"Hugo van der Goes: Between Pain and Bliss" poster & Live*, Pavilion: Gemäldegalerie, Staatsmuseum, Berlin, Germany, March 31-July 16, 2023
Wen _ Li Wanwan
As one of the most important, original and innovative early Dutch painters of the second half of the 15th century, Hugo van der Gus was compared to pioneer masters such as Jan van Eyck and Roshir van der Weyden. A timeless style, intense use of colour, striking emotional tension, groundbreaking individualism are the hallmarks of Gus, whose altarpieces and portraits have had a profound impact on his time and subsequent artists. Not only is the work tough enough, but the person Gus himself is also dramatic, he is a benchmark figure of the "crazy artist" grandmaster, Van Gogh said that he and Gus belong to the same style.
However, compared to other masters, Gus's heirloom works are so few and scattered around the world and often so large that no museum has ever held a large solo exhibition for him. On the occasion of the 540th anniversary of Gusz's death, the Berlin Gallery belonging to the German National Museum presents the artist's first major solo exhibition, "Hugo van der Gus: Between Pain and Bliss", featuring more than 60 outstanding exhibits on loan from 38 international pavilions, bringing together for the first time almost all of Gusz's extant paintings and drawings in one place, with the exception of a few works. This article is the next part of the exhibition "Hugo van der Gus: Between Pain and Elysium" -
Hexagonal warrior
Researchers have always had a headache for Gus because most of his works are neither signed nor dated, making it difficult to determine the attribution of works, and many works believed to have been created by Gus in the mid-to-early 20th century were later judged to be owned by Guss studio members or their followers.
Although a limited number of Gus's original works have survived, the large number of copies and imitations testifies to the high regard he received, and he had an important influence on early Dutch art. Fortunately, thanks to the existence of these copies, many of Gus's lost works can be displayed in another way.
After appearing on the list of the Ghent painters' association in 1467, Hugo van der Gus was president of the Ghent painters' association from 1474 to 1476. Ghent is where Gus's career began, but almost all of his work in Ghent has been lost, and it is only clear whether David and Abigail, which depicts the Old Testament story, was created during this period or is inferred from the following reproduction.
"David and Abigail", copied from Hugo van der Gus, circa 1600/25, oil on canvas, National Gallery Prague, Czech Republic
Gus's Eucharist (large edition) was unfortunately destroyed by fire before 1828, leaving only parts of the Madonna, St. John and Christ in parts, with no hope of restoring the original.
"Large Descent from the Cross", Hugo van der Gus, circa 1475/80, Picture Gallery, Christ Church, University of Oxford, England Christ Church, Oxford University）
In the unfortunate aftermath, Gus used a new composition of half-length figure narratives to create this painting, a new idea that was undoubtedly successful, and more than a hundred copies have survived to date. There are two replicas of the Removal of the Eucharist (large edition) at the exhibition site, of which the Neapolitan collection is one of the best and first, although this replica measures 54 cm × 72 cm, and Gusz's original measures about 82 cm × 103 cm. The other sketch is one of the earliest and most faithful copies of the original, especially since the depiction of St. John differs from most other replicas, this sketch version is closer to the presentation of the original. A few decades later, the sketch was engraved as an engraving by Hieronymus Wierix (1553-1619), a sculptor in Antwerp, which became a model after it was disseminated.
"Large Descent from the Cross", above: Anon. replica, circa 1500/20, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Italy; Below: Anon. follower of Hugo van der Gus, circa 1500, sketch, Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
Gus's "small edition" Unloading the Body uses the same new composition, and the two works were originally painted on a single canvas but later framed separately. The left "Unloading the Eucharist" shows physical pain, and the right "Mourning Woman" expresses emotional pain.
Small Descent from the Cross, Hugo van der Gus, circa 1480. Above: Real shot at the Berlin exhibition; bottom left: "Left: Deposition of Christ", Antwerp, The Phoebus Foundation, Belgium; Bottom right: "Right Frame: Four Mourning Women" (Four Mourning Women), Berlin gallery collection
In the second half of the 15th century, many important and highly productive illustrators worked in Ghent and Bruges. Among them, the artist known as the "Mary Maestro of Burgundy" is particularly striking, whose work was heavily influenced by Gus.
"Unloading the Eucharist," left*: Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy, circa 1470/80, Getty Center, Los Angeles, USA; Middle: Hugo van der Gus, circa 1480; Right: Berlin Master of Mary of Burgundy, circa 1477/82, parchment, Prints and Drawings Museum collection of the Berlin State Museum, Germany
Unexpectedly, the illustration is actually a miniature painting. This masterpiece miniature book was commissioned by Maximilian I (1459-1519), Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Habsburg dynasty, and was a gift from him to his wife Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482), so that the unknown master was called "Mary of Burgundy".
Berlin Master of Mary of Burgundy, circa 1477/82, parchment, prints and drawings from the collection of the Berlin State Museum, Germany
Another miniature painting by the master illustrator, The Virgin and Child, can be linked to Gus's Pavia version of the Virgin and Child, which is one of the best preserved images of the Virgin in Gusz, and the facial features of the Child bear a striking resemblance to the son of the youngest patron of the Portinari Altarpiece, although the client does not know about it.
Virgin and Child on the Crescent Moon, left: Berlin Master of Mary of Burgundy, circa 1477/82, Prints and Drawings Museum of the Staatsmuseum, Berlin, Germany; Right: Hugo van der Gus, after 1476, Musei Civici di Paiva, Italy
Berlin Master of Mary of Burgundy, circa 1477/82, parchment, prints and drawings from the collection of the Berlin State Museum, Germany
In addition to the good painting of the Madonna, Gus is considered one of the most important portraitists in Europe of the 15th century. Portraiture was becoming increasingly important in art at the time, as the rise of humanism led to a renewed emphasis on the individual.
Hugo van der Gus, left: "Portrait of a Man", circa 1475/80, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; Right: "Portrait of a Man with Saint John the Baptist," circa 1475/80, Baltimore, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA
However, the most surprising thing on the scene is Gus's drawings, only two drawings believed to be entirely by Guss have come to the exhibition site, and this "Jacob and Rachel" loaned by Oxford University is a masterpiece of 15th-century Dutch painting. In order to get closer to what the naked eye can see, a live shot is placed here (although it is really difficult to capture its beauty).
"Jacob and Rachel", Hugo van der Gus, circa 1475, drawing, collection of Christ Church, University of Oxford, UK
Another sketch, Jesus on the Cross, is even more striking, and it is impossible to see it because it is a Windsor royal collection loaned by the current King Charles III of England.
"Christ on the Cross", Hugo van der Gus, circa 1480, sketch, Windsor, Lent by His Majesty King Charles III
The prototype of the "crazy artist"
Gus's sketches Jesus on the Cross and the Death of the Virgin were both created around 1480, and another late Guss masterpiece is the Nativity. This work, like the Montfort Altarpiece, is part of the Berlin gallery's collection, and this work was revived after more than ten years of restoration, and these two works are the beginning of the curatorial exhibition of this exhibition.
"Nativity", Hugo van der Gus, circa 1480, Berlin gallery collection
The year 1476 was a watershed for Gus, when the 36-year-old was at the peak of his career when he abruptly closed his studio in Ghent and went for unknown reasons to become a monk at Rood Klooster near Brussels. However, despite being "monk", Gus enjoyed certain privileges in the monastery, and he was allowed to continue his painting work. The admiring gold lord came to the door as usual, and there were many kings and nobles, including the aforementioned Maximilian the Great.
A few years after entering the monastery "born", Gus began to be plagued by mysterious mental illness. In 1482, he traveled to Cologne with his half-brother Nicholas, who was also practicing in a monastery, and on his return trip Gus's mental illness suddenly worsened, and he declared himself cursed and attempted suicide. Not long after being brought back to the monastery by his companions, Gus died and was buried in the monastery.
In 1475, at the age of 19, Gaspar Ovis entered Rudkrest Abbey as a monk, and after Gus's death, Ovis wrote his memories of Gus while writing the monastery chronicle, which became one of the earliest biographical records of Gus.
Gaspar Ofhuys, circa 1509/13, Royal Library of Belgium (KBR)
After the manuscript was discovered in 1863, researchers began to re-study Gus, who became the representative of the "mad genius" that was popular in the 19th century. It is speculated that Gus may have been too anxious about his artistic creation, thus driving himself crazy. Hieronymus Münzer (1447-1508), who co-authored the Nuremberg Chronicles, reported in a 1495 report that a painter from Ghent had become more depressed as he tried to compete with the Van Eyck brothers' masterpiece The Ghent Altarpiece, most likely Gus.
The Belgian painter Emil Waters, a student of the French academic painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), painted a painting of the Mad Hugo van der Gus in 1872, which won the Grand Prix at the Paris Salon.
"The Madness of Hugo van der Goes", Emile Wauters (1846–1933), 1872, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
A year later, in 1873, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh mentioned Waters' painting more than once in a letter to his brother Theo van Gogh -
"My paintings are 'crazy', and so am I, a bit like Hugo van der Gus in Emile Waters' paintings. But I carefully shaved off my beard..."
"I'm not sick, but if I don't eat well and keep drawing for days on end, I'll definitely get sick." In fact, I became the same state as Gus in the painting again..."
Letter from Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853-1890) to his brother Theo, July 21 & July 29, 1888, from Arles
Putting Van Gogh's self-portrait together with Waters' depiction of Gus, it is not difficult to understand why Van Gogh juxtaposed his appearance with Gus. Van Gogh's self-portrait was painted in his last days at St. Paul's Hospital. He said that on the one hand, he is a monk who seeks peace like Guth, and on the other hand, he is a crazy artist like Gus: "I'm not too depressed when stuck in between, because you have to live." It was only a short time later that Van Gogh, like Gus, chose to end his life.
Right*: "Self-portrait", Vincent van Gogh (1853–18, 90), 1889, from the collection of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
Van Gogh said that "stuck in between", as the title of the Gus exhibition - "between pain and bliss" - looking at the entire exhibition, you will feel that the name of the exhibition is particularly appropriate, Hugo van der Gus and his paintings are between pain and bliss, he has experienced a life of two poles, such as half seawater, half fire, after having worldly great success, choosing to live in a monastery deep in the forest.
The antagonistic and merging state between pain and bliss injects powerful emotions into Gus's work, and he does not have to be anxious, and the works he leaves behind are completely inferior to the Ghent Altarpiece. (Except for the * star, the rest of the works in this article are used in the exhibition site)
Source: Art China
Release: He Media Matrix (All Media Reporter He Jinde)