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'Stanley Spencer: Sky Inwards A Hell Of War' At Somerset House

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I've been lamenting for a spell the fact that nosotros no longer run into large figurative paintings of groups of people.

Those who aspire to filling the gap in addition to claiming a cast of fine art alongside a notable heritage tin sack do no meliorate than become in addition to run into the novel exhibition Stanley Spencer: Heaven inwards a Hell of War at Somerset House inwards the Strand inwards London.  The exhibition of paintings from "Britain's respond to the Sistine Chapel" opened lastly calendar week in addition to continues until 26 Jan 2014.

I'm a large fan of Spencer in addition to actually enjoyed this completely unlike perspective on the First World War.

View of the room inwards Somerset House where the master copy paintings
yesteryear Sir Stanley Spencer are on display
(click to run into larger version)
It's also the get-go exhibition yesteryear the National Trust inwards London for a rattling long time.  More to the point, I can't ever recall at that spot beingness an exhibition of Spencer's move inwards London inwards my lifetime - more's the pity!

Below y'all tin sack find:
  • details of the exhibition
  • details of the sixteen paintings inwards the exhibition
The paintings are inwards London because there's a major conservation projection underway at Sandham Memorial Chapel in Burghclere, Hampshire where they tin sack commonly live seen.  The Grade 1 listed edifice needs essential move to improve accessibility, visitor sense in addition to facilities in addition to won't reopen until July adjacent year.
Built to accolade the 'forgotten dead' of the First World War, who were non remembered on whatever official memorials, the serial was inspired yesteryear Spencer’s ain experiences equally a medical orderly in addition to soldier on the Salonika front, in addition to is peppered alongside personal in addition to unexpected details. The paintings took vi years to consummate inwards all, in addition to are considered yesteryear many to live the artist’s finest achievement, drawing such praise equally 'Britain’s respond to the Sistine Chapel'.National Trust
The programme is that after the exhibition closes inwards London inwards January, the exhibition volition thence transfer to the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, in addition to live on demo at that spot from xv Feb to June 2014 - prior to reinstatement dorsum at the Chapel.

The exhibition

The exhibition includes:
  • preparatory sketches yesteryear Spencer, 
  • paintings yesteryear Spencer’s swain state of war artist, friend in addition to contemporary, Henry Lamb, 
  • material on the patrons of the chapel, John Louis Behrend and his married adult woman Mary - who developed the largest collectoion of Spencer's works
  • 16 paintings from the Chapel
  • a projection of the huge epitome behind the altar
Click the images to run into larger versions - kindly provided yesteryear Sam Roberts Photography in addition to Somerset House Trust.


Top row (left to right):
Convoy arriving alongside the wounded; Ablutions; Kit Inspection; Dug-Out (or Stand-To)
Bottom row (left to right):
Scrubbing the floor; Sorting in addition to Moving Kit bags; Sorting the Laundry; Filling Tea Urns
Top row (left to right):
Reveille; Filling H2O Bottles; Map-reading; Firebelt
Bottom row (left to right):
Frostbite; Tea inwards the Hospital Ward; Bed-making; Washing Lockers
The of import matter to recall nigh Spencer is that he was peculiarly primal figure inwards the evolution of figurative fine art inwards England inwards the get-go one-half of the 20th century. The exhibition gives us an fantabulous chance to accept a practiced unopen facial expression at how he painted - especially equally the paintings are both lower on the wall in addition to meliorate lit than they are when seen inwards the chapel.

What I establish fascinating was that he chose to focus this of import contribution to state of war fine art on wartime chores. However y'all shortly get to realise that it's the meditative qualities of the routine which enables people similar Spencer to create out in addition to bargain alongside roughly of the duties he faced.

His paintings demo the banality in addition to tell the stories of the daily routines in addition to the patently inconsequential aspects of beingness inwards the acre or serving inwards a infirmary for the wounded in addition to those made mentally delicate yesteryear the war.  They are yet - lest nosotros ever forget - ‘heaven inwards a hell of war.’  Spencer called the paintings
‘a symphony of rashers of bacon’ alongside ‘tea-making obligato’ 
We'd receive got no thought nigh this aspect of state of war were it non for these paintings.  Click this link to the infirmary where he served inwards Bristol to run into photographs of the infirmary equally it was at the fourth dimension that Spencer worked there.  Note the contrast betwixt the prissy tidy regimented photographs of those staying in addition to working inwards the infirmary alongside the paintings of the duties in addition to grind of daily life equally recorded yesteryear Spencer.

It's a classic example of how paintings tin sack tell us to a greater extent than than photographs ever can.

The Resurrection of the Soldiers
(this is a projection - the master copy remains
on sheet glued to the wall behind the High Altar inwards Sandham Chapel)
Spencer e'er wanted them to live shown inwards London. He wrote that they should live exhibited there
‘ ... a lot of people ... mightiness laissez passer me a task if they saw these motion epitome inwards London.’ 
At a after appointment he wrote: 
‘I intend the arched & predella pictures arranged ... circular a gallery would live impressive .... they would blow the ‘Gallery’ atmosphere to the 4 corners of the heavens.’ (October 3rd 1932)

Other reviews of the exhibition

Events in addition to talks

The paintings

Below are links to the National Trust website where y'all tin sack run into each of the paintings.  The spider web page for each epitome also explains in addition to comments on the theme of each painting.  The explanations are repeated inwards a modest newspaper guide to the paintings which is available complimentary inwards the exhibition.
  • Convoy arriving alongside Wounded - an open-topped charabanc arrives at the gates of Beaufort Military Hospital inwards Bristol.  These were described yesteryear Spencer "as massive in addition to equally high equally the gates of Hell".  
  • Ablutions - this epitome employs the curious move yesteryear downwards perspective sometimes used yesteryear Spencer in addition to reveals his fascination alongside unlike textures
  • Kit Inspection - this sheet is gear upward at Tweseldown, a military camp close Farnham, Surrey where Spencer was sent to educate earlier he left for the Macedonian front.
  • Dug-Out (or Stand-To)
  • Scrubbing the Floor - a shell-shocked soldier lies protrate on the flooring - scrubbing
  • Sorting in addition to Moving Kitbags - the rituals of novel soldiers arriving
  • Sorting the Laundry
  • Filling Tea Urns
  • Reveille - the mosquitos upward at the move yesteryear of the tent are reminders of the malaria suffered yesteryear both Spencer in addition to other soldiers during fourth dimension inwards Macedonia
  • Filling H2O Bottles - the capes of the soldiers resemble the wings of angels
  • Map-reading - this epitome seems similar a curious mixture of Republic of Macedonia in addition to Cookham
  • Firebelt
  • Frostbite - this paintings shows an orderly scraping the feet of a patient alongside frostbite - which is a task that Spencer used to undertake
  • Tea inwards the Hospital Ward - this was the lastly of the paintings to live painted. I was struck yesteryear the chap at the dorsum who is combing his pilus inwards what appears to live a contorted means - until y'all realise he alone has 1 arm.
  • Bed-making
  • Washing Lockers

About Stanley Spencer - English linguistic communication Painter

I've finally got circular to making roughly progress alongside my website About Stanley Spencer - English linguistic communication Painter.   My aim is to catalogue all the paintings - only these all demand to live tracked downwards first.

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