Clip & save art notes - discussion of Augustus John's Madam Suggia

Arts & Activities, Feb, 2003 by Guy Hubbard

Augustus John (1878-1961). Madame Suggia; 1920-23. Oil on canvas; 73 1/2" x 65". Tate Gallery, London, England. Presented by Lord Duveen through the National Arts Collection Fund, 1925.

ABOUT THIS PAINTING

Madame Guilhermina Suggia was a cellist who was very well-known throughout Europe at a time when most musicians were men. She studied with some of the most famous cellists and married the most famous of them all, Pablo Casals.

People pose for artists to give the artist the opportunity to capture not only the best likeness of them but also to catch the spirit of the person's character. This portrait of Madame Suggia is considered to be one of his finest paintings. Even Madame Suggia said that she was "more delighted with the result than I should have thought possible." And the artist called it "our" picture, because he thought of it as a team venture that captured the very spirit of music, the portrait and the instrument.

Madame Suggia posed for Augustus John over a period of three years and over 80 sittings of 2 hours, which is an extremely long time for any portrait. During the sittings, Madame Suggia constantly played music by Bach. Artists usually must be satisfied with a very few sittings because their clients are important people who cannot afford the time to sit doing nothing for hours on end. And, normally during these few sittings, the artist must concentrate on the face and any other physical qualities, such as hands, that need special attention. Clothing and other things can usually be painted in when the sitter is not there by dressing up a tailor's dummy. Since the musician rehearsed on her cello during these sittings, the time was spent usefully for both of them.

One of the main problems with this portrait was to capture the artistic emotion present on Madame Sugia's face. To do this. John chose a silhouette rather than a full or three-quarter portrait. Her head is held stiffly erect with her chin raised slightly to suggest absolute control of both her instrument and the music she is playing. Her eyes are almost closed to emphasize that her internal emotions were more important than external appearances.

He experimented with many different poses and different views of Madame Suggia, even though the choices of pose were limited by the task of playing the cello. He settled on this view perhaps because it was the most dramatic one for a cellist in the act of performing. It is noteworthy because it is a very masculine pose, because she is holding the cello between her knees, whereas at the time, women cellists usually sat beside their instruments.

Most artists make sketches and then produce the final artwork, but Augustus John was well-known for uncovering solutions to his paintings while working on the finished picture--and sometimes almost by chance. In this painting, for example, he sketched and painted Madame Suggia in several dresses of different colors and designs before deciding on the deep red of the final painting. The earlier dresses varied widely from yellow-gold, to white, and to blue covered with sequins. And, even when the red dress was finally chosen, it had to be lengthened before the artist felt that it looked just right. He also painted Madame Suggia's arms half a dozen times before he was satisfied with them.

While the face is only a small part of the painting, it is the primary focus of attention. Its effectiveness depends on the entire pose for its success, however, such as the positioning of her arms as she plays her instrument. The right arm extends in a relaxed line to continue the raised line of her chin, while the bow creates a sharp triangle that cuts across the diagonal thrust of the composition. In contrast, the left arm is sharply bent to allow the precise positioning of her fingers as she controls the strings. The overall grandeur of the portrait made a great impression on the public when it was completed.

The background is composed of a warm brown drapery that makes large hanging loops from each of the upper corners. The diagonal composition goes from lower left to upper right with a broad, triangular base, all leading toward the portrait. The drapery in the upper right bunches up toward the upper right corner to carry this movement up and out of the painting.

The cello is painted a warm, lightish brown, with rippling reflections that show off its highly polished surface. Madame Suggia is sitting erect as she plays, revealing the flame of the chair and its gilded high-lights surrounding the green tapestry upholstery. The ornamental chair also contributes to the overall diagonal composition. In contrast, the arm holding the bow together with the bow, and the cello itself create a sharp triangle that cuts across the diagonal thrust of the composition.

Although the painting took several years to complete, Augustus John applied the paint very loosely so as to provide an underlying sense of motion to the picture that matches the color with the rhythms of the music. Even the cello and the chair the musician is sitting on are painted loosely and spontaneously. Only the face and hands are handled with detail--and then mainly the left hand, as the fingers control the strings.