Fascination with Elements of War
In Modern artist Giacomo Balla and Irish Painter Daniel Maclise
20th-century Futurist artist Giacomo Balla and 19th-century historical artist Daniel Maclise express elements of war in unique ways.
Q. Which artist executed murals in the Houses of Parliament depicting “The Death of Nelson” and “The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after Waterloo”?
A. Daniel Maclise
Maclise (1806-1870), friend to literary critic John Forster and Charles Dickens, was an Irish caricaturist and realistic painter. He illustrated several books such as “A Midsummer Night's Dream” and “The Tempest.” He became famous as a historical painter; many of his scenes were based on literary themes like scenes from Hamlet and Macbeth or Halloween games [called “Snap Apple Night”].
He accepted a commission to paint two huge historical murals in the Royal Gallery in the new Parliament buildings of Westminster Palace and in 1859 began “The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after Waterloo” in fresco. According to art critic Iain Gale, the fresco medium turned out to be a poor choice because it couldn’t survive in the cold climate; each day Maclise noted its darkening and decaying state. Unable to complete the artwork in fresco, Maclise was convinced to learn a new method of painting called “water-glass” and continue in this technique even though he expressed a wish to give up on the project.Production of this and its companion piece, “The Death of Nelson,” was not completed until 1865. The strain of completing these works apparently ruined his health and he died of pneumonia five years later.
The two paintings commemorate the two most important victories of Britain against France in the Napoleonic Wars. “The Death of Nelson” in particular commemorates the death of Admiral Lord Nelson at the battle of Cape Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson was shot by a sniper on the French ship Redoubtable and is in the center of the painting where he lies dying. He was probably an easy target in his dress uniform, despite the smoke of the surrounding battle that might have hidden him.
Both murals show Maclise’s insistence on displaying meticulously accurate historical detail. Today the murals can be seen in the Westminster Houses of Parliament.
Q. Which artist taught Umberto Boccioni and Gino Severini in Rome?
A. Giacomo Balla
Balla (1871-1958) was a founding member of the Futurist painters. Futurism is a modern abstract art movement originating among Italian artists in 1909 as a celebration of the machine age, glorifying speed, movement, and technology. The Futurists were also as concerned with encouraging the growth of fascism as with denouncing anything of the past as “passé.” Balla's participation in the Futurist movement coincided with his new interest in dramatic abstract light studies and his preoccupation with depicting movement and speed. He was known to remark that “A speeding motor car ... is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace.” His fascination with war prompted him to state in his Manifesto that in explosive Futuristic art “elements appear and disappear simultaneously with a bang.”
Around 1903 Balla began to instruct Umberto Boccioni and Gino Severini. Severini (1883-1966), well-known among the avant-garde of Paris, was less attracted to the theme of machines and technology than his fellow Futurists, instead often choosing dancers to depict dynamism in his artwork. Boccioni (1882-1916) focused on sculpture.
Balla’s painting “Abstract Speed—The Car has Passed” (1913) purportedly of a car speeding along a white road can be seen at the Tate Gallery in U.K.
Sources:
- Bailey, Colin J. The Art Quiz Book: 2000+ Questions on Painters and Paintings. Station Press: Scotland, 1995.
- Balla, Giocamo. "Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe." Futurist Manifesto. March 11, 1915.
- Gale, Iain. "Decorating the corridors of power." The London Independent. February 8, 1995.
- Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, 2007.
