An essay- Brian Keeler
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA has long been a favorite as a destination for art. Whenever I've been in that general area of western Massachusetts/ southern Vermont or the upper Hudson Valley of New York I make it a point to stop there. The plaque near the entrance of the permanent collection inspires us to proceed with alacrity and altruism. It reads:
"In this place men and women will be strengthened and ennobled by their contact with the beauty of the ages." Indeed, we are more than strengthened and ennobled, we are inspired and intellectually engaged.
Above- Guillame Lethiere's canvas depicting a scene from the earliest days of Roman History, "Brutus Condemning His Sons To Death."
The current show fills that mandate and shows an artist of exceptional talent, of the late 18th and early19th century in France- who played a central roll in the art of his day in Paris and Rome as well. Guilliame Lethiere (1760-1832) is regarded as a neoclassical painter, as his oeuvre is devoted mostly to depictions of Greco/Roman myth or history. I think of him in relation to the other great artists of this era in France, such as Ingres, Carpeaux and of course, Jacques Louis David, Turner and Corot come to mind too as they straddled the continent and found inspiration in Italy and France. I am always discovering new artists that found the muse in antiquity with the associated moral compass of finding virtue in the classics. Two other French artists who preceded Lethiere also come to mind for their long history of plumbing the marvels of Rome. They would be Claude and Poussin. And they both exemplify the academic rigor mentioned in the title of this essay.
So we have a new chapter and context of realistic painting through this presentation at the Clark. We can glean relevancies and connections to traditions before and after Lethiere's life. Such are the benefits that curators of museums offer us.
The Clark exhibit of Lethiere's work shows us his extremely accomplished figure drawings as a youth and his figure paintings from the same period. He was indeed precocious and we can understand how he rose to be at the center of the French Academy in Rome and of the art world in Paris. The accompanying catalog, wall text and press all make mention of his humble beginning of mixed race on a small island in the Caribbean, Sainte Anne, Guadelupe. The fact that he was born into slavery and rose to highest echelons of society and art have relevancy to our world and those of ancient Rome as well. The term "Freedman" was given to manumitted slaves who rose through the ranks, often to become renowned citizens and even scholars and teachers.
Above- A preliminary drawing for the painting shown above, "Brutus Condemning His Sons To Death." All of the composition, set up as a Roman frieze, is worked out including the contrasting values of foreground figures and softened and muted background architecture.
When we regard the drawing (shown above) and the painting we notice a few major changes, but basically most of the early decisions of pose and composition remain intact. The one exception is the figure ground relationship, or contrast of values between the distant buildings and the sky, which has been reversed. In the drawing the buildings are light against dark and the painting switches this. But we wonder about his process of conception. There must have been small quick sketches to experiment with the poses and design. The drawing shown here is highly realized with no visual evidence of experimental thinking or process shown. Rembrandt's quick gestural studies come to mind for some of his major works, that give us insight into his ideas and visualization.
The news articles about this show and in the wall text here is also make note of the parallels to political issues of that era and those of today, which are remarkably similar. Here is a quote from the review in the New York Times by Jason Farago that addresses the corollaries:
"On July 14, 1789 (exactly 235 years ago this Sunday), some idealistic Parisians stormed a not especially crowded prison. They overthrew the king’s guard. They set in train a three-pronged revolution: for individual liberty, for civil equality, and, last and rarest, for communal obligation. That July fraternity passed from the realm of genealogy into politics — and this July’s startling French legislative election, fought over race, migration and national belonging, confirms how agitated that third virtue remains. Who is my brother? In the National Assembly of 1789 and the National Assembly of 2024, some questions never get a final answer."
Fascinating as the above correlations of historical and contemporary politics and issues are, I am concerned here mostly with the artistic aspects. The relations to the French Revolution, the similar burgeoning of Republican Rome and Athens still inform the works and our appreciation.
With Lethiere's work, I was in awe of the ambition and complexity of his figurative ensembles. The preliminary drawings shown nearby the paintings were incredibly resolved and they enrich our appreciation and understanding of the working process. His command of perspective was on full display as these scenes from Rome and Athens often included remarkably rendered cityscapes. The organization of the figures in a kind of hierarchy of tone was particularly noteworthy. This clarity of values created a wonderful stage-like feel with the figures all arranged according to their importance in the narrative.
Take the painting of a scene from the birth of the Roman Republitc (shown at the top) about Brutus,(distant ancestor of the more famous and traitorous Brutus), who was among the assasins who murdered Julius Cesar centuries later. This huge canvas is titled. "Brutus Condemning His Sons To Death." His sons betrayed the revolution that threw off the kings of early Rome. Brutus shows stoic resolve in the case of his sons to uphold the ideals and laws of democracy. We of course think of our own times when nepotism, emoluments, and self-serving platitudes were the hallmarks of a recent tyrant in America and many other autocrats throughout the modern world.
In this painting, I appreciate the gentle swooping of a semi-circular thread, like a shallow bowl, that unifies the frieze of figures and is contrasted to the angular geometry of the verticals in the architecture. The outstretched arms on either side of the group of figures forms the bowl- with the right side extending up to Brutus. Most impressive is the limited use of color and effective restraint, characterized by the bright crimson of Brutus' robe. This is one note of strong chroma in an otherwise neutral-hued work. The deep Prussian blue on the garment of the figure next to Brutus, as it is darker, beautifully acts in a supporting role in the overall orchestration of color.
There is a term mentioned in the exhibit text that is apropo here, "Exemplum Virtutis" which translates from the Latin as an example of virtue, which encourages emulation by us, the viewer. History painting was often regarded as one of the highest forms of art for centuries as it was designed to elevate and educate the viewer.
Lethiere's large canvas of: "Homer Singing His Iliad at the Gates of Athens" from 1814 was especially captivating. It is a re-creation of a possible scene from antiquity but presented as a believable genre scene. The topographical setting at the gates of Athens is remarkable. The light is palpable and the one- point perspective leads us back into space after enjoying the drama of figures. The soft diagonal light on the architecture shows us the time of day. The stone of the gateway all rendered in beautiful and nuanced greys provides a wonderful non-competing background. The figures are portrayed in light and with garments of higher contrast and more chroma show us the theatrical organization that is so well-considered. The deep hues of the vertical cypress with soft modeling are contrasted with delicate sfumato of the distant landscape. Lethiere supposedly used his step daughter to pose for the crouching woman in white at the center.
Above- Lethier'a painting of Homer playing the lyre while singing his poem the Iliad.
So we can see much to marvel at in this special exhibit of an under-appreciated artist as well as the amazing permanent collection. And in keeping with the inspiration of the masterpieces at the Clark, I took time to sketch from a figurative marble sculptor in the Impressionist's room. This work, "Bacchus and Ariadne"- an 1894 marble by Jules Dalou also depicts a scene from a mythic legend and related to the founding of Rome. The nearby room contains the heirs to this tradition of Lethiere and Poussin in the works of Bouguereau, Gerome and Alma Tadema. I have availed myself to study and sketch from their works on previous trips.
To conclude, a quote from Longus's poem that accompanied the statue by Carpeaux at the Clark of Daphne and Chloe.
"No One has ever escaped love, nor ever shall, so long as beauty exists and eyes can see."
Above- a sketch done at the Clark Museum from the marble sculpture mentioned in the poem above.
Above- Keeler sketching from a marble figurative sculptor - an 1894 piece titled Bacchus and Ariadne by Jules Dalou. To see a video of this sketch being done; https://youtu.be/YW9zkVfjPYM?si=6f9I1Op1IXmrQI91
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