the heART of it: Oldies But Goodies

Every generation likes to think it's the first to discover anything new. I swear that if there wasn’t a hell of a lot of past precedent some bright spark would claim they’d invented the wheel. When it comes to art, and shock value, many artists love the thought that they’re producing the most scandalous and radical work ever. It is important to remember though that what is now considered tame and classical and scholarly, was at one point deemed to be shocking and tawdry, especially when religion weighed ponderously into the debate to dole out a portion of judgement on what was acceptable.

Diego Velasquez, The Toilet of Venus (1647-51). Oil on Canvas. This image is first recorded in June 1651, and in order to avoid censure by the Spanish Inquisition it is presumed that the image was displayed in private. It is amazing to think how attitudes have change, but at the same time in so many places they have not altered at all...

Now I’m not about to claim that modern and contemporary work produced depicting Love is not outrageous and drastic, particularly considering that popular feeling toward sexuality and its depiction has shifted radically in the last fifty or so years. It is clear though, that the complexity and intensity of depicting Love has been something of a pre-occupation for the Art world for centuries. We can reach all the way back to the ancient civilizations of the world for the very first examples. Not quite such a modern concept after all…

Wall relief from the tomb of Seti I.

So, I could make this seriously Old School in outlook, but that would be somewhat dull in my opinion, so let’s jump forward a millennia or two. Aphrodite, or Venus if we’re going to be Roman about it, is one of the most iconic images when we start talking, writing or thinking about Love. Her form and her embodiment of Love and Beauty have captivated the great and the good of the last 500 years. From censure during the Spanish Inquisition with the likes of Velázquez, to intimate ideas of Love conquering all with Botticelli they were all utterly transported by ideas of Love.

Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars (1485). 

One of my favourite images from this period is by Correggio and dates to roughly 1525. This is a veritable cornucopia of classical Love imagery: To my romantic and (frankly) sentimental nature there’s more here than just a beautifully constructed and executed image; I see elements of hope, family and tenderness. As Venus emerges from the darkened landscape into the light we are shown an image of how life can be, it is aspirational as well as inspirational – exactly as Love ought to be. For me, the particularly touching element is the interaction of Mercury and Cupid; their absorption, watched over by Venus, is so moving. Out of the dark, out of despair and out of the cold, Love has emerged bringing light and warmth and infinite possibilities for happiness. In the final analysis, what is Love if not hope?

Antonio Correggio, Venus with Mercury and Cupid (1525).  Oil on Canvas

Now I’m not going to lie about this – I never particularly liked Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I was forced, and I mean forced, to study his sister Christina at school and the thought still makes me shudder – someone needed to hold that woman down and feed her chocolate until she perked up… Age has bought a modicum of wisdom and perspective though, and I now make a conscious effort not to tar brother and sister with the same brush. Indeed it would be impossible to talk about time-honoured depictions of Love without bringing in the Pre-Raphaelites. I could jabber, as could a great many people, at length about the romanticized images of Love which are presented in the work of this group of men, but I believe my favourite image is a much more honest and infinitely less well-known piece which works perfectly with the idea of true Love rather than the ideal.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Beata Beatrix (1864-70). Oil on Canvas.  This is a much  more typical example of Rossetti's idealised portrayal of Love and the premature death of Beatrix. It is believed that this image is a memorial to Rossetti's wife Elizabeth, with the ghostly presence of himself on the right and Love on the left.

Found was a piece created by Rossetti which can be read in a number of different ways depending on your personal feelings. It remained unfinished at his death and is his only treatment of a contemporary subject in oil; he returned to it many times during his life, but much like the story it depicts remained unrequited, even to him. I find it a fascinating subject, because it deals with an aspect of Love which is nearly impossible to render accurately – that step into the unknown.  Pain is as much a part of Love as happiness; it is a necessary evil and divides the strong from the weak in how we deal with it. In this case, one can sympathise with the Drover who has just come across his lost love wandering the streets of London as a prostitute, the fear and uncertainty of the woman in how she should react, the hope for both of them if they can overcome their past mistakes which lead them to this place; the fear of their possible future together combines with the happiness of their possible future. In short, it is as complex as the emotion is depicts, it leaves one gasping for air, confused and enlightened in equal measure.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Found (unfinished). Oil on Canvas.

All of the depictions of Love which are detailed here are what I would term slightly old-fashioned. Now I personally love a little vintage in my life, so I don’t see that as a bad thing in any way. On the contrary, it is amazing the arrogance of youth that we feel we have nothing to learn from what has gone before, especially in matters of the heart. My only issue with tradition is that sometimes it holds us back – much like convention in that respect – and stops us pursuing the path we want. If science is right and there is no life after this, then we cannot take our emotions with us, they die here with us, and all we have left is the memory of our actions. I suggest each and every one of us makes them count. Luckily, the artists of today are not bound or hampered, and their depictions of love in the modern world are as eye-opening, and often inspiring, as those which have gone before.