Nelson & His World

Probably most of you already know about the new portrait of Lord Nelson - but for those who may not... it will be on display in St Paul's Cathedral from Monday 30th April.

http://www.stpauls.co.uk/News-Press/Lat ... n-St-Pauls

I had seen images of this triptych some time ago and liked it very much. It's an interesting modern take on Nelson, and captures his charismatic appeal very well, I think; but when I found out the price - £200+ for what is essentially an offset litho reprint which costs only a few pounds to reproduce - I backed off. However, if 75% is to be a donation to the Victory fund, maybe it's time for a rethink.

I hadn't seen that before, so thanks for posting it. I wasn't sure of it on first look, but it's grown on me and I really like it, especially the portrait on the right. There's a lot of character in his expression there.

And my birthday's coming up, so it may be time to drop some hints to the family

There's a couple of things about this that puzzle me. One is why it is described as a 'new' portrait, when as Anna points out, it was completed some years ago, I think around the time of the Trafalgar bicentenary. There were certainly prints of it on sale over 5 years ago. Secondly, at that time the information I saw attributed the portrait solely to Adrian Purkis. Now it is said to be by artists Adrian Purkis and Alan Suttie. What has been Alan Suttie's contribution to the portrait? So far as I can tell it looks unchanged apart from the addition of Nelson's and a few other signatures.

I personally find it a rather soulless and mask-like study of the lines on Nelson's face, rather than of the man behind them, but that just goes to show how much taste differs!

I think I have to agree somewhat with Tony. It's difficult to see what contribution, art wise, that Alan Suttie had made here.

As to the triptych itself, I find it a little cold, and there is something about that stare that I don't particularly like. In any case, why is the face to the right half-facing forward, and is not a full side view as is the one to the left! I won't be spending £200 I'm afraid, nor even £25!

Anna, with the Victory's change in management, I think there will be other ways of financing her.

Hmm, well, chacun a son gout, and all that! While I agree the technique is rather 'magazine illustrator', I rather like the way the three representations capture some of the character of a many-faceted personality: the full face has an enigmatic melancholy that some remarked on; the left hand profile has Nelson's air of command and the right hand one captures, with the angle of the head and the gaze slightly askance, his shrewdness of judgement and humour - he looks as if someone has offered him a feeble excuse and he's saying, not too harshly, 'Tell that to the Marines.'

I like portraiture as an artistic genre but maybe I bring too much subjective imagination to my opinions!

I have to confess that I've only just seen this triptych from the new post about No.1 of the series; as I was looking at it, trying to work out my own reactions, which were not too favourable, my guitarist son appeared, looked over my shoulder and asked,

"What are you frowning at, Mum? Oh . . . I've seen much better drawings of Mick Jagger than that!"

H'm . . . . !

Rosie

Hehe... Rosie, you're right, the portrait does seem to have divided opinions, but apparently good art does tend to do that...

And it's true enough that Nelson had rock star status in his own day too... again.

For anyone who's interested and hasn't been able to see my post in the other forum because of logins etc, here it is again (the portrait is still available):

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Hi all –

It’s been a while since I was on this forum – in fact, more or less since some of you very kindly helped me with this article: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=932

In the intervening time, my writing has taken me in different directions (and I couldn’t make my old forum login work, so have had to re-register!) But assuming you'll permit me this liberty, I thought I’d return, however briefly, with this Nelson-related offer…

In 2005, through my connections with the River Wandle, I bought one of the very first prints of Adrian Purkiss and Alan Suttie’s Nelson Triptych, which as you may recall was researched and created to mark the Trafalgar Bicentenary. From the official description:

“The portrait depicts Nelson circa 1800 when he was world weary, visibly scarred and only very slowly recovering from his many painful battle wounds. He had recently been created Duke of Bronte by a grateful King of Naples, hence the signature ‘Bronte Nelson on the Nile’. “

https://www.stpauls.co.uk/news-press/ne ... n-St-Pauls

The Triptych also seems to have generated some discussion on this forum:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1400

The print of the Triptych in my possession is numbered 1 of 2005, and signed by Adrian Purkiss, Alan Suttie and Anna Tribe, and I’ve mounted it in a plain matte silver wooden frame, measuring 33 inches high x 25.5 inches wide in total.

Ten years later, however, I need to reassess my wall space, and have decided to let the Triptych go, hopefully to an expert and appreciative home. So naturally I thought of the members of this forum…

If any of you might be interested, I’d be very happy with the £150 which I paid for the print alone, perhaps with minimal extra delivery costs to be worked out when we know where it’s going.

I can be contacted via theo (at) blackrussian.cc – and I’ll keep dropping into this forum to answer any questions.

Many thanks again to you all…

Theo

Hi again all -

Just to let you know that the Triptych is now on the big auction site with a slightly reduced starting price (item no 252560864518).

Many thanks as ever!

Theo

A quick update... the Triptych got lots of interest on ebay, but hasn't sold.

I'm still keen to find a sympathetic home for this highly interesting portrait, so please do feel free to contact me if you read this and you're interested in making an offer.



Theo