William Coldstream, Window in Hampstead 1981
Painting Perceptions is again fortunate to have a guest article from Neil Plotkin who has been living in London for the summer. This first post is an brief overview where he looks at a few significant painters coming out of the The Slade School of Art in the UK whose faculty has included some of the world’s greatest painters in perceptual painting such as Frank Auerbach, Euan Uglow, and Lucian Freud.
The Slade School of Art – Part One by Neil Plotkin
As I’ve been looking at galleries and museums during my stay in London, the work that seems to balance drawing and paintings skills with an ability to remain contemporary tends to have a common source — The Slade School of Art. Either through its graduates, teachers or a general influence on artists working here, the work seems to stand out as well balanced and interesting.
William Coldstream – Portrait of Howard Griffin 1968-1969
Located in central London, The Slade School of Art was started in the 1868, with the intent to create a school where fine art could be studied within a liberal arts university. Some of its graduates include Gwen John, Stanley Spencer, Ben Nicholson, Paul Nash, Euan Uglow, Paula Rego, Cicily Brown, Jenny Saville, Rachel Whiteread, and more recently, Andy Pankhurst, Robert Dukes, Claudia Carr, and Judith Green. Some of the teachers who have taught there are also distinguished: Frank Auerbach, Euan Uglow, Lucian Freud, Paula Rego, Craigie Aitchison, Sir Ernst Gombrich (art history) to name just a few.
I find that the post-war period up through more recent times is particular interesting. The era could be said to have started when William Coldstream joined the faculty in the late 1940s. He had just finished teaching Patrick George at Camberwell College of Art. Euan Uglow followed him from Camberwell College to the Slade. Both Uglow and George went on to develop their work based on his methods and to teach several generations of artists at the Slade School of Art. I am giving this background as a way to show some artists who are unknown or not known enough in the U.S. and to show the tradition within which they are painting.
(ed note: the following artists have links to either their websites, gallery or Wikipedia pages – also many have larger views if clicked)
Euan Uglow Girl Tree 1989-91 Oil on Canvas 47 x 59 inches
(click for larger view)
One excellent source of information and images for Euan Uglow can be found at this link to his dealer for 30 years, Browse & Darby.
Painting Perceptions was started in 2009 by Larry Groff to promote the ideas, practice and experience of painters working from observation in a modernist vein from around the world through interviews, essays, videos and community. It later evolved to include imagination-based and abstract painting as well.
Wonderful synopsis and beautiful illustrations. Another Slade alum who is a phenomenal painter is Tai Schierenberg (http://www.taischierenberg.com).
Oh I agree w/ Kathryn. Tai Schierenberg’s work is wonderful, especially in person. As an aside… I got rejected from the Slade. Things happen for a reason though I suppose.
Nice. Generally speaking, I can’t say that I am the biggest fan of, say, L. Freud and/or his followers, but I do appreciate people who show that painting skills counts and that representational painting is as vital, exciting and relevant as any other contemporary art movement.
I Loved studying at the Slade.
the standard of art and most art today is rubbish .. badly drawn painted .. over blown with a narrative of bull to support it .. a painting should be well painted and most paintings today show no more talent than someone with the ability to butter toast .. Freud we can only salute .. he never sought moral approval and his art should be seen independent of small petty self absorbed absurdness .
I was rereading this and it seems the author made a mistake, Jenny Saville went to the Glasgow School Art, not the Slade.