'I'm painting an idea not an ideal. Basically, I'm trying to paint a structured painting full of controlled, and therefore potent emotion.' Euan Uglow.
Euan Uglow - An Arc from the Eye
at the MK Gallery, Milton Keynes.
This is the second post on this exhibition and it's Uglow's paintings of nudes. I am usually not comfortable with posting female nudes painted by men, especially a whole post, but these paintings are such a large part of the exhibition, the poses are unusual, the brushstrokes are fascinating as are Uglow's measurements, that I felt I had no choice.
Uglow has stated that he set out to explore the long art historical tradition of the nude, as an idealised religious or mythological form, from a contemporary perspective.
Art historian Richard Kendall wrote about these paintings, the 'brazen unnaturalness of these poses and settings served to announce their separateness from ordinary lived experience'.
As I said in my previous post, when I saw the brustrokes in the painting that featured in the poster for this exhibition, I just had to go and see it. And I was not disappointed. It is a wonderful exhibition and it's so exciting discovering a new artist.
Euan Uglow (1932-2000) was known for his close observation and precise technique, often working on a single painting for several years whilst working on three or four paintings at a time. He would construct set-ups or arrangements of models and objects in order to experiment with different ways of depicting perspective, light and colour. Working in an almost mathematical way, Uglow left on the canvas the dashes or crosses that came upon measuring. In his still lifes especially, this also registered how the pasage of time changed his subjects.
Nude, 12 regular vertical positions from the eye, 1967, (oil on board)
In order to make this painting, Uglow had the model, artist Daphne Todd, stand on a box in front of a box in front of a wall marked out with twelve equal divisions. Uglow painted the figure while sitting on a purpose-built scaffold. The scaffold was raised and lowered so that his eyes were always looking at the figure straight on. The ochre bands in the background correspond to how far the body is away from the back wall: 'the wider the band the further the body projects at that point'. The pale arrows indicate the points where the widths of the figure are changing.
looking closer
Curled Nude on a Stool, 1982-83, (oil on canvas)
The model is author Celia Lyttleton
looking closer
Zagi, 1982-82, (oil on canvas)
The model is Julie Burton. The painting was made over a year, five or six days a week, up to five hours a day and requiring absolute stillness.
The composition comes from decisions on the proportion of the canvas. Here, the height relates to the width by the square root of two, and the width of the model's head is one-eighth of the width of the canvas. Uglow described: 'the curve of the left-hand edge of the [ochre] structure allows the artist to retain the required distance between its base and the model's left foot, without having to make the arms unnaturally long ... the lower right leg and foot are painted with a change of scale, in order to accommodate the figure within the root-two rectangle with the foot fitting in the corner'.
Three In One, 1967-68, (oil on canvas)
The title of this painting came about because three models were used to pose, the last being Eve Herrmann Martin. The white marks near the model's head are from where an earlier model had placed her arm: above the figure a heater is suspended. Uglow wrote that looking at the figure was 'like trying to paint a moving snake all the time: one's got to try to look at its tail at the same time as its tongue - that's the important thing about painting anything which is alive'.
looking closer
Root Five Nude, 1974-75, (oil on canvas)
The title of this painting comes from the proportions of the canvas, the length being 2.23 times the height (the square root of five). Uglow often used rectangles based on square root ratios because of their harmonious proportions. He stated that 'the root-five rectangle is a very beautiful rectangle, with all kinds of lovely qualities'.
The table the model lies on was made specifically for the work, with a curved front edge so that the edges were the same distance from the artist's eye. The model, French designer Sietske Smid, posed over nine months, and was positioned so her body followed the curve of the board.
Uglow used flat areas of colours next to each other, rather than blending. He explained: 'What I would like... is that there are colours I can call a colour, so it doesn't become a kind of mud to make a tone'.
Pepe's Painting, 1983-85, (oil on canvas)
The model, Gloria Carlos, against a stark black background on a canvas with the proportions of a double square (root-four rectangle).The Diagonal, 1971-77, (oil on canvas)
The model for this painting was Jacque Rochester, an American student at the Slade. The painting took six years, partly because Rochester was only available during term time. The pose here was in part a response to the model, 'she was so long and could hold the pose'. The canvas is a root-two rectangle, in which the width equals the height multiplied by the square root of two. On the rear wall of the studio set-up Uglow drew a grid with 10 height divisions, 14 width divisions and 17 diagonal divisions.
'I remember his saying to me in the beginning that we will do this together. I ring the doorbell and walk into a painting atmosphere like into a complete painting. A cup of coffee then three hours on Wednesdays and four hours on Sundays, minus trip to the US. Slow down the rush of life and be still. Sometimes he says high clouds are the best days. My left foot won't stay on the floor. After a lot of difficulty preserving the head to feet sttraight line of the pose, Euan decided to have it pointing up. That changed the rhythm'.
looking closer
Striding Nude Blue Dress, 1978-81.
The model for the finished painting was Debbie Hayes.
Striding Nude Blue Dress (unfinished), 1978-80, (oil on canvas)
The model for the unfinished Striding Nude was barrister Charie Blair while she was in 'pupilate' training position.The painting was abandoned when she no longer had time to continue sitting.
Girl Tree, 1989-91, (oil on canvas)
The Blue Towel, 1982-83, (oil on canvas)
Night Scene, 1995-97, (oil on board)
Nuria, 1998-2000, (oil on canvas)
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