Yesterday we took a trip over to Compton Verney to see the new Stanley Spencer and the English garden exhibition.
This exhibition focuses on garden and landscape views captured by Spencer in his beloved home of Cookham. On viewing the exhibition it is amazing to discover just how much he painted from his local environment.
He was well-known quite soon in his life and could have travelled far and wide no doubt, but the bulk of his painting was done in his home village where he became a well-known, eccentric figure.
He particularly liked to explore where nature and building or architecture meet, and would often capture plants boxed in my man-made fences or walls, trees climbing up brick work, new house builds bordering onto countryside.
- He was fascinated by people’s own private haven and what a person’s own garden might say about them and what might lie behind a manicured lawn or tidy flower display. He celebrated home as heaven, seeing beauty and value in the ordinary scenes of life which very often pass us by as mundane.
On scanning the exhibition at a glance I was struck by how dark and brown all the paintings looked. But each painting had its own amazing range of green (from blue to grey to yellows) every brown (from conker to ochre) and then flashes of red and terracotta, not so bright as to stand out but just different enough to warm and lift.
Up close his brush work is awesome (literally). He could paint photo – realistically but often he painted with noticeable brushstrokes which gave the effect of tapestry stitching up close. Some of his paintings concentrate on pattern and the interplay of representing certain fabrics so much so that you look more at what the figures are wearing, than what they are doing.
I came away trying to place why I had felt so up-lifted and why I adore Stanley Spencer’s work so much. I think a lot of it has to with his humble ordinariness; he was a quirky but talented guy who pushed a pram full of his art materials around the village.
There is something endearing about him. But more than that I think his celebration of life where he was living is inspirational. He prompted me to remember to see beauty in the ordinary and look for a wealth of painting content right under my nose.
BTW – all picture plates were found in this book which is much more worth your money than the exhibition catalogue! Just saying.
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July 10, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Scrapiana
Thank you, Claire, for that write-up. I’ve been meaning to get to Compton Verney for a little while. I can see why you have a particular affinity for Spencer’s work – all that surface detail and interplay of textures (isn’t the textile detail in ‘Gardening’ almost chewable?).
July 10, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Annie
Love, love, love Stanley Spencer’s work – I think Cottages at Burghclere is my particular favourite. We’re hoping to get to Compton Verney.sometime before October, so thanks for the tip re. the catalogue, and thank you so much for sharing all these beautiful images 🙂
July 10, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Fishink
Great article Claire. Stanley is another favourite of mine. That painting of The Red House is beautiful, there’s an amazing amount of detail and observation in his work. Thanks for the Post. Craig
July 10, 2011 at 9:12 pm
susan
thank you for stopping by – you’re flower paintings are very beautiful !!
July 12, 2011 at 8:54 am
Anna Wilson-Patterson
I like the browns, very english light…
July 12, 2011 at 3:51 pm
ANNAMARIA
Thank you Claire for this. I love Stanley Spencer, and have done so fo many years. I had never before seen some of these paitntings though. I wish I could go in person to view them. I am intrigued by what you say about his use of colour and texture. I actually, was brought to tears once( about ten years ago) when I saw one of his paintings at the Tate.x
July 13, 2011 at 3:57 am
Stephanie
Dear Claire,
That was a beautiful post about an amazing artist. I am (like many others) passionate about gardening and Spencer’s paintings have made my soule sing. They have also transported me back to England (I have been living in France for fourteen years now) and, moreover, I adore DETAIL in art. I might just be getting that book.
Thank you.
July 13, 2011 at 5:53 am
Abs
So, if we see you wheeling a pram around the streets – we will know where you got the idea from hey? I like his Wisteria painting, it just reminds me of those amazing May days when it is in full bloom.