Jenny Saville’s retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery is a testament to her brilliance as a figurative painter. The exhibition features 45 works that confirm her status as one of our greatest painters.
Table of Contents
A Brief Biography
- Born in Cambridge in 1970, Saville studied at the Glasgow School of Art.
- She caught the eye of collector Charles Saatchi at her graduation show, and he bought her entire collection on the spot.
Saville has proven herself as a master of her craft, renowned for her confrontational and densely textured depictions of nude figures. Her paintings are characterized by their virtuosic texture, which she achieves through the masterful manipulation of paint.
A Retrospective of Work
| Year | Work | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Propped | A self-portrait with the artist sitting on a sculptor’s modelling stand, as though her exuberantly plastic flesh is about to be manipulated into a work of art. |
| 1993 | Plan | A 9ft-tall self-portrait of the artist, with contour lines drawn around her torso, as if the artist herself were a landscape. |
| Early 2000s | Billboard-sized heads | Paintings of large heads, which are reminiscent of billboards. |
| Latterly | Giant human heads | Jumbled together, with constituent eyes, noses, and mouths. |
Saville’s early works are considered masterpieces, with Waldemar Januszczak describing them as “bona fide masterpieces”. Her use of colour, form, and texture brings her subjects to life, and her paintings are a testament to her skill as a portrait painter.
A Changing Style
- In the 1990s, Saville’s style changed, and she began to fragment and distort her figures, and blow them up to massive scale.
- This new style won her immediate acclaim, and it’s clear why.
Saville’s changing style is evident in her later works, which see her producing “billboard-sized” heads and paintings of naked men and women writhing in bed. While these works are technically impressive, they don’t quite work in terms of their overall impact.
Conclusion
Despite some reservations about Saville’s later works, this retrospective is a must-see event. Saville’s brilliance as a figurative painter is undeniable, and her use of colour, form, and texture brings her subjects to life in a way that is both captivating and thought-provoking. Jenny Saville is indeed a genius, and this retrospective is a testament to her enduring legacy as a painter. Her works are a reminder that even the most challenging and unconventional styles can be both beautiful and thought-provoking.
“I believe that Jenny Saville is a genius,” said Cal Revely-Calder in The Daily Telegraph; and of the 45 works in this “stunning” retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery, there are “at least a dozen” paintings that confirm my view.
Definition:
Genius: A person of exceptional talent, intelligence, and creativity. Highlights:
The exhibition features 45 works that confirm Saville’s status as one of our greatest painters. The retrospective includes a selection of Saville’s earliest works, which are considered masterpieces. The exhibition showcases Saville’s changing style, from her early works to her later, more experimental pieces.
Jenny Saville’s retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery is a must-see event, featuring 45 works that confirm her status as one of our greatest painters. While some of her later works may not be to everyone’s taste, her brilliance as a figurative painter is undeniable, and her use of colour, form, and texture brings her subjects to life in a way that is both captivating and thought-provoking.