MARIANNE NORTH: A VERY INTREPID PAINTER by MICHELLE PAYNE.

MARIANNE NORTH: A VERY INTREPID PAINTER

BY MICHELLE PAYNE

THE BLURB:-

Marianne North was a remarkable Victorian traveller and painter, who traversed the globe recording and writing her experiences in her journal. In 1879 she offered her painting collection to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and at her own expense built a gallery to house them. Marianne stayed closely involved with the project, painting beautiful decorative motifs on the interior door panels and surrounds.

Marianne North: A very intrepid painter reproduces many of her distinctive oil paintings as well as providing an account of her her life and overseas journeys, drawing primarily on Marianne's own published memoirs. Six key themes from the painting collection are considered, as are the history of the gallery and the recent restoration of the building and paintings.

THE REALITY:-

In the Kew Gardens' gift shop I saw this lovely Marianne North book available for £15... so I waited until I got home and bought it off eBay for closer to £11...

It's my birthday present to myself and is extremely interesting, BUT... The author apparently holds an MA with Distinction in Creative and Life Writing, from Goldsmiths, University of London. Within a matter of pages I found the wrong context of the word 'too' used, Marianne spelt Mari- anne, and stiff ness spelt... just like that, rather than stiffness. There are also spacing issues within the text and another divided word some way in. And that's just the mistakes I did spot. The author appears to have a very British name, so I'm guessing that English is her first language. She also works as a freelance writer and editor (according to the blurb) and appears to have done the editing herself as no other contributor is mentioned, apart from someone working on typesetting and layout. I know everyone makes mistakes- I find a new error every time I read my self-published novel- but this work is not self-published, so REALLY?!!!! Schadenfreude? You betcha, but Goldsmiths offer up scholarships, so I will be applying for one as I want to study for my Masters Degree. If that's the expected standard then entry and achievement should be a walk in the park for me.

Okay, that's the bitchiness about the review voiced and over. I read this book during a very busy (and quite unpleasant) time during this summer. I've found myself stuck in a day job that I don't want and have no empathy for, was persuaded into taking on unwanted overtime (okay, it was extra money but I could have done without it) tried to fit too much in besides, found my nerves shattered and myself on the verge of a nervous breakdown. After a few meltdowns I appear to be regulating, with no Valium required, thankfully.

Marianne North is my favourite artist, and her gallery at Kew Gardens my favourite gallery. It's a real oasis of calm where one can just sit awhile and refresh, whilst looking at Ms. North's beautiful botanical paintings. Her life sounds fascinating; breaking with Victorian tradition, she rejected the idea of settling down with a husband and having a family, and instead made travelling and painting her obsession and the outlet for all her love. And good for her! Not everyone is designed to fit the mould, but it was really groundbreaking for a woman alive during those times to behave thus. Luckily for her, she was independently wealthy and able to pursue her dreams. I can sure as hell understand her reluctance to share her fortune with anyone (actually, in those days, a husband automatically took possession over his wife's money- how terrible is that? Nowadays it's an unthinkable thought) or have a ball and chain tied around her ankle.

Modern art has its place, but I prefer traditional art a thousand times more. Some botanists at the time were dismissive of Marianne's work, as it did not conform to the strict rules of botanical illustration. I'm glad she chose to do things her own way as these rich oil paintings are really spectacular and give you a complete sense of nature and place. After all, a plant doesn't grow on a plain white background; it grows as part of a context of something else, in places inhabited with insects and animals, as well as humans.

The book was clearly set out into three main sections, with many subsections and a pictorial selection of some of her most important, glorious works. The writings and captions were organized and easy to refer to, and it was good to learn about both Marianne, her life and her travels and also the modern-day gallery and conservation procedures. I loved reading this coffee table volume and it's certainly made me want to take a look at her personal memoirs, entitled, Recollections of a Happy Life.

Finally, I'm so glad that my favourite painting of hers features inside the back cover. There's something about moonlight that just draws me in.  It's painting 481 and is called:- Moon reflected in a turtle pool, Seychelles.