Royal Sources
King George V and his Racing Manager: A Conversation Piece at Aintree, c.1929–30
Oil paint on canvas
This work was made from a press photograph rather than a personal snapshot. It is a double portrait of King George V and Major F.H.W. Fetherstonhaugh, who was manager of the Royal Racing Stables, attending the Grand National at Aintree in 1927. The work was criticised at the time because of the informality with which it portrayed the King. However, Sickert valued the way that using an unposed photograph allowed a more nuanced portrayal of the relationship between the two men, unlike a formal portrait.
King George V and Queen Mary, 1935
Oil paint on canvas
King George V and Queen Mary was based on a press photograph of the royal couple. This unposed source means that the painting unusually includes a large white void in the centre of the composition. The figure of Queen Mary is cropped by the frame of the carriage, giving the effect of movement frozen in a film still.
From his initial interest in music halls, Sickert’s fascination with popular culture continued throughout the 1930s. He began to paint on a larger scale and use a brighter colour palette. Scenes from the theatre and stories in the popular press dominated his output. He would use black and white photographs as visual sources, which he translated into vivid colour on the canvas. Sickert was fascinated by how black and white photography’s flattened perspectives and stark tonal contrasts resulted in simplified forms. He retainedthese elements, creating almost abstract effects in his finished paintings.
Sickert also produced a series of works based on Victorian engravings, which he entitled ‘Echoes’. In contrast, his theatrical scenes were based on photographs taken himself or by his assistants during rehearsals, or on press cuttings. Here, he featured his favourite performers, such as Peggy Ashcroft and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, whom he painted repeatedly.
He also used press-cuttings as the source for images of royalty or historic events such as Amelia Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic in May 1932. Sickert’s use of photography is now recognised as a significant precursor of subsequent developments in art. Pop art’s transposition of found popular images is indebted to Sickert, as is the use of photography as source material by late 20th-century artists, such as Francis Bacon.
[Tate Britain]
Taken in the exhibition
Walter Sickert
(April – September 2022)
Walter Sickert is recognised as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, having helped shape modern British art as we know it. With ties to renowned painters from James Abbott McNeill Whistler to Edgar Degas, he strengthened the artistic connections between Britain and France and continues to influence contemporary painters to this very day.
The first major retrospective of Sickert at Tate in over 60 years, this exhibition explores how he had an often radical, distinctive approach to setting and subject matter. From working off detailed sketches to taking inspiration from news photography, these were the tools he used to depict his vision of everyday life.
A former actor, he had a flair and fascination for all things theatrical, including performers in music halls crafted on canvas, and nude portraits staged in intimate, domestic settings. His imagination was also fuelled by current events including the rise of celebrity culture, and he used this to create compelling narratives.
Much like the man, his art was complex. Creative and colourful, his body of work was ever-changing and can be interpreted in different ways. His own self-portraits, for example, showcase how he evolved throughout his career – from his beginnings as an actor and artistic apprentice, to becoming one of the most gifted and influential artists of his time.
[Tate Britain]
Royal Sources
King George V and his Racing Manager: A Conversation Piece at Aintree, c.1929–30
Oil paint on canvas
This work was made from a press photograph rather than a personal snapshot. It is a double portrait of King George V and Major F.H.W. Fetherstonhaugh, who was manager of the Royal Racing Stables, attending the Grand National at Aintree in 1927. The work was criticised at the time because of the informality with which it portrayed the King. However, Sickert valued the way that using an unposed photograph allowed a more nuanced portrayal of the relationship between the two men, unlike a formal portrait.
King George V and Queen Mary, 1935
Oil paint on canvas
King George V and Queen Mary was based on a press photograph of the royal couple. This unposed source means that the painting unusually includes a large white void in the centre of the composition. The figure of Queen Mary is cropped by the frame of the carriage, giving the effect of movement frozen in a film still.
From his initial interest in music halls, Sickert’s fascination with popular culture continued throughout the 1930s. He began to paint on a larger scale and use a brighter colour palette. Scenes from the theatre and stories in the popular press dominated his output. He would use black and white photographs as visual sources, which he translated into vivid colour on the canvas. Sickert was fascinated by how black and white photography’s flattened perspectives and stark tonal contrasts resulted in simplified forms. He retainedthese elements, creating almost abstract effects in his finished paintings.
Sickert also produced a series of works based on Victorian engravings, which he entitled ‘Echoes’. In contrast, his theatrical scenes were based on photographs taken himself or by his assistants during rehearsals, or on press cuttings. Here, he featured his favourite performers, such as Peggy Ashcroft and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, whom he painted repeatedly.
He also used press-cuttings as the source for images of royalty or historic events such as Amelia Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic in May 1932. Sickert’s use of photography is now recognised as a significant precursor of subsequent developments in art. Pop art’s transposition of found popular images is indebted to Sickert, as is the use of photography as source material by late 20th-century artists, such as Francis Bacon.
[Tate Britain]
Taken in the exhibition
Walter Sickert
(April – September 2022)
Walter Sickert is recognised as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, having helped shape modern British art as we know it. With ties to renowned painters from James Abbott McNeill Whistler to Edgar Degas, he strengthened the artistic connections between Britain and France and continues to influence contemporary painters to this very day.
The first major retrospective of Sickert at Tate in over 60 years, this exhibition explores how he had an often radical, distinctive approach to setting and subject matter. From working off detailed sketches to taking inspiration from news photography, these were the tools he used to depict his vision of everyday life.
A former actor, he had a flair and fascination for all things theatrical, including performers in music halls crafted on canvas, and nude portraits staged in intimate, domestic settings. His imagination was also fuelled by current events including the rise of celebrity culture, and he used this to create compelling narratives.
Much like the man, his art was complex. Creative and colourful, his body of work was ever-changing and can be interpreted in different ways. His own self-portraits, for example, showcase how he evolved throughout his career – from his beginnings as an actor and artistic apprentice, to becoming one of the most gifted and influential artists of his time.
[Tate Britain]