Pre-Raphaelites in the 21st century
by Roger Moffatt
(oil painter)
'Kindle Surprise'
(oil on canvas, 51 by 76 cm).
Originally 'The day dream' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, this painting now is bought right up to date. Instead of Jane Morris sat down reading a book of poetry (possibly Rossetti's?), she's now ordering a book about Rossetti off Amazon … on her Kindle. There's the surprise.
As you can see, the cover features a painting of Fanny Cornforth … maybe another reason for Jane to be looking somewhat perplexed.
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'Self portrait with woman' (oil on canvas, 51 by 61 cm).
This is my version of 'Vivien' by Frederick Sandys.
It only seemed right to replace the apple (signifying 'love') in the original painting with a jar of Marmite to bring it up to date.
As well as the 'love it or hate it' motif (I love it), Marmite is of course manufactured by Unilever, historically linked to the Lady Lever Art Galley and it's significant collection of Pre-Raphaelite art. A sort of full circle, if you will.
The sprig of flowers in the original has been replaced with a spoon ... which of course has my reflection, due to it looking like that whilst painting it.
'Woman with jar and spoon' (oil on canvas, 51 by 61 cm)
Based obviously on Rossetti's 'Bocca Baciata', this version depicts Fanny Cornforth (of 'Kindle Surprise' controversy), not this time with a marigold and apple, but rather a jar of Marmite and a spoon ... the iconography is obvious.
The jar of Marmite replaces the apple to represent love and temptation, whereby the spoon is a means by which to succumb to it.
'Leaving on a jet-ski'
(oil on canvas, 43 by 68 cm).
This is an updated version of John William Godward's 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'. John's original painting featured the departure of a sailing ship in the background, presumably (due to the young lady's melancholic appearance) containing her paramour ... most probably off to fight in some far distant war, with little chance of making it back.
If you look closely you'll see her boyfriend's now hurtling off on his jet-ski, undoubtedly up to no good whatsoever, although going to war seems unlikely due mainly to the limited range of a jet-ski's petrol tank.
A can of discarded soft drink in the foreground gives the entire scene a more 21st century feel.
'Girl on phone'
(oil on canvas, 31 by 41 cm)
Jane Morris really gets tech'd up in this version of a detail from Rossetti's 'Snowdrops'.
Mobile phones are a darned sight better for making calls than a sprig of daphne (as in the original), and whilst the Motorola V-3688 isn't exactly state of the art, it's a step in the right direction.
'Isolda con una tazza di te'
(oil on canvas, 51 by 61 cm)
My updated version of Frederick Sandys's 'Isolda con la pocion de amor' sees a mug of tea replacing his old fashioned 'pocion de amor'.
The 'love' theme now, as well as a delicious mug of tea in itself, manifesting by virtue of the hearts on not only the mug, but also the Jammy Dodger biscuit.
For those with a knowledge of the Masonic alphabet, the symbols on the pendants off the necklace spell out a cryptic message.
I must admit, I'm intrigued by the similarities in the original versions of this painting by Sandys, his 'Vivien', and Rossetti's 'Bocca Baciata'.
All of them feature a halo of some kind, be it in floral arrangenent or peacock feathers, as well as the positioning of hands and some form of table in the foreground. The three versions I've painted, I consider a triptych.
'Scoppio delle bolle'
(oil on canvas, 31 by 41 cm)
Translated as 'Bursting Bubbles', this painting is a re-working of Millais 'Bubbles'.
Obviously updated, the original bubble now replaced by a much more contemporary remote controlled toy helicopter … the once bowl of soap in the boy's lap now changed to the helicopter control device.
Although still retaining the potted plant in the right background, the broken plant pot (a symbol for 'death') in the left foreground has been updated to a scale model Death Star.
