Thinking again about those essential paintings to take to a Desert Island. Already on the list are Red Ballet Skirts by Edgar Degas and Christ of St John of the Cross by Salvador Dali, both of which are in Glasgow's galleries. King Asa of Judah destroying the idols by Francois de Nome wins a place because, despite all the research already undertaken, I will need the time that the desert island isolation offers to really make sense of it.
Added to these three most recently are Noli me tangere by Graham Sutherland and The Nativity by Arthur Hughes. I've yet to do the reading around Sutherland's works but this painting which exists in two forms at Pallant House and in Chichester Cathedral was an unexpected find. The former Dean of the cathedral Walter Hussey commissioned the work but the original version, now in the Pallant Gallery, didn't meet with approval at the cathedral. A new painting was produced and accepted but continued to be controversial. Anything that provokes such strong feelings must be worth a few years of serious contemplation.
This week's work has centred on the Pre-Raphaelites alongside Degas. Although Holman Hunt's Shadow of Death is fascinating it is Arthur Hughes' beautiful depiction of the familiar scene that is the more moving of the two. Described by many as the last Pre-Raphaelite Hughes' creates a moving simplicity that Hunt's complex and busy picture cannot match.
Still three more works to identify. The next batch of study will look at Stanley Spencer and Graham Sutherland. Finally there is a work by Hughie O'Donoghue, an Irish artist of recent times, to consider. Sadly the gallery at the Fitzwilliam displaying this work was closed this week. One of the pitfalls of a study of this duration is the difficulty of accessing works at the right moment. Not a problem when I spirit them away to that Desert Island.
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