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 |   A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
| A Painting Post I am beginning to suspect that our assessment of American art is incomplete. The first hint that this might be so came when I discovered the work of Zane Grey. Yes, the Western writer. That seems to sum up his reputation, for he is usually credited with having invented the Western genre with its tales of derring-do between cowboys and injuns. No-one seems to have noticed that he is also a very capable and fine writer; indeed, his short stories in particular are gems of the highest quality and he deserves to be placed alongside such greats as Mark Twain and John Steinbeck in the list of American authors. His powers of description and characterization are almost magical. Have a look at Tappan's Burro and Yaqui and you'll see what I mean. So I'm saying that Zane Grey is one who has been overlooked by the literary establishment, no doubt because of the genre in which he writes. And I think I may have discovered another American who has been passed over by the arbiters of taste. In Vicksburg, one of the few antebellum houses still standing is the Martha Vick House. This was built for the daughter of the founder of the town and it is now open for public inspection, even though it is privately owned. The owners have several paintings displayed on the walls, a few portraits, and many landscapes by a French artist named Ragot. I admit that I've never heard of him, but he may have some reputation as his paintings are pointed out in each room by the tour guide. They are nothing special, in my humble opinion, being post-Impressionist but really having missed the point of that movement. They are more about slapping paint on canvas than any attempt to capture light. This would be hardly worth writing about were it not for the existence of The Painting in the last room visited. It is a portrait of a Victorian lady, seated and gazing out of the canvas at the visitors filing past. It is completely realistic, just as are all the other portraits in the house. There is nothing special about the pose or the colors used; they are the norm for the period. The technique is superb, far better than anything else on display, but that alone would not be sufficient to give the painting its incredible power. I have seen paintings created with perfect technique that yet were empty of life. And that is what sets this portrait apart from the rest; it is overflowing with life. The lady's character and personality pour out upon the viewer so that one stands transfixed, fascinated by the communication of humanity wrought by this unknown artist. I could not look away. This is portraiture in the same class as Goya, the master of bringing to life the dissolute faces of the Spanish royal court of the early 19th Century. The subject is very different because the lady portrayed shines forth as a pure and joyful personality without the stupidity and pride so evident in Goya's subjects. Yet the genius is the same: that inexplicable ability to reveal the soul through pigment on canvas. In spite of its complete dominance of the room, the painting was not mentioned by the tour guide. When at last I was able to tear myself away, I asked the guide about the painting. She did not know. Apparently the picture was so little regarded that the owners felt no need to advise her of the artist or even the name of the subject. They would rather we notice the inferior products of Ragot, presumably because he was French. I am guessing that the painting is American, partly because it is not pointed out and has to defer to the French painter, and also because of the simplicity and lack of ornament of the subject's dress. If I am correct, then this painting is an excellent example of how poorly American art has been served by the establishment. There is a snobbery at work that regards American art as inferior to the work of the Europeans that it "copies". This is utter nonsense, since all artists learn from each other; all that really matters is the quality of the finished product. And that painting in the Martha Vick House deserves to be recognized for what it is - a superb and wonderful example of great portraiture. Word count: 736 |
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