Book Description

From London in the 1890s to Paris in the early twentieth century, Gwen John's career spanned some of the most exciting periods and places in cultural history. Demolishing the myth of Gwen John (1876-1939) as a recluse, this new survey explores the art world at the center of these cities and reveals the alliances and differences the artist had with her contemporaries. John's representation of the female nude, her paintings of interiors, and the effects of her Catholic faith on her work are all considered. The author also discusses the key relationship between John's position as a woman artist and her fascination with the portrayal of the female sitter. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

'Gwen John' by Alicia Foster; a refreshing change
'Gwen John' by Alicia Foster is one of the most interesting books that exist on this somewhat enigmatic artist. Foster reviews Gwen John's paintings with coolness and objectivity. This is especially refreshing as some writers on the same subject have engulfed themselves in biographical detail. This text, however, focuses on biographical information only as and when necessary. Foster evaluates Gwen John's paintings with regard to her artistic training at the Slade School as well as the influence of her decision to spend most of her career in Paris. She analyses John's occupation as artists model, her Catholic faith and her subject matter. Discussion is also given to Gwen John's work in relation to other artists working in the early part of the twentieth century, giving insight into the world in which Gwen John lived and worked.

Foster considers both feminist and modernist evaluations of Gwen John's paintings whilst not adhering to either doctrine. At the same time she is able to present her research in concise and easily understood language. This text provides valuable insights for readers looking at early twentieth century portraiture. However it would also be an engaging and pleasurable read for anyone with an interest in art. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Her brother Augustus is better known today, but in the early decades of the 20th century Gwen John (1876-1939) was equally, if not more, respected as a painter (and not just as model and muse to her lover Rodin). Particularly in Paris, where she made her home, and in New York, where she was represented by pioneering art dealer John Quinn, she was acclaimed for the sureness of her technique and the haunting psychological penetration with which she captured the inner lives of her subjects. Drawing on her letters and journals, novelist and poet Sue Roe is able to chronicle the evolution of John's artistic, emotional, and spiritual strivings in fascinating detail. Rodin encouraged her work, but Roe perceptively notes that John's passionate desire to submit to the sculptor warred with her "profound sense of independence [and] need to access and control her own muse." She was sustained by a series of intimate friendships with other women (including her brother's wife and mistress), as well as a burgeoning Catholic faith. Far from being the eccentric recluse of posthumous legend, John exhibited and sold her work regularly and had an active social life. The stillness and harmony of her work, Roe convincingly argues, were the product of enormous self-discipline and restraint imposed on a turbulent psyche. This sensitive, sympathetic biography arouses our admiration and awe for a woman who "lived uniquely, with dedication and daring." --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Painter of Interiors
Gwen John (1876-1939),the Welsh painter,is the sister of the more reknown Augustus John but with a style of art distinctly her own. Gwen John is a painter of interiors and reticience, who allows the subject's state of being, both physical and spiritual, to dominate the canvas. As her teacher Whistler knew and praised John's use of use of colour and especially tone became her trademark.
Ms. Roe has done an admirable job of combining the hidden life of this artist and the world of art in Paris from 1900-1939 in which she moved freely and with great competence. Ms. Roe has gone a long way in shattering the "Gwen John myth" of solitude and isolation and demonstrates that Ms. John continued to have and make friends and maintain her family ties until her death in 1939.
Ms. Roe writes of John's early days in Paris a a model and lover of Rodin. Her later associations with Rilke,the American collector and her patron John Quinn and his companion poet Jeanne Robert Foster,as she lived in Paris during the heady days of the great new developments in modern art. In the 1930s John retired to a Parisian suburb with her cats and her wild garden but continued her work. Even in her 50s she considered herself a student and studied under Lothe. She was reknown for her perfectionism and her inability to meet arbitrary deadlines because her own sense of what a painting should be, did not always meet the expectations of dealers and exhibitors. Her work was not commercial it was personal almost religious.
Gwen John is far less known than her contemporaries Chagall, Picasso, Roualt yet she knew she had a place in art and so pursued her vision fearlessly. She had little reknown in her own lifetime but time has proven her vision and her reputation in art is now secure.
I once met the art critic Sister Wendy Beckett at the Tate Museum, and she asked me whose works I had come to see. I told her Gwen John and Sister Wendy replied "Don't you just love her?." Gwen John,unique,ruthless,gentle,complex,gifted,restless and Celtic, Sue Roe shows us why those who admire Gwen John "just love her" and invites those who do not know her to do so. ... Read more

Book Description

Augustus John (1878-1961) was one of the best-known and most colorful British artists of his generation, while his sister Gwen (1876-1939) led a reclusive life studying under Whistler in Paris. Since the 1960s, Gwen John's intense studies of female nudes and portraits have made her a feminist icon, and Augustus's work has fallen from fashion. This book, with more than 100 color illustrations, examines the sibling artists side by side for the first time. AUTHOR BIO: David Fraser Jenkins is a senior curator and Chris Stephens is a curator at Tate. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on June 18, 2001. The length of the article is 15725 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Strange, not elusive.(Review)
Author: Ruth Scurr
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 18, 2001
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 130Issue: 4542Page: 53

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on October 11, 2004. The length of the article is 956 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: O brother, where art thou? Augustus and Gwen John are head-to-head at Tate Britain. Richard Cork finds there is only one winner.(Visual Art)
Author: Richard Cork
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 11, 2004
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 133Issue: 4709Page: 43(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more