Alexey von Schlippe: Expressions of Mind and Soul
Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT
Alexey von Schlippe (1915-1988) left his title as a Russian Baron in the court of Tsar Nicholas II behind when he became a citizen of the United States in 1960. What emerged in his art during and after this transition was a unique sort of social realism, not unlike the immediacy and empathy in the egg tempera paintings of Ben Shahn, but with more intimacy and isolation.
As part of the introduction to the exhibit, a descriptive wall panel mentions Von Schlippe's inspiration from Giotto and Piero della Francesca, which is evident in his dry-brush technique, common in the ancient art of egg tempera, an approach Von Schlippe maintains even when he paints in oils. The text also mentions the influence of West African art, which appears in various ways, including subject matter featuring a black woman with an exposed upper body, à la mid-century National Geographic magazine; abrupt perspective in the stylized masks and adornments; and anatomical simplification of the same. Beyond these influences, the content of Von Schlippe's paintings reveals many psychological traits. Additionally, like Andrew Wyeth, who also masterfully worked with egg tempera, capturing the distinctive souls of his subjects he knew well, Von Schlippe's way with egg tempera finds a less individual representation of a specific soul. Von Schlippe takes a more universal approach to the harm inflicted on an oppressed group that longs to be treated with the respect they deserve in an age of drastic social change.
The paintings in this exhibition were created between the late 1950s and the early 1980s, when America experienced significant social unrest and change. A fact that you can feel emanating from his female subjects in particular, who are often people of color, seemingly exhausted by the burdens that come with living through troubled times. In Reclining Figure with White Blouse (undated, mid twentieth century), you get a sense of temporary peace as a compositional chrysalis forms around the figure. In this dream state, the harshness of the outside world is quietly absorbed in waves of harmless cleansing transitions within that subtle enclosure. And despite the metaphorical cushioning, there remains tension in the bent arms and fisted hands as they respond to indelible memories of repressive circumstances.
Exhibited directly below Reclining Figure with White Blouse is Reclining Figure (1980), which depicts a middle-aged woman who still wears her simple black shoes—a detail that does not appear in any of the other paintings, all of which feature barefoot subjects. Reclining Figure also has greater clarity, with more realistic facial features, sharp pleats in a long skirt, a formal couch, and hands set in a classic sleep-like, prayer-like pose, giving this particular person a feeling of security and personal importance. Perhaps it’s someone who is related to the artist.
Conversely, the figure in Reclining Nude (Half Nude, Hands Raised) (1958) offers great import due to its overtly spiritual component and attention to detail in the sinuous, interconnected folds of fabric. The uplifted arms also add power and presence to the figure that none of the other paintings share. In the subject’s face, the relatively blank eyes convey a mask-like presence that brings us back to Von Schlippe’s interest in West African sculpture in all of its ritualistic and ceremonial forms.
Seascape (1978), painted solely in oil, ventures the furthest into the Surrealist realm. The composition has a sort of rocking motion, as if we are viewing the scene from a boat in choppy seas, while the looming sandy cliffs and the flood of ocean water that shimmers on the distant horizon strain to attain their individual heights in the picture plane. Then you have the Houston-to-Boston-leaning clouds that create a clockwise rotation in the composition, giving the scene a sense of endless movement. Ignoring all this upheaval is a seagull perched atop a small branch of a large piece of driftwood on the lower left of the painting. Facing outward and away from the center, the bird casts doubt on the narrative's truth, telling the viewer that all this commotion is imagined, pieced together from bits of memory and preconceptions.
As a still life painter, Von Schlippe is equally skilled. Still Life with Mushroom (1974) has that George Grosz, Otto Dix brand of intensity, while Two Bottles (1958) leans a bit more toward the softened and shimmering—closer to Giorgio Morandi, only with lots of detail in the reflective surfaces. All in all, a striking exhibition in one of the most distinctive and magnificent buildings in New England that is best known for its extensive collection of world-class plaster casts, such as Michelangelo’s Pietà and Moses, Donatello’s David, and Baccio Bandinelli's Laocoön and His Sons. A destination that is well worth a visit any time you are in Norwich, Connecticut.