Pairings Highlight the Sculptural in a Painter's Art

Chamberlain and de Kooning

Mnuchin Gallery, Installation View, 

Chamberlain / De Kooning Exhibit (November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017),

Photo:  Tom Powel Imaging, Mnuchin Gallery Website

You can count on the Mnuchin Gallery to mount thought-provoking exhibits.  Such is the case of the current show, Chamberlain / De Kooning where eleven John Chamberlain (1927 - 2011) crushed and bent metal configurations are paired with seven Willem de Kooning (1904 - 1997) fluid canvases.  The gallery's well-proportioned townhouse rooms afford an intimate setting to compare the painter's and sculptor's work.  

 Mnuchin Gallery, Installation View, 

Chamberlain / De Kooning Exhibit (November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017),

Photo: Tom Powel Imaging,  Mnuchin Gallery Website

  

Chamberlain is said to have turned Abstract Expressionist painting into sculpture.  Touches of paint on his crumbled, manipulated car parts and debris evoke action painting and emphasize his indebtedness to the brushstrokes of the movement's painters.  

Mnuchin Gallery, Installation View, 

Chamberlain / De Kooning Exhibit (November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017),

Photo:  Tom Powel Imaging, Mnuchin Gallery Website

De Kooning, of course, is the towering figure of Abstract Expressionism.  He is the consummate master painter whose Museum of Modern Art's de Kooning:  A Retrospective, September 18, 2011 - January 9, 2012, New York, offered seven decades of inventiveness and thrilling creativity.  

Mnuchin Gallery, Installation View, 

Chamberlain / De Kooning Exhibit (November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017),

Photo:  Tom Powel Imaging, Mnuchin Gallery Website

The pairing of Chamberlain and de Kooning has been done in the past. In 2001, the Pace Gallery exhibited Willem de Kooning and John Chamberlain: Influence and Transformation.*  The show accentuated the two artists' strong connections.  Oils on canvas and steel arrangements corresponded in colors and pictorial gestures.  Likeness was the key word here expressed in an astutely handled installation of well-chosen works. 

Mnuchin Gallery, Installation View, 

Chamberlain / De Kooning Exhibit (November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017),

Photo:  Tom Powel Imaging, Mnuchin Gallery Website

The Mnuchin exhibit makes evident a different viewpoint.  Links between the artworks such as coloration and forms of layering abound but an important distinction stands out.  De Kooning's work appears more spacious, more three-dimensional than Chamberlain's actual sculptures in three dimensions.  The latter's pieces seem to constrict spatial expansion.  Metal planes are compressed creating narrow spatial relationships not unlike the compositional characteristic of sixteenth-century Mannerist art.  The sculptures displace volume but do not appear to extend any further than their outlines.  De Kooning's oils on the other hand explore and open up space. His canvases expand inward and have great depth.   Their space is almost palpable.  Spend time in front of the paintings.  Follow a line here and there.  Try to see a back plane.  The paintings seem never ending.

Mnuchin Gallery, Installation View, 

Chamberlain / De Kooning Exhibit (November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017),

Photo:  Tom Powel Imaging, Mnuchin Gallery Website

   

The exhibit brings out de Kooning's formidable strengths which can overpower the sculptures.  As for Chamberlain, the show raised some questions and desires.  Wall protrusions, the sparkle/glitter of paint, mirror polished aluminum bring to mind another artist.  This reviewer would like to see an exhibition of Chamberlain sculptures and Frank Stella's Indian and Exotic Bird series of 1978 - 79 and, perhaps, Stella's Circuits series of the early 1980s based on the artist's love of car racing. Is there or is there not a relationship?  A comprehensive Chamberlain retrospective which would include the artist's sculptures as well as his paintings, drawings, prints and photographs is long over due.  

Another de Kooning pairing is coming to New York soon.  His work will be seen alongside paintings by the Chinese-French painter Zao Wou-Ki (1920 - 2013) at the Lévy Gorvy (ĹG) Gallery, formerly the Dominique Lévy Gallery.**  The exhibit, Willem De Kooning Zao Wou-Ki, opens January 19, 2017 and runs through March 11, 2017. Until then, take a look at Zao's paintings currently at the Asia Society Museum in the exhibition No Limits Zao Wou-Ki.  

*At this time, the Pace Gallery was known as PaceWildenstein Gallery.  From 1993 - 2010, Pace operated with the old master gallery Wildenstein & Co.

**Brett Gorvy, former auction house Christie's Chairman and International Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, will join the Dominique Lévy Gallery in an equal partnership with the dealer Dominique Lévy.  The gallery will be known as the Lévy Gorvy (ĹG) Gallery.  Dominique Lévy had previously been partnered with Robert Mnuchin (M&L Gallery now the Mnuchin Gallery) but left in 2013 to start her own gallery.  

Chamberlain / De Kooning

November 2, 2016 - January 28, 2017

Mnuchin Gallery

45 East 78th Street, Manhattan

Hours:  

Tuesday - Saturday,

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Or By Appointment

No Limits

Zao Wou-Ki

September 9, 2016 - January 8, 2017

Asia Society Museum

725 Park Avenue, Manhattan

Hours:

Tuesday - Sunday, 

11 am - 6 pm 

Friday 11 am - 9 pm (September through June)

Closed Mondays and major holidays

Willem De Kooning

Zao Wou-Ki

January 19, 2017 - March 11, 2017

Lévy Gorvy Gallery

909 Madison Avenue, Manhattan

Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday,

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Mondays by Appointment

Guido Who? Part II

Cagnacci - The Other Side of Baroque

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,
oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),
The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California

© Norton Simon Art Foundation    
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media

The following is a continuation of the ArtWithHillary blog post October 31, 2016 concerning the The Frick Collection's exhibition Cagnacci’s "Repentant Magdalene”: An Italian Baroque Masterpiece from the Norton Simon Museum.  

In the late 1650s, while Guido Cagnacci was still working in Venice, he was invited to Vienna.  The invitation probably came from the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, uncle of Emperor Leopold I. In northern Europe, there was a taste for erotic subject matter. This was particularly true for the Austrian Court.  Cagnacci's specialty of semi-nude beauties would have much appeal.  The court also had enthusiasm for Venetian art.  As a consequence, there were many Venetian painters working in Vienna. Cagnacci joined them.  

The artist's big opportunity came in 1660 - 61.  The Emperor asked him for a painting of the Mary Magdalene with four full-length figures.  The result was the Norton Simon's Repentant Magdalene.  

The Magdalene painting was to set right some hostile criticism of Cagnacci.  The painter had been accused of an inability to paint anything but half-length figures.  As if to quell his critics, for the emperor, Cagnacci painted five not four full-length figures:  Mary and her sister Martha seated next to her, two servants at the room's open door as well as an angel chasing away a devil. Actually, there may have been six figures for a detailed analysis of the painting indicated that there may have been a third servant at the doorway who was eliminated in the final composition.

The story of Mary Magdalene is really an amalgamation of many biblical references to a person or persons called Mary.  The illustrious Italian poet, prose writer, satirist and dramatist Pietro Aretino (1492 - 1556) wrote a sixteenth-century best seller that included a description of Mary Magdalene's life which was a synthesis of the bible's Marys. The book was published in several editions. Scholars have noted that Cagnacci's Repenitant Magdalene closely follows the Aretino narrative.  Since the  painting looks like a tableau vivant or a stage set, it has been proposed that Cagnacci based his painting on seventeenth-century religous plays about the Magdalene that were sourced from Aretino's much admired text.  

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),

The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

Cagnacci painted directly from posed models.  He reused his models in different paintings or as different characters in the same work.  In the Repentant Magdalene, Magdalene, Martha, and the angel appear to be the identical person.*  

Cagnacci's Magdalene painting is set in a luxurious room with an oriental rug and three sumptuous damask cushions.  The scene describes the moments after Mary Magdalene's conversion to Christianity.    Mary had led a sinful life as a courtesan.  Her sister Martha, already a Christ adherent, had urged Mary to go to the temple to hear Christ speak. Mary was so taken with what she heard that she promptly gave up her immoral ways.  Overcome with emotion, she went back home to her room, disrobed and threw her clothes and jewels on the floor.  Mary's hysterical state shocked her servants. Martha, finding her sister in this condition, sought to console her. She points to the angel and devil in the background as if explaining their symbolic meaning:  Virtue overcoming Vice.  The combination of allegory and the story of the repentant Magdalene in one painting is an invention of the artist.  

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

 oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),

The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

The devil, with tail and horns, floats in the air.  He looks toward Mary and Martha, biting his fingers in a gesture of anger.  The demon has lost one sinner and is about to be expelled right out of the picture frame.  

The angel, holding a rod like a baseball bat, pursues the devil.**  This heavenly being has the body of a classical god whose sex is concealed by a banner-like drapery.  A divine wind from the left blows the angel's covering cloth into a decorative s-shape; causes his golden ringlets to fly backward; and, ruffles the feathers of his impressive wings. 

Raking light comes from a closed window on the left which spotlights the painting's main figures.  Light also comes from the open door on the right which leads to a loggia or balcony.  A terra-cotta pot with a carnation plant rests on the ledge of the outdoor baluster's top rail. The plant has not blossomed.  Its buds are symbolic of rebirth or new beginnings and allude not only to Mary's new life but also to Christ's Passion.  Legend has it that the carnation plant sprung from the Virgin Mary's tears as they fell to the ground. Her weeping caused by Jesus's plight.  A further association with the Passion is the plant's buds.  In Italian, because of their shape, carnation buds are called "little nails" - nails like those used for Christ's crucifixion.   

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

 oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),

The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

Two female servants are leaving the room.  One of them, with her back to the interior, is closing one side of the double entry door.  She looks toward the scene taking place inside. The other maid is crying. With her left hand she dries her tears and in her right hand, between thumb and index fingers, she holds a small glass jar filled with translucent liquid. The maid with her back to the protagonists has been interpretive as representing Vanity; the tearful one as Contrition. A strong breeze from the outside moves the women's garments from right to left in opposition to the supernal current streaming towards the angel.  

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

 oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),

The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

On the floor of the room, between and behind Mary and Martha, are an empty alabaster jar, its lid next to it and tresses of Mary's long blond hair.  These elements together with the servant's container point to the biblical account of Mary Magdalene at the house of the Pharisee Simon. There she washed Christ's feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and covered them with perfumed oils.

Cagnaccio's splendid abilities to depict objects in various materials and forms are illustrated throughout the work.  Mary's disheveled outfit, shoes and jewels as well as a jewelry box spread across the floor are tours de force of the painter's still life skills.  

 Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

 oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),

The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

The Magdalene's blue and white brocade dress has weight and substance.  Gold jewelry spills out of her overturned ornate oval jewel box whose tactile quality is truly remarkable.  

   Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

 oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),

The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

The blue and gold shoes are so well defined that their interior nails are visible.  The pointed shape has caused a redness on Mary's toes where the shoes no doubt had pinched her feet.  

 Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

 oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),
The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation

Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media  

In her haste to reject all worldly goods, Mary had ripped off a pearl rope necklace, breaking the string and causing loose pearls to scatter on the ground.  Nearby there are at least seven rings, pearl earrings and various bracelets and other necklaces.  Mary holds one long gold chain, partly twisted about her right wrist, like a rosary.

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,
oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),
The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation
Photo:  Courtesy of the Frick Collection Media 

Passages of beauty are found throughout - take note of the way hands and fingers are described and the renderings of cloth in motion.  Finger nails, knees, elbows, ears and flesh offer more confirmation of the the artist's talents. Colors are at times dazzling and, at times, subtle yet all is harmonious.  Naturalism is tempered with idealism.

Cagnacci must have been very proud of the painting for he signed his name in the lower right "GUIDO CAGNACCI INVENTOR" as if to emphasize his compositional innovation. 

The Repentant Magdalene was the artist's last achievement.  He died in Vienna in 1663 just a couple of years after the painting was begun. Seemingly, Cagnacci left no workshop or followers. 

At the Frick, the painting is superbly installed on the west wall of the East Gallery allowing for close observation.  Another view is offered from the center of the West Gallery.  From here, the ornate arched doorways of the Oval Room, which separates the East and West Galleries, perfectly frame the masterpiece.  The scene appears even more stage-like and the blues of the West Gallery's two Paolo Veroneses connect to the blues of the Cagnacci work - sky, angel's cloth and Mary's crumpled dress.  

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), Detail of The Repentant Magdalene, ca. 1660 - 1663,

oil on canvas, 90 1/4 x 104 3/4 in. (229.2 x 266.1 cm),
The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
© Norton Simon Art Foundation    

Photo:  L'Art Magique Web site 

What led this artist to be forgotten?  The answer may be a combination of several factors.  One may have been Cagnacci's imagery which was perhaps too prurient for some subsequent generations. The Norton Simon Magdalene could be a Playboy centerfold.  Another problem may be Cagnacci's origins.  He worked most of his life in Italian small towns.  Art historical studies have traditionally neglected provincial areas - provincial being associated with insignificance.  Attention to these regions and their artists is a relatively new scholarly pursuit. Lastly, the artist's apparent lack of a studio meant no one was there to carry on his work.  Be that as it may, Cagnacci is becoming known. The recently published The Art of Guido Cagnacci by Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator of the Frick Collection is a well-written, informative guide to the artist.  Copies are available for visitors at the exhibit.  

There are only four paintings by Cagnacci in public collections in the United States.  These include the Norton Simon Magdalene and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's recently acquired Death of Cleopatra (Gallery 601).***  Cagnacci's Death of Cleopatra from the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, will be on public display at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York from December 2, 2016 though January 19, 2017.  Thus for almost two months, three Cagnaccis will be within easy walking distance on Manhattan's upper east side.  Take advantage.  Go see all three.

One additional suggestion:  while visiting the Cagnacci Cleopatra at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Gallery 601, take a look at the works by artists who influenced him.  Canvases by Guido Reni, Guercino and Ludovico Carracci are in the same Gallery 601.  Other Ludovico Carraccis are in the adjacent Gallery 623.  Titians, Veroneses, and Tintorettos are located in Gallery 607 and the Raphael altarpiece in Gallery 609.  Although the affect of these artists can be discerned in Cagnacci's art, he transformed their influences into something uniquely his own.  Enjoy.  

*This same model is very likely the Cleopatra in Cagnacci's Death of Cleopatra in the Kunsthisorisches Museum, Vienna.  This work was part of the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria.

Guido Cagnacci (1601 - 1663), The Death of Cleopatra, ca. 1659  -1663,

oil on canvas, 55.12  × 62.72 in (1593 x 1400 cm)
The Kunsthisorisches Museum, Vienna

Photo:  Wikimedia Commons

**Cagnacci's angel is based on Michelangelo's figure of Charon in the Last Judgement, Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

Michelangelo (1475 - 1564), Detail of the Last Judgment, 1536 - 1541, 

fresco, 539.4 × 480.3 in. (1,370 × 1,220 cm)

Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome

Photo:  Italian Renaissance Art Website

***The pearl earrings of Cleopatra in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Death of Cleopatra appear to be the same earrings Cagnacci depicted on the floor in the Norton Simon Museum's The Repentant Magdalene.  

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Cagnacci’s “Repentant Magdalene”: An Italian Baroque Masterpiece 

from the Norton Simon Museum

October 25, 2016 to January 22, 2017

The Frick Collection

1 East 70th Street, Manhattan

Tuesday through Saturday, 

10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sundays, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Closed Mondays and holidays

First Fridays:  

On the first Friday evening of the month (except January), 

the museum is open until 9 p.m.  

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