The Enduring Nature of Portraiture
Photo Courtesy: National Portrait Gallery
After three years of renovations, art enthusiasts and culture aficionados were finally welcomed back to London's National Portrait Gallery in June. Since its opening in 1856, the gallery has been a leading institution in the preservation and presentation of the United Kingdom's visual history. Its rich collection boasts an extensive array of portraits depicting influential figures from British history, spanning from Tudor and Victorian royalty to present day celebrities. To mark their long-awaited reopening, the gallery curated two exhibition programmes I had the pleasure of visiting.
“Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm”
Best known for his work as part of The Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney was interested in photography as a hobby and technical skill from a young age when using his family’s box camera in the 1950s. His exhibition comprises 100 photographs, stretching across several rooms of the gallery. Yet, the treasure trove of images maintain an intimate atmosphere as viewers get a firsthand view of early Beatlemania. The photographs are equally thought provoking as they are sweet, reflecting on the changes the 60s brought to the world - through the eyes of its cultural vanguards. McCartney would have been 21 at the time these images were taken, so a sense of newness and urgency is ever present in the softness of his black and white photographs that track The Beatles’ era-defining world tour. This delights viewers once they enter a room exploding with coloured film images, photographed during The Beatle’s beach holiday in Miami. As the only coloured photographs displayed in the exhibition, a looser side of the band is introduced, and one of my favourite portraits is of George Harrison in sunglasses with a drink in hand. These images’ simple but precise capturing of life as it happened in the 60s is a true testament to McCartney’s innate curiosity and ability to examine the human condition and the experiences that shape it.
“Yevonde: Life and Colour”
It is no exaggeration that Yevonde’s trailblazing work in colour photography and portraiture pioneered the way photoshoots are conducted today. Known professionally as Madame Yevonde, her innovative work in the 20th century using the Vivex colour process set her apart from fellow contemporary artists. Colour photography was not considered a serious medium at the time, which did not deter Yevonde from producing intensely vivid and surrealist portraits. Her most renowned body of work is the ‘Goddesses Series of 1935’, featuring society ladies posing in tableaux as powerful Roman and Greek goddesses such as Metis and Circe. ‘Goddesses’ was instrumental in redefining the art of portraiture by merging the classical with the avant-garde and pushing the boundaries of femininity. A suffragist, Yevonde redefined traditional notions of gender through transforming women in front of a camera into fearless expressions of emotions - of desire, despair, delight. In that world, imagination knows no bounds, and vibrant hues breathe life into the static frame. Her vision of what could be real created a world in which anything inexplicable, was indeed, real. Her indelible mark on colour photography reminds us of the power of imagination and the timeless need to push the boundaries.
Portraiture, even of the mundane or simple, is vital in recording a glimpse into the social and cultural transformations of any given time period. McCartney’s exhibition explores his artistic evolution as he experiences irrevocable lifestyle changes alongside a changing world. Yevonde’s portraits offer a window into the interwar years, during which traditional roles and identities were challenged and redefined. Although the Paul McCartney and Yevonde exhibitions are nearing the end of its showing, the National Portrait Gallery continues to curate limited-run collections of portraiture that each offer a different perspective of the past, the present, and the people in it. As the gallery once again welcomes art lovers and history enthusiasts through its doors, it reaffirms its commitment to providing a visual annal of history. Keep an eye on their website for news of events, panel discussions and study days to take advantage of everything the gallery has to offer.