In the Turner & the Sea exhibition Serres' famous The Battle of Negapatam, 6 July 1782 (see figure1) is on display. The painting itself belongs to a group of seven canvases that help to depict the pursuit and continuous engagement of the French East Indies squadron with the British fleet of Vice-Admiral Sire Edward Hughes off the coast of east India. The painting itself is cluttered with engagement between the two nations and is a departure from the sublime and picturesque that the van de Veldes often aimed for. JMW Turner did not follow in Serres's work like he did with the Dutch masters but it is hard to ignore the impact that Serres would have had back in England where his painting would have brought naval battles to life. The legacy of Serres was continued by his son John Thomas Serres (1759-1825) and for pure levels of battle details I don't think even Turner or the van de Veldes equal his father. This was confirmed with Dominic Serres becoming one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 and set maritime art high in national taste and interests.
 |
| Figure 1. Dominic Serres, The Battle of Negapatam, 6 July 1782 (1786), oil-on-canvas: 111.7 x182.8 cm, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. |
Wow that is incredible to read about! I am really enjoying learning about this fascinating aspect in the art world. I am very much interested in the Empire and this picture provides a fantastic insight to what it would have been like on the seven seas. A truly terrifying scene I am sure and Dominic Serres captures it so brilliantly. I find it incredible how even the wind plays such a dominant role in the painting; despite the calmness of the sea the smoke billows to the right, further adding to the realism.
ReplyDeleteHave you read "Empire to Nation"? I was wondering if you had what you thought of it? I haven't but would love to know your view of it. It seems very relevant to this.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Nation-Visualization-Maritime-1768-1829/dp/030017568X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391458870&sr=1-4&keywords=empire+to+nation
I appreciate your commentary on this painting. Serres’s details are simply exquisite and really carry the pictorial narrative. The windblown sails and bright sky enveloping the British ships contrast nicely by the seemingly narrow sails and smoky atmosphere choking the French Co.’s ships and add interest to what would be a somewhat symmetrical composition; there is certainly a clear sense of who are the victors and who are the vanquished.
ReplyDeleteIn looking at the ships, themselves, do you know of any defining characteristics which allow one to identify the ships as English or French? I’m able to recognize the ships to the left as British by their English East India Co. flags, but from what I can deduce, the (French) ships bear little more than white flags of surrender--or am I missing something?
Thanks for your comments! Firstly to Godfrey: interestingly enough I have read the book Empire to Nation that you mentioned! I think it is a very good read and thoroughly recommend it although it is not that cheap. It is written by Geoff Quilley who is a curator at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and looks specifically at the role of art with the British Empire. He looks particularly at William Hodges who was the designated artist on Cook's voyages to the Australia, and after reading the book I had a much greater fascination with Hodge's paintings. There are quite of few of his paintings hung in the Queen's House (next to the National Maritime Museum) if you or anyone else was interested!
ReplyDeleteThe book also deals with Nelson right up to the famous painting by Turner of the Battle of Trafalgar so if this period of history interests you then it is the perfect read if you like art!
Thank you also to the other blogger and for your insights on Serres, I liked your analysis of the painting too. Serres seemed to like symmetry in his paintings which is one of the main reasons Turner and others in the late 18th and early 19th centuries tended to not copy Serres but refer further back to the Dutch masters such as the van de Veldes. To be able to really appreciate Serres you would need to view all of the battles paintings together as he loved to paint in a series often throughout a particular day in a battle. It is also worth appreciating that these are very large oil-on-canvas works, and some of his paintings are much bigger than the one used in this blog.
ReplyDeleteI shall have a look into how Serres and others depicted the French and British warships of this period. Generally, from what I understand of that era they both were quite similar. Often in naval exchanges the goal was not to sink an opposing ship but to cause enough damage to it to be able to board it and then hopefully claim the ship as a prize. This would then be a cheap way to gain a new ship for your navy (which both the French and the British were very good at doing!). Both the British and French ships, whether merchant or naval would have the national ensign on them as this was very important and often from paintings I have seen this is the clear way to notice the difference. Each ship was unique though, with special figureheads (wooden statues) on the front, which I am not sure is always taken up by the artists. The Cutty Sark in Greenwich was an amazing collection of painted figureheads if you ever had the chance to visit it.
I will look into your question a bit more though and will get back to you when I have found out anything new. Equally if anyone else has some useful insights please feel free to post them!
Do you happen to know if Serres 'documented' his travels whilst a ships captain through any art work? And did the British get him to paint for them whilst he was prisoner? It would be interesting to know when he began developing his skill and who he painted for in his early days (if these existed pre-London)!
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your comment! I will look further into Serres' works before London. I think he learnt his skills firstly in France and then under Charles Brooking therefore merging French, Dutch and British techniques. I would have thought he probably did produce sketch books of his travels. I haven't seen these but they would be fascinating if they did exist. I shall have a look through some archival records to see if these exist and try to get back to you on this soon!
ReplyDelete