Art for Art’s Sake

If the Boss has passed this for the consumption of the knowledgeable crowd on here it will be my first time in the public arena. Fulsome praise will be accepted graciously (and possibly cause the odd tear) whilst constructive criticism will also be welcome as I’m still getting to grips with this. Anyone who calls me a boring talentless wanker can see me in the car park outside although I’m relying on SB’s long experience and editorial skills to reduce the chance of that happening. I’ll put something together soon about writing for pleasure for the first time as it’s an interesting experience but on to business….

Those of you who have more than a semblance of musical knowledge will recognise the title of this piece as the title of a 70s 10cc song. There’s a lot of people on here who clear that hurdle easily and will no doubt be humming the track to themselves and wondering whatever happened to Kevin Godley, Lol Crème, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart They’re all still alive by the way which must be unique for a 70s band where often stars seemed to be on a path to self destruction only more recently emulated by people like Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty. I exclude rappers from this consideration as they go in for shooting each other rather than properly enjoying themselves like John Bonham, Keith Moon and Bon Scott before an almost inevitable premature demise.

There have been quite a lot who’ve soldiered on but they’re all about 80 now ( think Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page) so they’re about to start dropping like flies soon which might be a bit of a relief to those teenage girls that used to hang around in the Beverly Hills Hilton 50 odd years ago.

This is not a reminiscence about 1970s bands though but really some thoughts about my relationship with the world of art over the decades.

I think it’s fair to say my artistic ability would be laughed out of the house by a vaguely talented 6 year old with the shakes but ability is not the same as appreciation. I was a slow starter – didn’t really go to a gallery until my early 20s.  I’m by no means an expert I’m not enough of a self regarding wanker to ever achieve that exalted status – I don’t enjoy homosexual activity and anyway I absolutely refuse to wear items like cravats, berets and salmon or canary yellow trousers.

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to art and my interest really burns out at the end of the Impressionists although I like looking at some later stuff by people like Picasso and Matisse. If I date it from the start of the Renaissance in Italy I suppose that’s about 500 years of sublime mastery. It’s not just Italy of course – Spanish, German, Dutch, Flemish, French and English painters all pitched in and people moved countries and made massive contributions (El Greco and Holbein spring to mind). I am sure anyone from a country outside these will jump in here to remind me of their national champions but anyone from Denmark for example  will be fighting a losing battle. I’ve seen exquisite art from places like Japan, the Arab world and China as well. It’s done in a different fashion but the attention to detail is quite astonishing.

It’s been a point of principle for over 3 decades that if I visit a city I go to the gallery. Some are great and I don’t really need to elaborate on that point but suffice to say the NPG in London, the Louvre in Paris, the MMoA in New York and the Prado in Madrid are standouts for me because of the range of works. Even the average ones (Toronto, Copenhagen, Budapest) have interesting pieces and are well worth the time spent. There are some exquisite smaller collections as well – the Galleria Borghese in Rome, van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and Uffizi in Florence are prime examples but there’s good stuff closer to home as well like the Courtauld and the Wallace collection. Taking advantage of exhibitions in places like the Royal Academy, King’s Gallery and NPG offer the chance to see some stuff not normally on offer to the public.

Then there’s the many I’ve not made it to yet but I think my hit list has four – the Palazzo Priti in Florence, the Kunstmuseum in Vienna, the Hermitage in St Petersburg and the Getty collection in California. One day…..

There’s nothing quite like standing in front of a painting or a sculpture that takes the breath away.  I’m going to have to make some choices here. Anyone who has ever been in the Sistine Chapel will understand that Michelangelo’s masterpiece is probably the greatest piece of art in the world. It’s slightly brought down by the constant chatter of tourists and the occasional “silenzio” over the PA by a priest who is probably only one step ahead of the authorities. It is truly awe-inspiring though and I’m sure it would be quite easy for some pikey to nick my wallet while I’m staring up at the ceiling or front wall.

The ones on the walls of galleries or other buildings – I had to think long and hard about this and some of my favourite artists like Raphael, Titian, Velazquez, Caravaggio, Canaletto, Rubens, Turner and Pissaro don’t make the final but I’m going for these three:

1. Leonardo da Vinci – The Last Supper – the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The refectory where it is on the wall is gloomy and you have to book to have a chance of seeing it but the majesty is evident and it seems to lull anyone there into silence. Da Vinci rather like Michelangelo dd so many different things that there is rather less painting with us now than a lot of people would like. The Mona Lisa is a small underwhelming piece of work for me although I do like the Adoration of the Magi in the Uffizi. This is his real triumph and a work well worth going to see.

2. Rembrandt – The Nightwatch – Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It’s a large canvas mounted at the end of a big hall with side areas that contain many other fine pieces of work. it certainly doesn’t have a religious theme or even a social one but a quiet group of men about to go out on patrol. It’s simply captivating and I defy anyone who sees it not to stand there open mouthed. Rembrandt is my favourite artist and his self portraits are refreshingly honest often showing a scruffy middle aged man – if I was doing them I’d be looking like George Clooney with a supermodel hanging on to my right arm.

3. Pablo Picasso – Guernica – Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. I am well aware I said earlier that generally my interest in art peters out at the end of the Impressionists but this is such a powerful piece of work it’s impossible to ignore. Another big canvas although mounted lower down and in a more modern setting than The Nightwatch. Even though the Reina Sofia is in a fairly old building it’s not somewhere you’ll see Goya, El Greco and Velazquez rather Picasso, Dali and Miro. You really have to look at this for a while to properly get the cruelty and destruction that is being. depicted as a consequence of probably the firs devastating air raid on civilians.

I’m conscious here that I’ve not properly commented on the windows into the soul that Titian or Caravaggio could paint or indeed the serenity in paintings by Turner, Monet, Pissaro and van Gogh.

It’s time to move on to sculpture though..

it is a harder topic for me. Rodin and Henry Moore leave me cold, the Venus de Milo is the most beautiful thing in the Louvre and Donatello did some incredible stuff but I’m going with Michelangelo here. I’m not quite sure how one man could paint the Sistine Chapel, design St Peter’s and  produce these things of beauty.

1. David – Galleria dell’Accademia Florence – the building is set up to showcase it and it is simply breathtaking, The reality of the figure is such that you half expect it to come down off the pedestal and start shaking hands with the crowd – it’s not just the shape but the way that muscles, veins and bones are defined as well. I was 17 when I first saw it and was stunned. Still feel the same now over 40 years later.

2. Pieta – St Peter’s Rome – HQ for the Catholics is a big old place and long queues to get in every day although if one pre books it’s easy and they now let you into the crypt downstairs where the Popes lie in rest, They certainly didn’t do that in early 1983 when I first went there. I’m not sure how many visitors twig this but the first alcove on the right contains Michelangelo’s Pieta. Pieta is a concept rather than a specific name for a piece so there are many other “Pietas” It’s Mary cradling Christ’s body after he is taken off the cross and although the obvious translation is “pity” a better one is “compassion”. It’s a beautiful piece but I’ve seen quite a few people walk straight past it. No one who visits Rome should miss this.

3. Moses – San Pietro in Vinculi, Rome – this is the one nobody seems to know about. Michelangelo was asked to design a tomb for Pope Julius II which was never completed and this was as far as he got. The centrepiece is a lifesize statue of Moses solemn and thoughtful with small horns on his head making him look demonic. It’s ended up in a fairly nondescript 16^th century church (although like most Roman churches the interior is impressive) about 10 minutes walk from the Forum whose name in English means St Peter in Chains. Last time I went we were the only two people in there (other than some elderly curator) staring at one of the most stunning statues in Europe.

As I said earlier I’m certainly no expert and this is just a personal meander through my enjoyment of art rather than any technical analysis. It’s become a part of my life and rather like books and music there is something there for anyone who has even the slightest interest. Great artists like authors and composers not only capture human emotion but also offer a window into the thinking of their time.

It’s priceless.
 

© ArthurDaley 2026