Cultured Calm – Pasquarosa: From Muse to Painter at the Estorick Collection

One of my favourite things about living in London (and there are many) is the vast number of museums and galleries.  Despite living here for well over 28 years there are always new discoveries waiting to be made.  A recent weekend cultural foray took me  to the ‘new to me’ Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art   to see an exhibition of the work of Pasquarosa Marcelli.  I knew nothing of this artist or her art.   I had come across one of her paintings of of brightly coloured florals in an online reivew and I knew instantly this was an exhibition for me.

February is a month which needs brightening in any way possible and the promise of paintings of flowers in glorious hues was all I needed to have me scurrying across town.  The Estorick Collection is in Highbury and Islington, and as I made my way across town to look at beautiful paintings, many others were heading in the same direction to  look at the beautiful game created on the football pitch by Arsenal football club.

I was happy to leave the red and white clad crowds at highbury tube station and saunter the short distance along Canonbury Road to the Grade II listed Georgian Town House which houses the Estorick Collection.  The building was recently restored and is now bright and airy with the ground floor home to a pleasing courtyard café and a book shop.

The Gallery provides a little refuge, a haven for art lovers and those seeking a some respite from the surrounding busy London streets. On a chilly winter day, miniature daffodils swaying in time with the breeze and the bobbing head of blousy white camellias made the courtyard garden a pretty place to be.  I sat inside to drink my coffee but on a warmer day I suspect this would be a lovely sheltered spot to enjoy the sunshine.

Pasquarosa: From Muse to Painter

Pasquarosa Marcelli came from humble beginnings. She lived in Poverty and had no formal education.  She moved to Rome as a young woman to become an artists model, and it was there she watched and learned about painting.  She also met her future husband the painter Nino Bertoletti.  She began to paint and with her husband they established a studio where she began to paint.  Her first exhibition was in 1915.

As an artist she exhibited throughout two world wars.  She travelled extensively throughout Europe meeting some of the key figures of the artistic and cultural establishment of the day.  In 1920 she had a solo exhibition in London, something highly unusual for a female artist at the time. Over 100 years later, her work is on show again.  50 paintings and drawings are on loan from Rome’s Archivio Nino e Pasquarosa Bertoletti and other private collections.

This is not a large exhibition but it is a very joyful one, filled with colour and light.  The exhibition takes up 2 of the 6 galleries.  The first gallery is given over solely to in Pasquarosa’s paintings and the second one is filled with paintings of her created by her husband Nino Bertoletti.

Pasquarosa’s still life paintings of flowers and fruit and domestic scenes are brimming with harmonious colour combinations.  Without knowing that she was influenced by Matisse, one of my favourite artists, I could easily see this.  Simple bowls of fruits, or vases of flowers against a background of layers of patterned and coloured fabric. Blousy florals and bowls of flowers in rich colours. Cyclamens, hyacinths and hydrangeas  These are the kinds of paintings I would love to fill my home with.

Laura Cummings in The Guardian said “The song of her colours is carried by the exuberant vigour of her brush. To walk into this show at the Estorick Collection in bleak midwinter, is like watching a summer sun come up”. This is exactly how I felt. There is a warmth emanating from these paintings that is instantly cheering.

Bertoletti’s paintings of his wife show her in a serene and calm way.  There is a real tenderness to these paintings which appear to have been painted with love, and it was a pleasure to look at the her through his eyes and paintbrush.

Moving On

From the gallery, Islington’s Upper street with its many shops, cafes and restaurants is just a short stroll.  The ever popular Ottolenghi is here.  It’s the first Ottolenghi I ever visited and I was blown away by the display of decadent cakes and delicous salads.  It remains a favourite.  Nearby is the popular Camden passage, another great spot for independent cafes and shops. From here it’s not too far to the canal and a pleasant waterside stroll to Kings Cross.

Nearest Tube: Highbury and Islington (Victoria Line)

Opening Hours and Admission: See website

You might also enjoy reading about my visit to Monet’s Giverny