The Annual Watts Lecture took place at Charterhouse on Monday 13 March: Review by Millie Vacher (Year12):
Christopher Le Brun, the President of the Royal Academy of Arts, gave the Watts Lecture with large attendance from pupils, beaks and members of the public. Le Brun spoke of his own work in relation to the works of GF Watts and the passion for his work.
Le Brun began by introducing the audience to Watts, giving us a feel for his work and the more personal aspects of his life which led on to inspire his paintings, such as his relations with the poet Tennyson (and his poem Idylls of the King in particular). Le Brun also emphasised the similarity between Watts and Michelangelo, saying how their painting techniques are very different but they are both considered ‘high art’.
Le Brun went on to speak about his own painting, showing examples and giving explanations about his pieces. He related his painting Dream, Think, Speak to Watts and explained that dreaming, thinking and speaking were the processes of making an artwork (dreaming and thinking, being the formulating of the piece and speaking being the painting itself). Speaking of his piece, Union, he said: "Art is my response to being alive". He gave many an inspirational word which prompted the audience to reflect on our opinions of art and our place in the art world. A particularly thought-provoking point he made was to "do things and make things without an image in mind" for an art student (like myself and a lot of the audience) this is almost the opposite of what we are generally taught in the classroom, which goes to show that art has no rules. He told us of his painting techniques, how he builds up layers and layers of paint over months only to then chip back and scrape away and then build back up. He spoke of the importance behind a good title for an artwork and explained the meaning of some of his paintings such as Walton inspired by the composer William Walton, he went on to emphasize the importance of music to him and his art. Le Brun spoke passionately of specific colours such as cadmium yellow and how some of his processes consisted of covering a painting with one colour and blocking the painting beneath. He also related his work to language and literature; like Watts, poets also inspired him.
Le Brun was insightful about how art is a combination of many thoughts and influences and how every factor of art is important such as the titles, the colours, the story behind them, people’s reactions to the art and what inspired the work. Le Brun put most emphasis on the meaning of art in general and the meaning behind specific works. He is a master of interpretation.