ARTBEAT

European masterpieces make rare stop in state

The thunderstorms that rolled through central Arkansas on May 31 had many of us fretting.

We weren’t the only ones.

Representatives from the American Federation of Art and English Heritage were at the Arkansas Arts Center for the installation of a magnificent exhibition of European masterpieces, “Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London.” The two groups are the organizers of the exhibition’s tour; Arkansas is the last American stop.

“We had a quick talk about what procedure should be followed in the event of a worstcase scenario,” says Todd Herman, executive director of the Arts Center. Worst case being a direct hit by a tornado.

Works would be moved into the Arts Center’s reinforced art storage in the basement. The guidelines: “Rembrandt’s self-portrait first, then Frans Hals’ Pieter van den Broecke portrait,” Herman says.

Happily, the storms blew over and the Arts Center has opened the doors of the Townsend Wolfe and Jeanette Edris Rockefeller galleries to this remarkable, priceless collection.

When you enter the exhibi-tion, as you pass the wall to your right, the countenance of the great Flemish master painter Rembrandt van Rijn beckons you to come closer.

Do it.

Portrait of the Artist is one of his largest works (45 ¾ by 38 ¼ inches) and one of a handful of hugely influential self-portraits in the history of art.

At first glance, the artist seems absorbed in thought - palette, brushes and maulstick in hand - as though studying a canvas, pondering its content and, perhaps, considering what changes need to be made or what he should do next. But as one gazes longer, the painting takes on other, deeper meanings.

Before this (circa 1665) work, which is regarded as one of the world’s greatest masterpieces, Rembrandt had been through a bankruptcy and the deaths of his common-law wife and a child. In four years he would be dead. It is as though he had hit the “pause” button to reflect on his life and his life’s work. There is an intimate aura of bittersweet longing and reflection in his face, a vulnerability and, perhaps, emotional weariness that belies the monumental size and execution of the oil painting.

The face is richly detailed; one can see the bones of the face, sense the blood flowing under his skin. The experience is so real you can feel his gaze, almost hear him breathe. Rembrandt framed his face in the white of his cap, in his hair and shirt. The background is a wall that is texture and light, an approach that reflects the looseness inthe way he painted the rest of his body, minimalist in execution, suggesting it might possibly be unfinished.

Regardless, it is a not too subtle way to focus on what he wanted us to see:

Him.

Up close, raw and personal, reminding us that theeyes are windows to the soul and the face the reflection of memories and emotions. Rembrandt laid himself bare to us.

And what of the circles on the wall, which arc behind him? Design elements? Some scholars have suggested it is an outline of a world map that is not detailed. Could it be symbolic of a painter’s search for perfection in his art and life? A spiritual metaphor? Given the intensity of this work, the latter two certainly seem believable.

In taking time to experience this work, viewers are invited into a conversation with Rembrandt and, perhaps, inspired to do a little reflection of our own.

The painting hangs alone, on a wall separate from the rest of the exhibition. It’s an appropriate staging, for nothing else approaches or compares to this canvas’ power. And, having reveled in itsdepth, its humanity, its emotionally charged presence early on, we can relax and take in the rest of this rare jewel of an exhibition.

The masterpieces shown in “Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London” were acquired by Edward Cecil Guinness, the Guinness brewing magnate and the first Lord Iveagh. In 1925, when he bought the estate of Kenwood in London, he planned to house his collection there. He died two years later. Most of these works had never been seen in the United States. The Arkansas Arts Center is one of three American stops on the tour, an opportunity made possible by an extensive renovation of Kenwood House.

Some works also have cell phone links for audio commentary.

Some highlights:

Claude de Jongh’s 1630 painting of Old LondonBridge presents the sixth London Bridge and the first that wasn’t made from wood. The stone structure has houses and shops on it, and the painting offers a fascinating glimpse of life at that time. It is on back of the wall where the Rembrandt hangs.

Sir Anthony van Dyck’s gift for seemingly gliding the paint onto his luminous canvases, especially on his portrait of James Stuart, First Duke of Richmond and Fourth Duke of Lennox, circa 1636. It is a very sympathetic and relaxed portrait of a nobleman, a cousin of the beheaded King Charles I. The richness of his surroundings echo in his confident portrayal.

Van Dyck’s Princess Henrietta of Lorraine Attended by a Page also reveals Van Dyck’s amazing talent. Take a close look at the black silk portion of her dress, which shimmers and glows with subtle beauty.

Ferdinand Bol’s Portrait of a Woman. This circa 1644 work by Bol, who was a student of Rembrandt’s, carried his teacher’s forged signature when Guinness acquired it.

Hyacinthe Riguad and Joseph Parrocel’s Louis, Duke of Burgundy is one of a handful of French works. It radiates power as the king’s grandson points to the battlefield, as though directing the scene below him.

Among several portraits of children is Miss Murray, which Herman describes as “the quintessential image of young British innocence.” There is, he points out, an irony in that perception, given that the child pictured skipping along and holding flowers in her dress was probably illegitimate.

Miss Murray, painted in 1824-26 by Sir Thomas Lawrence, is a fluid work that was hugely popular and reproduced in prints and on boxes of chocolate and biscuits. It is one of several works that underscore the presence of aristocratic scandals. Always a good idea to read the information cards next to the works.

Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight by Joseph Wright of Derby, painted sometime from 1768 to ’70, has a sinister edge. It suggests a creepy cover from a horror comic or graphic novel. Two girls are dressing an upheld kitten in a costume; a doll is castaside. It speaks to cruelty or, perhaps, the movement from girlhood to womanhood in this high-contrast, dramatic canvas.

A number of works by Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds offer a visual documentation of a rivalry in artistic vision and competition for commissions. Reynolds sought to create timeless portraits by connecting people of his time to classical and historical scenes, while Gainsborough painted them in their time and place.

There are many paintings to savor, including portraits, hunting scenes, seascapes and landscapes. It is a superb collection of great artistic and historical import. Don’t miss it.

If Portrait of the Artist whets your appetite for more Rembrandt, visit the museum’s Virginia and Ted Bailey Gallery to see several engravings and drawings from the Arts Center’s permanent collection.

The exhibition is presented by Bank of the Ozarks, Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc. and the Windgate Charitable Foundation. The event is sponsored in Arkansas by Chucki and Curt Bradbury, Sandra and Bob Connor, Remmel T. Dickinson and Lisenne Rockefeller. It was organized by the American Federation of Arts and English Heritage, supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, with additional funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. In-kind support is provided by Barbara and Richard S. Lane.

“Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough:

The Treasures of

Kenwood House, London”

Through Sept. 8, Arkansas

Arts Center, Ninth and Com

merce streets, Little Rock

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.

to 5 p.m. Sunday

Admission: $12, $10 for se

nior citizens, $6 for students;

free for Arts Center members

Info: arkansasartscenter.org,

(501) 372-4000

Style, Pages 45 on 06/23/2013

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