at the site of Troy by Spencer Finch, 'The Shield of Achilles'. I loved it!

The exhibition is only on for another week or so but, if you're patient enough to survive the inevitable crowds, it's well worth seeing.

Bruges: A Hospital, a Church and a Museum

I was in Belgium to see the new Van Eyck exhibition in Ghent so I thought I'd take a trip to Bruges to see some early Renaissance Flemish art. Bruges is easy to get to from Brussels, with frequent trains and it takes just under an hour to get there. When I came out of the station I saw steeples in the distance and decided to head for them. Crossing the road outside the station the buildings quickly became older and I was suddenly in a medieval town with narrow cobbled streets and picturesque buildings. So on I walked.

My first visit was to the Sint-Janshospitaal and its great collection of works by Hans Memling. The Sisters of St John had been working on that site since the 1100s in a hospital that they turned into a museum for Memling in the mid-1800s. The museum is in the former chapel of the hospital and it's a lovely space for displaying works of art and other objects, not the biggest gallery but there's plenty of space and great lighting. Hans Memling is one of the later Northern Renaissance artists and he actually lived and died in St John's so it's a special place.

The first works are two triptych altarpieces in glass cases so you can see the wing paintings, one is a Virgin and Child and the other is a Deposition, so we see the start and end of Christ's life.

Turn right and you enter the chapel with the grand St Ursula Altarpiece, much larger than the previous altarpieces and sited in the space it was painted for. You can walk round the altarpiece to see the wing paintings and back of the work.

The central panel is gorgeous. We see the Virgin enthroned with the Child in her lap, the Virgin turning a page in a book while the Child holds the finger of (i assume) St Ursula. St John is standing nearby in his rough clothes beside the Virgin's sumptuous throne. It's noticeable that the Virgin is wrapped in red whereas she would be cloaked in blue in an Italian painting of the same time.

Also in the chapel is the lovely diptych with the portrait of the Virgin with Maarten van Nieuwenhove and a portrait of an unknown young lady. This young man must have been rich or important to have to his portrait painted like this.

Out in the main space is the gorgeous Shrine to St Ursula, a gorgeous casket shaped like a church with large paintings at either end and three smaller paintings along each side of the body of the church. The eight paintings tell the story of the life of St Ursula in glorious colour with incredibly tiny details. Her story isn'y terribly delightful given the subject matter and her martyrdom with the 11,000 virgins who followed her. What is wonderful is the detail in the paintings, small as they may be.

Just over the road from Sint-Janshospitaal is the Church of Our Lady, a lovely church which is free to visit but you need a ticket to go behind the altar and see the true secret of the church, a lovely Michelangelo statue, the only statue of his that left Italy during his lifetime. Just before heading to Belgium I'd watched the film 'Monuments Men' and this Virgin and Child statue plays a big part in the film, with a soldier sacrificing his life trying to save it during the Second World War. Tickets to see that part of the church are bought  from the booth to the left of the entrance.

It's a beautiful, serene statue set under a black conch shell in the middle of a rather ornate altarpiece. If you've got a Michelangelo statue you don't surround it by lesser works from other sculptors. You can't get very close to the statue and it's covered in a glass plate for protection.

After the Church of Our Lady I headed to the Groeningemuseum, the main museum in Bruges. It's having some building work done in advance of a major exhibition about Van Eyck in the spring so some of the building was closed but the important rooms, for me, were still open, and these included the early Flemish works. The first room holds only one painting, the treasure by Van Eyck of the 'Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele'.

The room is slightly darkened with the lights focused on this painting. The Canon kneels at the feet of the Madonna's throne, flanked by saints Domitian (whose church this was painted for) and George (the Canon's namesake). The Child presents his mother with a posy of flowers and cuddles a green parrot (I assume that represents something but I don't know what). The Canon has just stopped reading and taken off his glasses at the moment this scene is painted. Joris commissioned this painting from Van Eyck on his return to Bruges after a spell in Rome and here he is, immortalised forever by the master. I wonder if he had any idea his image would attract attention nearly 600 years later? 

The painting rewards close inspection and is full of astonishing details, from the Canon's spectacles and the open book in his hand to the sheen on St George's armour and his marvellous helmet. You just know that the fabric at the back of the throne and the carpet would have been in the latest fashionable designs at the time and the clothes of St Domitian would have been of the finest embroidery. It's a gorgeous painting

As you walk on through the museum you come across some marvellous works by early Flemish painters, such as the 'Triptych of the Lamentation' by the Master of the Legend of St Lucy and an altarpiece by the Master of the Legend of St Ursula. It's always a bit sad that we don't know the names of these great painters that were clearly thought highly of at the time since they got the commissions for paintings but their names weren't documented for one reason or another. There's always hope that a box of old parchment might be discovered in an attic somewhere that will include the invoice for a painting or a lost diary will turn up. 

There are paintings by a host of great painters including Hans Memling and Gerard David and by a certain Heironomous Bosch. There are two altarpieces by Bosch, a 'Last Judgement' and a 'Triptych of Job'. The 'Last Judgement' is, as you'd expect, full of the strange images Bosch is known for as well as the panoramic view with tiny figures doing odd things. 

One of the highlights of the museum that wasn't on show when I visited is the portrait of Margaret Van Eyck by her husband, Jan, since it's currently on loan to the great Van Eyck exhibition in Ghent. She will return in March to star in the Groeningemuseum's own celebration of Van Eyck. I know that because she told me so when I went into the museum. 

So there you are, three great places to visit when you go to Bruge and there'll be so much more when the Groeningemuseum fully re-opens. There's a lot of art to see in Bruges and a lot of streets to wander round and marvel at the wonderful architecture around you. I hope to return one day.  

'Van Eyck: An Optical Revolution' at the MSK Ghent and the Ghent Altarpiece

If you're interested in 15th Century painting, particularly Flemish painting, then the big exhibition to visit at the moment is in Ghent, Belgium, with panels from the newly restored Ghent Altarpiece at the heart of the exhibition. The Ghent Altarpiece is documented as being by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck - it's the only known work by Hubert and there are about 20 known works by Jan, half of which are in this exhibition, the biggest ever exhibition of his works. So it's mandatory to attend.

It's easy enough to get to Ghent from Brussels, only a half an hour train ride with frequent trains. The exhibition is in the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) which is a 15 minutes stroll from the railway station. I went there on a Wednesday and it was incredibly busy so it's probably best to book your ticket in advance online. An audioguide in various languages is included in the price of the ticket. Photos are not allowed so I've added images found on the web to illustrate this blog along with a few of my own photos.

The exhibition opens with some context setting with a timeline of the life of Jan Van Eyck (or what is known about him) and the world he lived in. There are video walls, exhibits of the kinds of objects shown in his paintings (like candlesticks), lots of illuminated manuscripts in books of various sizes in glass cases throughout the exhibition, statues of angels and text on the walls. There are also works by other contemporary artists from the North but also some from the Italian Renaissance, particularly from Florence.

In the early rooms there are copies of the Ghent Altarpiece by other artists, a series of lovely small paintings by Christian Schultz from 1865 (that are on loan from the V&A in London) and much bigger copies of some of the panels by Michael Coxcie from 1557-58 on loan from the Alte Pinakotek in Munich (where I saw the panels of the Virgin and John the Baptist last year, photo above) and elsewhere.

The centrepiece of the exhibition are the exterior panels from the Ghent Altarpiece (that is, what you see when the Altarpiece is closed) and the panels of Adam and Eve from the interior of the Altarpiece. These are placed around the exhibition in different themed rooms.

I'd never seen the Ghent Altarpiece before. It's kept in a huge glass case in St Bavo's Cathedral in the centre of Ghent and this is a rare occasion when the panels have been removed for an exhibition. With that in mind it was very exciting to be able to get up close to the panels and look at them so closely since they're normally at quite a distance from the viewer in the cathedral. The restoration has cleaned away centuries of dirt and varnish to reveal the Altarpiece in all it's glory and the real Adam and Eve in all their pale nakedness.

Adam looks almost as if he's walking forward, with his right foot raised slightly above the edge of the painting, like he's going to step out of it. It's also odd to notice that he has slightly hairy legs with a covering of fine hair (which you'd never guess from looking at reproductions). Eve is more static and has the rounded stomach that was fashionable at the time. Something that really stood out for me was the realism of Adam's face, the sheer detail that suggests a portrait of a real model rather that a generic face on top of a generic body. I wonder who he was?

One thing I got ridiculously excited about was being at the right height to be able to look through the windows of the Virgin's room in the 'Annunciation' panels, something that would be impossible to do when you see the Altarpiece in the cathedral since it's raised up high.

Peering through the windows I could see tiny buildings with the stepped fronts you can see around Belgium and especially in the buildings in Bruges. There were also tiny marks that could've been people on the street in front of the buildings but I couldn't make them out very well. I need to find close-up images of this window - there must be some somewhere. It's astonishing that so much detail was added to the Altarpiece, particularly when no-one would ever really be close enough to see it when it was in situ in the cathedral. That's what I call dedication.

There was a delicate small Crucifixion attributed to Jan Van Eyck and Workshop showing a simple scene set in a landscape. The painting is light and airy with Van Eyck imagining what the Holy Land might've looked like with its sparse vegetation and almost sun-bleached sky. The depiction of Jerusalem in the distance is rather imaginative as are the strange trees, with Van Eyck showing a place he'd never seen.

It was about here in the exhibition that I realised you have to look carefully at the signs beside each exhibit to check which was a Van Eyck and which was related to him in some way. The signs have his name in large letters but, in much small letters, adds 'and workshop' or 'after' to attribute the work to the workshop or a follower. It's all clear but you do have to look at the signage rather than just glance.

It was great to see both versions of Jan Van Eyck's 'St Francis Receiving the Stigmata' hanging side by side, the larger one (about 12" x 14") from Turin and the smaller one (about 4' x 5") from Philadelphia. They're almost identical paintings but the difference in size is really noticeable. The face of the saint is very realistic as he kneels in a rocky wilderness for the Seraph to beam down he stigmata of Christ. It's incredibly detailed and is a lovely little painting. I don't know why but I preferred the tiny Philadelphia version, probably because it is so small but lacks none of the detail of the larger version.

Hanging next to the two versions of St Francis was another version, this time by Fra Angelico. a small panel in a rather plain modern wooden frame. It's a simple painting with a simple story. The details of the rocks and landscape aren't important to the Fra, the Seraph delivering the stigmata is what matters and that is front and centre in the painting - it's the story that matters rather than the detail of the painting. It looks like it was probably one of the predella paintings along the bottom of a much larger altarpiece (I'll need to do my homework to find out which one). I don't recall ever seeing this particular panel before so it was a delight to see it.

I smiled when I saw the next painting by Van Eyck, his rather strange 'St Barbara'. I've seen this painting many times since, until recently, it was on loan from Antwerp to the National Gallery in London and hung on the wall beside 'The Arnolfini Portrait' and 'Portrait of a Man (Self-Portrait?)' by Van Eyck. Very little is known about the work - is it meant to look like this? is it unfinished? is it a preparatory drawing for a larger work?

It's a delicate little piece showing a rather large St Barbara sitting in front of a cathedral in the distance, with people going about their daily lives behind her. It's displayed in a glass case so you can also see the back of the small panel. I like to think that the painting is meant to look like this and that Mr Van Eyck was experimenting. It lacks none of the detail you'd expect from a Van Eyck work, it just doesn't have the jewel-like colour we've come to expect from him.

Further along is another painting with a difference from Van Eyck, his beautiful little 'Annunciation Diptych' on loan from the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in Madrid (where I took this photo). It's an example of grisaille work, i.e. painted statues with shadows and everything. The painting shows Gabriel in one panel with the Virgin and the dove of the holy spirit in the other. It's quite small and that makes the detail of the folds in the drapery even more impressive.

This technique was also used on a much bigger scale in the outer panels of the Ghent Altarpiece with St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist.

The two St Johns feature so prominently since the cathedral was originally dedicated to St John and the donors were closely associated with the church. The donors were Joos Vijd and Elizabeth Borluut who are shown kneeling and life-sized in their old age when the altarpiece was commissioned. Their panels are thought to have been painted last in around 1431-2. 

There were two gorgeous small paintings titled 'Madonna at the Fountain' that looked identical to me but one was attributed to Jan Van Eyck and dated 1439 and the other to Jan Van Eyck and Workshop and dated as c.1440. Jan's 'solo' version has the inscription 'As I Can' (his motto) on the battered old frame, suggesting it's the original frame. It shows the Virgin with a playful Child in a garden with two angels holding an ornate cloth behind the Virgin while she stands beside the fountain of life. The detail is incredible and I loved the colours of the angels wings. The ground is covered in tiny flowers and the backdrop is a hedge of pink and red roses. I suspect the term 'jewel-like' was invented specifically for this painting.

The penultimate room in the exhibition is dedicated to portraits and there are several by Van Eyck here since he was a renowned portrait painter. My second favourite was a painting of Jan de Leeuw, a young goldsmith who, it seems, Van Eyck knew. He's holding a ring as a symbol of his craft. Once again, it's the sheer realism of the face that's quite astonishing - change the hat and the coat and he could be the driver on the bus you got on yesterday. My favourite portrait? Why, the portrait of Margaret Van Eyck, Jan's wife, of course.

It's a lovely portrait showing Margaret with her trendy hair style and the astonishing lace head-dress. In my head I'd imagined this exhibition hanging Margaret together with the portrait thought to be a self-portrait of Jan side by side in a position of honour but that remains on the wall of the National Gallery in London. Such a shame and a missed opportunity.

There are, of course, many other paintings on show in the exhibition, both by Jan Van Eyck, his workshop and followers and by other great artists. As well as Fra Angelico's 'St Francis' there's also his lovely panel of the 'Scenes from the Life of St Nicholas of Bari', two small paintings by Masaccio, paintings by Benozzo Gozzoli, Paolo Uccello, Gerard David and Quinten Massijs (opposite) as well as others. It's a great exhibition and certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity to see so many works by Jan Van Eyck in the same place at the same time. 

A few observations: most of the works are small so you need to get up close to see the detail and that often means waiting your turn - be patient. It was very busy when I was there so choose your time carefully to enjoy the exhibition at your own pace. To use the audioguide you need to get close to the download points on the walls near the exhibits so get used to people leaning across you to get close enough and get used to being surrounded by 'beeps' as each download happens (can the 'beeps' be turned off somehow?).

It's a great exhibition and a great opportunity to get up close to some of the Altarpiece panels. If you are only even vaguely interested in 15th Century paintings then this is the exhibition for you.

Of course, I couldn't visit this exhibition and not go to St Bavo's Cathedral to see the interior panels of the Ghent Altarpiece in all their restored glory. It's easy to get to the Cathedral from the Museum, basically just keep walking up the same road in a vague straight line for about 30 minutes and you're there. Inside the Cathedral look to your left for a little ticket booth and pay €4 for a ticket and then step into a small room and there it is in front of you, once of the great wonders of European art. There was a small queue when I was there so I suspect the queue is much longer in holiday season. The Altarpiece is in a giant glass box raised up about four feet to give the impression of what it would look like on an altar - this means that you're looking up at the panels and can't get very close to see details (getting close was one of the joys of the exhibition). Photography isn't allowed but in the other wing of the cathedral is a great little gift shop with loads of images of the altarpiece and a great selection of books.

It was a strange experience to see the Altarpiece, standing shoulder to shoulder with others in a cold, small, crowded room, people jostling for a better view with quiet chatter and the tinny sounds from the audioguides some visitors hired. Not the greatest atmosphere in which to see such a wonder but it was a joy to see it after all these years. I swear the top three panels of Jesus, Mary and John were glowing as the angels sang and played their instruments. I loved the faces of the angels, some looking less than enthusiastic in their adoration, one looking down to follow the words from the song sheet, one peering out at the viewer - what a wonderful collection of attitudes and faces.

I waited patiently to be able to move closer to the centre to get a proper look at the face of the lamb on the altar in the middle of the lower, central panel ('The Adoration of the Lamb') since much has been said about the strangely humanoid face and eyes that came to light as the painting was cleaned and restored. I couldn't get close enough to see the detail of the face but those eyes definitely looked strange.

Here is the altarpiece in all its glory - the figures of Adam and Eve are almost life-sized so that gives you an indication of the size of the work. I'm so pleased that I was able to see the exhibition and then the Altarpiece.

Favourite Paintings: 'Road at La Cavee, Pourville' by Monet

One of my favourite paintings is by Claude Monet and, no, it's not a waterlilies painting, it's a simple landscape called 'Road at La Cavee, Pourville'. We see a dusty path between two grassy banks leading to the sea, a nice simple painting, but one that calls me in.

I saw the painting at the great 'Inventing Impressionism' exhibition at the National Gallery in 2015. It's quite a small painting (and would suit a simpler frame, really) but the vibrant greens and blues called to me across the gallery floor. As I started examining the grassy banks, seeing wild flowers dotted around, I couldn't help but meander down that earth path towards the see and started wondering what was around the corner and behind those trees. It set my imagination soaring.

Obviously, behind those trees is a pirate galleon full of cut-throats with sabres and treasure, just about to set sail away from the coast and go on adventures. If only I'd been quicker I could've joined them and sailed off to make my fortune. But I was distracted by the sun and the flowers and the field mice living on those banks.

It's a lovely little painting designed to set your imagination free. What do you think is just round the corner?