In the halls of the British Watts Gallery, a portal opens into the world of madness and talent - “The Art of Bedlam: Richard Dadd.” A Victorian artist whose work is striking in its uniqueness and eccentricity, leaving the question up in the air: was he a brilliant artist or a mad visionary of his time?
Secrets of the mind and creativity: Meeting with Richard Dadd
40 years in a psychiatric clinic... at the easel: a unique and tragic example in the history of art. This is the story of Richard Dadd, whose path to greatness was marked by the strange colors of psychiatric therapy. His paintings were unknown treasures of a mental hospital, until the twentieth century resurrected this talented artist from the shadows of endless corridors.
“The Masterful Swing of the Fairy Tale Woodcutter” is a painting that not only inspired Freddie Mercury and Queen, but also became a symbol of rebellion over the hard blows of fate. A look at life through the prism of his brush leads to thoughts: where does creativity end, and where does madness begin?
In a thrilling exhibition at Britain's prestigious Watt's Gallery, curated specifically for Dadd's work, we delve into his world and explore not only his artistic delights, but also the haunting question of whether Richard Dadd was a genius trapped within the walls of madness, or whether his masterpieces were just just echoes of a long tragic odyssey?
Possessed by Osiris
Richard Dadd grew up as a talented boy: from an early age, his father taught him wood carving. And since Richard showed a talent for drawing, he was enrolled in the Royal Academy of Art. Subsequently, he even headed the community of Victorian artists “Clique”. However, hopes for a stellar career for an outstanding artist very soon faded.
At age 25, Dadd traveled around the eastern Mediterranean, visiting Italy and Greece, as well as the Ottoman Empire. During the grand voyage, the first symptoms of mental illness began to appear, which Dadd’s companions naively mistook for the consequences of sunstroke. Dadd sometimes acted like a madman, believing that he was under the authority of the Egyptian god Osiris.
He was tormented by visions, under the influence of which, as he himself admitted, the artist even thought about killing the Pope on his way back to England.
Upon returning, the situation worsened: the young man, hitherto sociable and cheerful, suddenly withdrew into himself. Moreover, he began to scare his relatives with strange antics: he kept several hundred chicken eggs in his room and did not take off his goatskin gloves.
"The Hermit", 1852
When the doctor who examined Richard informed his father about the alarming diagnosis, he refused to believe, thereby signing his own death warrant: in the summer of 1843, Dadd Jr., seeing the devil in the guise of his parent, first stabbed his father with a knife and then cut the poor man’s throat. The criminal fled to France, but was caught (he attacked a crew passenger with a knife, and during interrogation stated that he was heading to Vienna to kill the emperor himself) and extradited to England, where he spent the rest of his life in insane asylums: first in the legendary Bedlam Hospital in South London and then Broadmoor.
The talented Dadd often entertained the medical staff at the Bedlam Clinic by reciting Shakespeare's plays from memory and playing the violin.
Painting instead of pills
Dadd devoted more than four decades of imprisonment in a psychiatric clinic to art, continuing to stubbornly indulge in painting. His fanciful, detailed works, which made one want to look at them with a magnifying glass, must have looked strange in the eyes of his contemporaries. However, the past era of surrealism allows us today to interpret Dadd’s paintings presented at the retrospective differently.
Bedlam, or rather the Bethlehem Hospital for the Mentally Ill (Bethlehem Hospital) opposite the Tower, had an exemplary reputation: patients here were not starved or chained, on the contrary, they were allowed to create.
"Flight from Egypt"
In this 1850 painting by Richard Dadd, entitled "The Flight from Egypt," a Middle Eastern bazaar is in full swing with its colorful and diverse bustle. The sun scorched the skies, bathing every figure in golden light, and the air trembled with heat, but also with the stress of the journey ahead.
The scene is replete with details and characters, as if Dadd intentionally wanted to capture every moment, every movement, every look. People, animals, fabrics, natural elements - everything is in motion, creating a mosaic of living history. The colors are bright and rich, emphasizing the exoticism and diversity of cultures gathered in this place.
In the center of the composition, like an axis around which all the chaos revolves, stands a family, ready for a long journey. Their gait is confident, but in their glances one can read concern for the upcoming trials. This scene is not just a depiction of the moment of departure, but also a metaphor for humanity's flight from its past, the search for its future in the unknown, full of dangers and promises.
Dadd, an artist with a tragic fate and a keen eye for reality, was able to convey not only physical, but also spiritual movement. Each character in this film seems immersed in their own story, and each of them carries their own burden - literal and metaphorical. This painting is not just a reflection of biblical history, but also an eternal image of the journey that each of us undertakes in search of our “promised land.”
An exhibition at the Watts Gallery in 2015 was the first large-scale event dedicated to Dadd's work since the Tate Gallery retrospective in 1974.
“The masterful swing of the fairy-tale woodcutter”
"Ah, so Queen Mab was with you!
That's the fairies' midwife. She's no bigger than
Agatha that the alderman has in his ring.
"She's in a harness of the tiniest gnats.
She rides on the noses of the sleeping.
Her wagon has spokes on its wheels.
Of long spider's legs..."
Inspired by the image of Queen Mab, described by Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Dadd spent 9 years writing his famous work, “The Masterful Swipe of the Fairytale Woodcutter” (1855−1864) in a psychiatric hospital.
The canvas depicts phantasmagoric characters, fairies in magical outfits, whose gaze is fixed on a woodcutter who is ready to crack a walnut to make a chariot out of the shell for Queen Mab. This painting was shown at the Tate Gallery in 1963. Then she was in rhyme with the psychedelic zeitgeist. Since then, its popularity has only grown, despite the fact that the canvas comes from the distant Victorian era. However, the fashion for “Victorianism” is a feature of our time.
Dadd's painting "The Masterful Swing of the Fairytale Woodcutter" at one time inspired the English composer Oliver Knussen and writer Terry Pratchett. And one of the songs of the legendary Queen not only borrowed its name - the leader of the group, Freddie Mercury, called the canvas his favorite painting, and he saw it in the Tate Gallery.
"Oberon and Titania"
In this magical canvas by Richard Dadd, entitled "Oberon and Titania", the artist recreated a world in which eternal youth and the vagaries of nature are intertwined in an endless game. Taking English mythology as a basis, Dadd immerses us in the thick of the forest, where the king and queen of the elves conduct their exquisite and incomprehensible proceedings.
Among the interweaving of vines, the shine of dew and the rustle of wings, Oberon stands majestically, dressed in the colors of earth and sky, with the staff of power in his hand. Next to him is Titania, the embodiment of forest beauty and natural grace, the mistress of all elves and nature spirits. Despite their divine nature, legends speak of human passions that tear their hearts apart.
According to legend, Oberon is often carried away by mortal beauties, bringing a storm to their evergreen kingdom. Titania herself is not devoid of human emotion; her jealousy and pride sometimes cause whirlwinds in the magical forests, which becomes the cause of their legendary quarrels. In this world, love and arguments are as changeable as shadows in the moonlight.
Dadd, known for his delicate and detailed work, has created a place where every petal and every wing is filled with meaning. The gaze glides from character to character, revealing new and new stories, as if every detail has its own little story hidden. This canvas is not just an image of fairy-tale characters, but a whole world where every creature and every object plays its own unique role in the endless spectacle of nature and magic.
“Dadd may have been crazy, but his images were never meaningless,” is the leitmotif of the exhibition.
"Port", 1861
In Richard Dadd's 1861 watercolor "The Port," we are presented with a view that, in its dreamy and hazy atmosphere, may indeed be reminiscent of the work of William Turner. The painting emits soft light and shadow, creating a sense of depth and grandeur, immersing the viewer in a world of fantasy and history.
In the foreground we see a harbor filled with ships - masts rise slenderly, like a forest of trees, each ship ready to sail to unknown lands. Above them stretch the walls and towers of the city, located at the foot of the monumental rock. The buildings, built close to each other, create a feeling of paintingsque chaos, life boiling in every window and on every narrow street.
And so, the gaze rushes upward, to the majestic fortifications on the top of the cliff. They stand, unshakable and inaccessible, like guardians of the old world, watching the bustle of human life below. The height of the rock and the scale of the buildings on it are amazing, evoking the imagination of what secrets and stories are hidden behind their walls.
The fog that envelops this fantastic landscape gives it a mystical quality, making the boundaries between the real and the imaginary thin and invisible. The waters of the port seem calm and quiet, but they are full of potential and untold stories. This work of art is not just an image of a place, it is a whole world, inviting us to travel not only in space, but also in time.
"Stop in the Desert", 1845
This is a painting in which night not only fell to the ground, but also penetrated into every corner, creating an atmosphere of silence and tranquility, diluted only by moonlight and the flickering of a fire. The artist captured the essence of the eastern night, its majestic silence and mystery.
At the center of the work are travelers setting out on a long journey through the vast expanses of the Middle East. They found a temporary shelter among the lifeless vastness of the desert, where the only source of light and heat was a modest fire. People gathered around the fire, their faces illuminated by the flames, creating the comfort of an oasis of comfort in the vast emptiness of the night desert.
The moon rising in the sky illuminates the scene with a cold, ghostly light that casts long shadows and contrasts with the warm tones of the fire. The sky is filled with stars, emphasizing the infinity and splendor of space. The silhouettes of camels can be seen in the distance, a reminder of the indomitable power and endurance required to travel in such a harsh environment.
The meaning of the painting is to show the opposition - the huge, deserted and hostile space of the desert against the small, cozy light, which becomes a symbol of life, warmth and security. This image of solitude and tranquility, in contrast to the grandeur and silence of nature, recalls the tinyness of man in the face of the greatness of the world. The painting also reflects Dadd's ability to depict light, its reflections and shadows, creating a deep and multi-faceted painting that leaves room for thought and imagination.
Richard Dadd (1817−1886) was a contemporary of George Frederick Watts, whose name the gallery presenting the retrospective bears. Both were students at the Royal Academy.
Thus ends the mysterious saga of Richard Dadd, an artist who met his fate at an easel in a psychiatric clinic. His paintings, which shed light on the dark corners of the mind, became not only visual masterpieces, but also a bridge between art and madness.
Four decades in a psychiatric ward did not extinguish his creative fire. On the contrary, they made his art mysterious and magical, as if lifting the curtain on us. Viewing the world through his eyes, we take off on the waves of creative impulse, leaving behind questions and mysteries that continue to be unraveled to this day.
Richard Dadd remains not only an artist of his time, but also an eternal enigma whose work inspires a diversification of opinions and an eternal interest in the line between genius and madness. His paintings will remain a kind of guide through the labyrinths of the mind, inviting us on a journey along the border of art and the psyche, where each color distorts reality, opening new paths in the world of creativity and incredible human essence.
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