Michael J Wiggins……Artist

Please scroll down to see the drawing.

I have always been fascinated by 18^th and 19^th century sailing ships. It is from these old vessels and the later timber barns built from their hulls that have inspired many of my surreal structural drawings. After visiting Portsmouth Docks I decided to depict such a ship in my work.

First step was to obtain a picture to work from, I eventually found at great drawing of the HMS Victory which I used to draw a similar ship of the fleet. I would have liked to call the work “HMS Temeraire, In for a Refit” because for me, the Temeraire has a poignant and romantic place in history.

A key support ship at the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Temeraire was badly damaged as she fought to relieve Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory. As far as I am aware the only portrayal of the Temeraire is in Turner’s fabulous painting “The Fighting Temeraire” which shows, in his wonderful almost impressionistic style, the ship being towed on its last, sad journey to the breakers yard.

I searched for a picture of the Temeraire’s figure head so I could give the drawing authentication, but, alas I was unsuccessful.

I then decided, to base the foreground ship on the HMS Victory, but substituting Victory’s figure head with one from my imagination. The top masts and rigging of a ship behind the warehouses represent the Temeraire. This, then, accomplishes my wish to acknowledge these impressive crafts.

Fascinated by art created in pen and ink, am naturally drawn to artist and illustrator using that medium. Of late my interest has focused on the work Aubrey Beardsley.

Born in Brighton in 1872 Aubrey Vincent Beardsley achieved notoriety for his distinctive and in many cases provocative drawings. Beardsley’s style incorporated mass areas of black contrasting stark areas of white space, heavy decorative detail contrasted against simple narrow lines.

He was a great influence on the Art Nouveau movement but, also very controversial, his dark, perverse and grotesque erotic images caused considerable outrage.

His sexual preoccupation and the grotesque were subjects of considerable speculation. It is possible however, that his personality may evolved through the trauma of having to deal with the chronic illness tuberculosis, which was diagnosed when just a child. His life was dogged by recurrent attacks incapacitating him for long periods. Then, in March 1898 he succumbed to the disease at just twenty five years old.

The year before be died Beardsley committed his life to a new path and converted to Catholicism. As a result he wished to disassociate himself with what he then called his “obscene drawings”, and asked for many works to be destroyed. His publisher did not share the same sentiment and continued to sell reproductions of Beardsley’s work after his death

To pay my respects to a tortured soul I have created a montage of some of Beardsley’s characters using my own interpretation by removing the angst, and modifying the erotic nature of the images in line with his wishes.

.  SEE IMAGE BELOW

To view his original works please go to Google images @  http://bit.ly/ioxNTF

To read more about Beardsley see Wikipedia @  http://bit.ly/kytD8a

Or, Go to “A Passion for Art” the “Master of the Macabre” by Jen Longshaw @ http://bit.ly/iqVsRG

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