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Inspiration from Artists Week 16 Robert Lenkeiwicz and Michael King

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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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Welcome to week sixteen , I hope you have all had a good weekend this weeks artists are Robert Lenkeiwicz and Michael King .  If you would be so kind as to start us off with your choice of Robert Lenkeiwicz please Linda and if you would follow with your choice of Michael King on Wednesday Michael. Hope you all enjoy the artist and have a good week.
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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I will add a couple of Lenkeiwicz portraits and let Linda do the intro later. Chosen because the appeal to me , particularly his  last supper painting .
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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The smallest of the three looks to be the most interesting; I have what we might call mixed views on the other two - being pedantic, I can't help noticing that the Last Supper doesn't look like a very Jewish occasion.  But I would like to see an enhanced view of Number 3, and will go and forage for it onth' web.  Oh, and that pedantic thing?  It's Robert Lenkiewicz - Polish name, accent on 'e', as in Len-keAYvich.  Which isn't to say that he pronounced it like that, living in an England in which most of us have trouble with any pronunciation more troubling than 'Smith'.  And yes, I DID get out of bed on the wrong side this morning....... 

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Sylvia Evans

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Robert I am surprised you got out of bed at all...... What fabulous paintings. The expressions and positipns in the last stopper are wonderful, , the expression on that poor guys face says if all it's either complete amazement or sheer terror.  But like Robert I like the third one best..just simple study of a man.  Good choices Paul.
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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As Linda hasn’t joined us as yet I thought I would do a intro and hopefully she will add more later.  Robert Oscar Lenkeiwicz born in London 1941 and died in 2002. Very popular with the public but was perennially unfashionable in high art circles . He had a reputation as one of Britain’s infamous painters who never courted the London  scene.  I’m not a portrait artist and don’t always take much notice of them  however I find his work very intriguing and I wanted to see more of it . I have selected these simple by picking them out because  I like the look of them .

Jenny Harris

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I read that after leaving London he was offered studio space in Plymouth where he continued his rather eccentric habit of inviting local vagrants and addicts into his studio so he could paint them.  This apparently was a lifelong focus for his work.  I like these, especially the first, a self portrait.

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Sylvia Evans

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Some lovely choices Jenny. 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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The disdain of the 'high art' world was at least in part because representational art, which his is, was out of fashion at the time; it would be interesting to delve deeper into that - 'fashion' shouldn't have anything to do with art criticism, but, of course, does.  The wide eyes/wide mouth one is, I think, one of his self-portraits.  I suppose you could compare his situation, though not his work, to Jack Vettriano's - popular with the public, fairly vehemently disliked by the critics.  He seemed not to have a lot of control over his own life, so someone at some stage must have taken him under their wing and promoted his work: he's been gone for quite a while now, so I wonder who managed his career in order for him to be remembered today; presumably the Plymouth Gallery which offered him space; and there's a foundation under his name too - when I've time, I must read more about him.   When he died, apparently, the embalmed remains of a tramp were found in his studio - he were a strange lad; but then, artists are supposed to be; up to a point... 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Just spent the best part of an hour looking at his hundreds of paintings - some quite disturbing - on a website dedicated to him.   The Last Supper painting, which has been shown above, is listed as unfinished - which I ought to have guessed.  What I still can't work out is why the critics, or most of them, dismissed him - of course his work varies, there was so much of it it would have been remarkable if it hadn't, but there are portrait studies, enormous murals, yards long, some landscapes - but his principal concern was clearly people, especially the elderly and destitute.  Probably one of the most interesting painters this series has so far covered.  

Denise Cat

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I had a brief read up about him. An interesting character. Some of his work I wasn't that keen on, especially the way he depicted some of his subjects. Some not all though. His work is varied and I liked many of his sketches. Here are some I liked. Mr Fisher-Bishop with Bottle of Strongbow. Old Cyril. Dante Listening to Count Ugolin.
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Lewis Cooper

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I've seen films about this oddball artist, there's no doubt he was a one-off and seemed to fit the stereotype of what a bohemian artist is...at least if you can believe all that's said about him.  Much of his work was overtly sexual, some say he didn't sell his work, that he was supported by a patron, that he paid no taxes, that he faked his own death to promote a series of paintings about death...and, as Robert said, the embalmed body of a tramp was found in a cupboard at the studio.  ??? I like much of his work, his output was tremendous, and if the art establishment didn't like him, that's recommendation enough for me.  Here we have a very interesting artist. Here's a pic I found of him with one of his enormous works...

Denise Cat

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He certainly went to some extraordinary lengths to fulfill his own wants and needs. It intrigued me about the dead body turning up in the drawer. Who did the embalming, what was the cause of death. The vagrant apparently died from natural causes in hospital. But who hands over a body to a friend to do the embalming. It is alleged that it was the wishes of the vagrant that the artist did the embalming but having no relatives or friends, other than the artist, how could that be possibly verified. It makes me think was he an egomanical artist. He often worked with vulnerable subjects. Reading about him this also makes me think were these subjects more manageable. I do intend doing a bit more reading about him because I think there is a story bigger than his art here. Probably make a good film I should imagine.
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