Modernisme: Modernity begins

ModernismeModernity begins

Louisa Beresford, Lady Waterford (1818–1891, England)

David the Shepherd (c. 1870)

Watercolour on paper. Adorns the walls of Lady Waterford Hall, Ford, Northd.

I would be remiss not to include at least one work by the pre-Raphaelites. I’m no Christian, but something about Lady Waterford’s painterly style and vibrant colours really strikes a chord with me, no matter the subject.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Ilya Repin (1844–1930, Russia)

Sadko (1876)

Oil on canvas. Hangs at the Russian Museum, St Petersburg.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen (1859–1923, France)

Poster for the Tournée du Chat Noir (1896)

Colour lithograph. Hangs at Rutgers’ Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey.

This stylish art-nouveau poster advertised a nationwide tour of Paris’ Chat Noir, oft described as the first modern cabaret.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Joseph Farquharson (1846–1935, Scotland)

Winter Day at Finzean (c. 1901)

Oil on canvas. Hangs at the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh.

People will rag on Thomas Kinkade but then add this to their prestigious collections. Curious!

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Beneš Knüpfer (1844–1910, Czechia)

Fauns Fleeing Before an Automobile (1905)

Oil on canvas. Hangs at the National Gallery Prague.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966, U.S.)

Jason and His Teacher (1909)

Oil on canvas. Private collection.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Ernst Kirchner (1880–1938, Germany)

Artistin (Marzella) (1910)

Oil on canvas. Hangs at the Brücke Museum, Berlin.

It’s astonishing how modern (for lack of a better word) someone who lived over a century ago can look.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Charles Courtney Curran (1861–1942, U.S.)

The Edge of the Woods (1912)

Oil on canvas. Unknown provenance.

acquired MMXXIII.I.XXVII
John Duncan (1866–1945, Scotland)

Saint Bride (1913)

Tempera on canvas. Hangs at the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh.

This is my favourite of the whole lot. Much like its subject, a Christian syncretism of the pagan Brigid, this painting brings together Romantic paintings, Celtic knots, and insular tapestries — and yet still, it manages to feel like so much more. The geometric patterns and colourful garments evoke the traditional arts of southern Africa, while the angels’ shimmering patchwork wings bring to mind the ravens and totems of Cascadia’s Salish peoples. A true masterpiece, a work of art that brings the whole world together, if there ever was one.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (1901–1918, Russia)

Self-portrait with fake teeth (c. 1915)

Photograph. In the collection of Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven.

Anastasia, unsung pioneer of the selfie, would soon after have her camera access revoked and (one presumes for unrelated reasons) be executed by firing squad.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Władysław T. Benda (1873–1948, Poland)

The Earth and the Milky Way and the moon (1918)

Charcoal drawing. In the collection of the Library of Congress, Washington.

acquired MMXXII.XI.XXIII
Louis Wain (1860–1939, England)

Kitty (1931)

Coloured pencil on paper. Private collection.

acquired MMXXIII.I.XXVII
Arthur Weidhaas (1891–1976), U.S.)

“Brünnhilde” (1936)

Photograph. In the collection of the Library of Congress, Washington.

I went down quite the rabbit hole trying to figure out who made this delightful little photo, attributed by the Library of Congress to one “Adolph E. Weidhaas”. Via a Twitter thread and perhaps unreliable obituary website, it seems like he changed his name to Arthur after the war, and worked at New York’s Metropolitan Opera (hence the subject of this feline cosplay).

Every time this photo does the rounds online, its creator is credited as Adolph — a name forever tinged with the stain of war. It would be nice if, going forward, we could finally call Arthur Weidhaas by his own name.

acquired MMXXIII.I.XXVII