Epstein - Sickert

SICKERT 1 8 6 0 1042 f 4 WALTER SICKERT w a s bo r n in 1860 a n d it n e r s a n d its gen t l ene s s traits wh i c h separate s e ems mo r e t h a n likely that posterity will h im from certain Munich painters of h i s time a c c l a im h im the finest painter that England with w h om h e s hows quite a strong affinity h a s p r o d u c e d for just o n a century. During For Sickert h a d t he English characteristics of • his l ong life h e w a s witness to t he g r e a t h umo u r a n d mod e s t y a n d h i s painting for revolutionary c h a n g e s which, pa r a l l e l with all its s e r i ousne s s of purpose, is n e v e r pre- c on t empo r a r y thought a n d w a y s of life the tentious or exhibitionist course of a r t h a d und e r gon e a n d a l t hough In stature h e m a y most n e a r l y b e compared h e w a s b y n o m e a n s u n a w a r e of t h em a n d with Vuillard w h o w a s his junior b y eight i n d e e d a b s o r b e d a s mu c h a s w e r e suited to ye a r s . Both b e l o n g to the " initmiste" school his particular temperament, h e n e v e r a c t u a l l y of painting, t he late 19th a n d e a r l y 20th cen- b e l o n g e d to a n y a v an t g a r d e movement. tury equ i va l en t of Dutch pa i n t i ng of the , Sickert 's all-absorbing interest w a s in g o o d Ve rme e r a n d d e Hooch circle. But whereas • - • pain tmg; h e w a s not p r e p a r e d to sacrifice the F r e n c hma n w a s attracted b y t he tasteful this objective to a n y other aesthetic p r ob l ems salons of t he we a l t h y Parisian bourgeois and *41 a n d for this r e a s o n it is the traditional line the excellently s p r e a d tables of a humbler of the O l d Masters that h e t a k e s a n d holds strata of society, Sickert w a s inevitably his p l a c e If his work h a s e v e r a p p e a r e d d r a wn to t h e d i sma l d r a b interiors of shocking it is o n account of his preference London's near-slum a r e a s Vuillard loved for w h a t is c ommon l y known a s the sordid the c h a rmi n g surface de s i gn s of wallpapers side of life r a t he r t h a n for a n y violent a n d textiles, the u s e of wh i ch in lesser hands theoretical experimentation or innovation i n m a y deteriorate into me r e l y decorative paint- the art of picture making. ing; Sickert found n o delight in decoration of :3 His b a c k g r o u n d comprises a curious mixture a n y k i nd Vuillard in later y e a r s had His father w a s Dan i s h his mother English occasional l a p s e s into c ommo n p l a c e n e s s of 14 f ' of p a r t Irish de s c en t a n d h e himself w a s v i s i o n ; S i c k e r t 's errors we r e n e v e r t ho s e of be- born in Mun i ch Of the two m e n w h o h a d conception b u t a r e g e n e r a l l y to b e found whenattempted to worka scale k the greatest influence on his work, Whistler w a s b o r n a n Ame r i c a n a n d De g a s of course yon d h i s r a n g e But Sickert 's love for the 7 w a s a F r e n c hma n Yet a s w e k n o only theatre is a characteristic wh i c h h a s no MTN loo well from m a n y classic e x amp l e s it m a t parallel in Vuillard Beginning with his own ters less wh e r e a painter is b o r n t h a n wh e r e e a r l y a n d brief experience o n t he s t a g e and h e s p e n d s his formative a n d impressionable s ub s equen t l y e n c o u r a g e d b y D e g a s similar predeliction Sickert y e a r s so that just a s Whistler's a r t g i ve s n o throughout his long life I e v i d e n c e of the country of his birth so Sickert p a i n t e d pictures inspired b y t h e theatre and its actors of whose number he remained wh entally came to England at the o n e a t heart e a r l y a g e of e i gh t—be c ame the child of the l a n d of his adop t i on The river mists the Sickert 's contribution to English Art is bifold f ,.7", l oudy skies a n d the h e a v y a tmo s p h e r e of He is its g r e a t e s t democratic painter, one We S o f t ' L o n d o n m a d e a profound a n d everlasting im wh o like Millet a n d Daumi e r d e vo t e d his IF- oression u p o n Whistler a n d h e inculcated attention to t h e und e r dog b u t unlike the cis y o u n g pupil with a n appreciation for the former his milieu w a s the city a n d unlike o e a u t y of the l owe r tones of t he palette a n d the latter h e h a d n o political d o g m a to r' the e x a c t a n d sensitive d e g r e e s with wh i ch p r e a c h He h a s a l s o established a school of v a l u e s m a y b e h a n d l e d The s e foundations painting wh i c h is mo r e in e v i d e n c e n o w than l a i d for h im b y Whistler, persisted through immed i a t e l y after his d e a t h His w a y of see out Sickert 's life so that e v e n w h e n h e u s e d ing things h i s choice of subject a n d his colours in his s h a d ow s out of de f e r enc e to beautiful h a n d l i n g of colour a n d p i gme n t are t he Impressionists a n d lightened h i s pa l e t t e the he r i t age wh i c h h e h a s h a n d e d o n to "a through the influence of his V a n Go g h in y o u n g e r gene r a t i on of artists w h o ignoring spired friends of t he C amd e n Town G r o u p , t h e Expressionist a n d Abstract i de a l s general h e n e v e r c e a s e d to r e g a r d his p i gme n t a s a l y f avou r ed t o d a y a r e seeking a contempor I me d i um wh i c h should b e lovingly a n d r e a r y form of expression through the language Q 4K , spectfully h a n d l e d Another v e r y English of th s v e r y fine artist rç . a s p e c t of Sickert 's wo r k is its g o o d m a n LILLIAN BROWSE I L .