Brought to Light Australian Art 1850-1965

painting mostly religious works; and several years later, at the end of the 1940s, he formally joined the Catholic Church. It is not my intention to question de Maistre's commitment to his faith but there are indications that there were other factors besides his beliefs involved in his production of religious art, and that this resulted in an unevenness in the quality of his work. In some of his religious paintings, such as The Crucifixion 1932-45 (AGNSW), de Maistre has expressed his faith simply and directly.10The focus of the work is the torso of Christ outstretched on the Cross. The bent head, with its crown of thorns, forms a dark and tormented heart of the painting. As with his other successful works, de Maistre has achieved a fine balance between passion and decorative control. He has depicted the body of Christ stretched and fixed to the Cross, pierced and distorted by geometric lines, twisted in position, unable to move, the head sagging in impending lifelessness. At the same time the rigidity and control of the ruled lines traversing the chest, the strong musculature of the arms, the forward position of the left leg, and the thrusting upwards of a breakaway branch of the crown of thorns convey a feeling of power and strength. The figure could, with a twist of the body and wrenching of the arms, free itself from the Cross. One of de Maistre's friends recalled him expressing his belief in the power of Christ: that, rather than being meek and mild, Christ was a source of great strength.1 Religious painting also enabled de Maistre to remove himself from mainstream art production. His decision to concentrate on religious imagery seems as much motivated by rational concerns as spiritual ones: by using subject matter that had little or no commercial appeal, de Maistre could appease his certain disappointment at being no longer recognised as a leading modernist artist. The production of an exclusive style of painting, one that was above the mundane and ordinary and not expected to sell, enabled him to withstand rejection by the public art market. Much of de Maistre's religious work is indicative of the consciousness of his production. Works that appear as spontaneous depictions of faith are, instead, usually the result of a laborious process. For example, Carol Singers 1943 (AGNSW), a major work which encompasses his design ability, his interest in colour-music theories and his piety, was arrived at, as were most of his paintings, through a series of abstractions from a realistic work.12 Carol Singers was evolved from a pencil sketch of an actual scene through at least three progressively more abstracted painted versions. These stages of abstraction in de Maistre's works were appreciated by critics, one of whom commented: [W]e have so clear a direction and so logical a working-over of i t ... it is possible to watch each move of the artist's mind in his steady climb from the lowland slopes of the familiar physical until he reaches the heights, where appearances are superseded by essence. Above Herbert Badham The cinema 1958 Oil on board 37.8x 30.4cm Private collection Photograph by Christopher Snee, Sydney Facing page Herbert Badham Australia 1899-1961 The Annunciation 1954 Oil on composition board 93.7X 110.5cm Gift of His Grace the Most Rev. (Sir) James Duhig, Archbishop of Brisbane 1954 Queensland Art Gallery The process of abstraction was likened to prayer: At first word, the material manifestations of prayer are necessary to the novice, but later the mystic has no need of these props and attains the only essential of prayer, the union of the soul with God without their assistance .13 Despite devoting himself to religious painting, de Maistre received only two commissions for work from the Catholic Church: a set of the 'Stations of the Cross' for Westminster Cathedral, London, in 1954 (of which Christ is nailed to the Cross is Station XI), and two panels for St Aidan's Church, East Acton, London, in 1961. (The 'Stations of the Cross' in Westminster Cathedral are small works, and in the case of most of them de Maistre also painted larger versions. Christ is nailed to the Cross 1958 in the Queensland Art Gallery Collection is virtually an identical version, except in size; of Station XI in Westminster Cathedral.) Painting a series of the 'Stations of the Cross' was of great importance to de Maistre. The series contains some of his most successful works, such as Christ falls under the Cross (Station IX). Here the artist has drawn together his skill and piety to produce a work in which the colour and design depict and evoke the horror of Christ's burden — made all the more 220 BROUGHT TO LIGHT: Australian Art 1850-1965