My OBT

What if you spent every day looking for One Beautiful Thing?

The Perfectionist:

by 10 Comments

Meredith Frampton

Today’s glorious paintings are by a well-known and much-loved (now deceased) English artist, George Vernon Meredith Frampton, commonly known as Meredith Frampton. The artist painted from about 1930 through 1950, and each of his paintings typically took between 9 and 14 months to complete. Considering how remarkably detailed and photorealistic his paintings are, it’s not surprising to learn how long he worked on them.

The artist made a name for himself through his moving, sensitive portraits and his meticulous details. I really enjoyed looking at all of his work up close, but it was his depictions of hands and skin that I found most mind-blowing. In fact, though he lived to the age of 90, Frampton stopped painting around the age of 50 when his eyesight started to decline. He never went completely blind, but the artist nonetheless decided to stop paining because he wanted to preserve his legacy. Frampton feared his compromised sight would prevent him from painting to his previous incredibly high standard. What a perfectionist!

View this post on Instagram

📜Titolo: Marguerite Kelsey 👨‍🎨 Autore: Meredith Frampton 🕰 Anno: 1928 🏛 Ubicazione: Tate, London . Questa sera vi presento un notevole ritrattista inglese, Meredith Frampton che visse un periodo di grande notorietà tra le due guerre. Il quadro proposto è forse il suo capolavoro, un ritratto della modella professionista Marguerite Kelsey, conosciuta per la grazia delle sue pose ed anche per saperle mantenere per lunghissimo tempo. Frampton curava nei minimi dettagli le sue opere arrivando anche a realizzare un solo quadro all’anno. Il risultato è sotto i nostri occhi: un ritratto straordinario e seducente che ci mostra la modella in posa su un divano. L’ambiente è perfettamente studiato, dal tavolino tondo con una cesta di fiori in primo piano, alla tenda con le pieghe verticali dietro il sofà. Frampton acquisto’ appositamente gli abiti che indossa Marguerite Kelsey . La modella ci mostra così un esempio dello stile cosiddetto garçonne in voga negli anni ‘20 caratterizzato anche dal taglio corto dei capelli. Nella scelta di privilegiare tinte tenui, morbide e neutre, il pittore inserisce il rosso delle scarpe a tacco basso. Un ulteriore tocco di classe è la ripresa del rosso in un dettaglio dei fiori nella cesta di vimini. La scena nel complesso è altamente armoniosa e sprofondata in una sorta di asciutto silenzio. La modella, imperturbabile nella sua algida bellezza ma anche suadente nelle linee del corpo, diventa simbolo di una eleganza senza tempo. Frampton con questo dipinto si inserisce e ci conferma una tendenza della pittura europea degli anni ‘20, quel ritorno all’ordine (pensiamo a Casorati in Italia) che ci ha donato una splendida stagione artistica. Buona serata, Sig . #meredithframpton #frampton #portrait #tate

A post shared by @ 1000quadri on

View this post on Instagram

Portrait of a Young Woman 1935 Meredith Frampton 1894-1984 Frampton’s portrait centres on a tall woman who dominates the frame. Her sharply-angled body evokes tension, as do the taut strings on the double bass, enhanced by the dark atmosphere. Half her face is in shadow, perhaps a reflection on the pre-World War Two era. The contrast of light and dark – including the black and white floor – perfectly demonstrates the inner conflict of the woman: both wanting to be herself and who the painter wants her to be. The seemingly natural environment, with music and flowers, is full of arrangements and falsities: the bended plant sways towards the border of the painting, echoing the woman’s need for release; the instrument sits unplayed, its bow at the edge of the table; her tight curls are set in place and emphasise her frown. This should be a traditional portrayal of feminine #beauty – with her red lips, flowing figure, and pastel clothing, but her almost angry expression, tense body language, and somber surroundings reveal a subverted moodiness and discontent. She does not look at the viewer, her eyes fixed on a point in the distance. #arte #artwork #art #artplease #Frampton #artist #artstagram #painting #artlove #fineart #color #drawing #britishart #portrait #portraitpainting #london #tate #amazingart #masterpiece #oilpainting #artgallery #artofinstegram #instaartist #travelblogger #travel #traveling #travelgram #tatemodern #MeredithFrampton

A post shared by Hesham (@inspiring_possibly) on

View this post on Instagram

Meredith Frampton (1894-1984) “Frederick Gowland Hopkins” 1938 Oil on canvas Measurements 43 7/10 x 39 inches (111 x 99 cm) The Royal Society . Frederick Gowland Hopkins was a biochemist who studied at Guy's Hospital, where he received the University of London gold medal. In 1897 he became the first lecturer in chemical biology at Cambridge. He discovered what he called “accessory food factors” which later became known as vitamins. Knighted in 1925, he was joint winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine. . #meredithframpton #britishart #portrait #frederickgowlandhopkins #biochemistry #chemicalbiology #accessoryfoodfactors #vitamins #nobelprize #1920s #1930s @theroyalsociety

A post shared by Colin Winters Bayly (@cwbayly) on

Author: Donna from MyOBT

I have committed to spending part of every day looking for at least one beautiful thing, and sharing what I find with you lovelies!

10 thoughts on “The Perfectionist:”

Leave a comment

  1. janhaltn
    September 27, 2020 at 6:16 am

    Don’t think I ever saw any of them but I did hear about his works when I was an Art student in the late 50s. He is one of the best modern-day artists. Glad that Danna made this post. My art teacher worked 22 months on her large painting. It was lost in the fire. That sure brings back some wonderful memories of my youth. Eyesight is not the problem it is arthritis in both hands. Lack of desire also. Can’t give this more than five stars but this is sure a ten-star day. Hal

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. yfaus
    September 27, 2020 at 7:55 am

    The HANDS! One of the most difficult things to paint…he truly was a remarkable talent. Thank you for this OBT! Happy day to you….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. bcparkison
    September 27, 2020 at 9:58 am

    He is new to me which doesn’t say much for my keeping up with the art world. His talent is perfection to say the least.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Alison and Don
    September 28, 2020 at 10:23 pm

    Extraordinary work. Just love it.
    And on a completely different note I had to share this with you: https://mymodernmet.com/hannah-bullen-ryner-earth-art/ beauty from the bush
    Alison

    Like

    Reply

  5. Pingback: Creative Juice #245 | ARHtistic License

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.