What Painting Inspired "Fairy Feller's?"
Cathy
>
> Hello All,
>
> A note on the LP sleeve for Queen II states "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke"
> was inspired by a painting. I forget the name of the artist because my LPs are
> in storage and I've been listening to the CD version.
>
> Can anyone please tell me more about the artist and painting, where I might
> find a copy to look at, and the link/relationship of this painting to Freddie?
> Any info much appreciated.
>
> Cheerio,
>
> Johnny the Fox
....................
Stop twisting my arm!! Stop it! Stop...
<sigh> oh, okay...
This Usenet post originally appeared on alt.music.queen on January 19,
1999:
…………………………
My Fricken Museum Visit
by Cathleen Gillingham
This is really quite long, so you may want to print it out and take it
to the loo with you.
I took advantage of the unusually mild January weather on the 16th and
ventured over to the Frick museum in NYC to see the "Victorian Fairy
Paintings" exhibition. One of the paintings on exhibit, as many of you
on this newsgroup
may know, is Richard Dadd's "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke". The
museum is located in a tastefully opulent mansion which was at one time
home to Henry Clay Frick and his family. Frick was a Pittsburgh steel
industrialist, and had his home designed by architect Thomas Hastings in
1913. I must say that the outside of the mansion was very unassuming. It
looked more like a library than a residence.
I wandered on into the museum, paid my admission and was asked to check
my briefcase--too big. So instead I shoved my camera into my coat pocket
(which I later found out was not allowed to be used anywhere inside the
museum except for the absolutely magnificent indoor garden) checked the
bag, and took my notebook.
First, I made my way from room to room to view the Frick permanent
collection. The private collection features works by such renowned
artists as Gainsborough, Renoir, El Greco (which is Spanish for "The
Greco") Manet, Monet and Degas. I was surprised at the amount of people
who were visiting this particular museum, since I don't recall it being
a well-known name, but then again I'm no museum expert. The museum was
fairly
crowded, probably due to the large crowds of people who were drawn out
of their homes on this first beautiful, warmish sunny day we've had in
quite a while. Another possible reason was that the "Victorian Fairy
Painting Exhibit" was ending it's run, as it was scheduled to close the
next day. I made my way down the narrow marble spiral stairway and into
the exhibit area to seek out Dadd's work.
I now truly understand the impact that this painting has had on people.
This was absolutely without a doubt the most incredibly detailed
painting I had ever seen. I was sucked right into it. It had taken me a
while to get close enough to actually see the detail, seeing as that it
was the most popular and commonly discussed painting in the room. People
were at it with magnifying glasses. I tried to follow their convexed
gazes as their lenses traveled across the canvas. Luckily I was able to
see the glorious result of the intense effort and painstaking detail
that went into it. It took Dadd six years to complete this work, and I
must say I can completely understand why. He must have had brushes that
were made with split hairs, the patience of a saint, and all the time in
the world.
Dadd painted the FFMS from 1858 to 1864 while he was a patient at
Bethlehem Hospital, which was a mental institution. He was committed for
murdering
his own father and was subsequently diagnosed as schizophrenic. The
staff there was compassionate enough to allow Dadd to paint, and in 1865
he wrote a long account in verse explaining the painting's genesis. He
identifies each character by name as they bear witness to the nymph in
yellow as he is about to split a hazelnut. The shell was to be used in
the construction of Queen Mab's coach. The Arch Magician gives the
command "Except I tell you when, strike if you dare". Squinty Pedagogue
is a critic whose "business it is to teach to do/Do it himself? Oh! No!
Tis you". We are watching the scene through tall timothy grasses, as if
to implant the notion in our heads that perhaps in the future we should
watch our step when walking through some brush. In the end, the verse
keeps the painting's secret to itself and doesn't reveal it's meaning to
us. "But whether it be or be not so/You can afford to let things go/For
naught as nothing it explains/And nothing from nothing/nothing gains".
It appears as if the painting may have been worked out initially in
monochrome (the seed pods in the foreground appear to be black and white
toned), and that Dadd filled in each element separately with color. The
medium used was oil on canvas, and I was amazed at an almost
cloisonne-type
of look to the work; it didn't have the usual texture of an oil
painting. It was almost smooth, except for slightly raised lines such as
in the grasses and other detail. I just then overheard someone say that
they thought the painting had more of an enamel feel to it than an oil.
Then someone behind me said "Be careful not to get too close--the
fairies will pull you right into the painting" to which someone else
replied "Too late". I remarked that I was thinking the same thing. And
just as I got close enough to take a good look, the guard came over and
asked that other people have a chance because the people who had just
been in front of me had been hogging it up for about five minutes, and
now there was a line. Mind you, the painting is only about 20x36", if
even that, so in order for the slightly myopic such as myself to get an
eyeful you had to have your face right in it. So, now that it appears to
the newcomers that I am the Fairy Hog, I took my twelve seconds and
moved it on along for a little while.
I went up into the indoor garden for a little while, and scribbled down
a lot of these notes. The garden is absolutely spectacular. Marble
flooring, busts on pedestals, Roman columns, more paintings. There are
marble benches situated symmetrically around the perimeter of the
fountain area, which is the focal point of the room, and situated two
steps down. The fountain is surrounded by an oval pool which is lined
with blooming bromeliads. The arched ceiling is made entirely of white
frosted glass,which floods the room with subdued natural lighting with a
little help from rows of incandescent bulbs attached to the arches on
the outside.
I went back to the painting again, and managed to get my nose in there
for another full minute. I could lose myself in it for hours. You just
cannot believe the incredible amount of work that must have gone into
this painting. The pebbles are so realistic that it's frightening. I
read in the extremely informative notes next to the painting that it was
never exhibited during Dadd's life, and has become the focus of a cult
following. Now, one may initially think that the following is due to the
connection with Queen, but I never heard any of the people there
discussing this work mention either the band or Freddie. Apparently, the
painting is well known in art circles based upon it's own merits.
The notes also said that it was considered the masterpiece of all fairy
paintings, and I would have to agree. There were many other beautiful
paintings in this exhibit, but none with the attraction that this one
had. I particularly liked "The Disenchantment of Bottom" (Bottom is a
character in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", as are Oberon
and Titania who are mentioned in Queen's song ). There was an
interesting placement of light and shadow;
very effective.It appears as if a flash of lightning had occurred, and
we are witness to the split second flash of light that reveals several
good/evil fairies surrounding him in otherwise total darkness.
Another painting I took to was one called "Queen Mab's Cave" by Joseph
Mallord William Turner. There are several paintings by this artist in
the permanent collection, but this one was part of the Fairy exhibit.
There was a ghostly, misty lake with what appeared to be a small island
in the middle, with fairies flying about. Near the center of the
painting was a bright pool of light, which appeared to me as if it were
the place which the fairies emerged from. Very serene, yet energetic.
I would have liked to have stayed longer, but I really wanted to take
advantage of what I had left of daylight to get out and take some
pictures, so at 3:45 I walked away and continued along on my excursion.
All in all it was a great day, and I'm having a tough time picking out
my favorite part.
The painting can be seen at Queen Heaven,
http://queen.frnet.com/fairy/index.html . On that page, you can access
large pieces of the painting which help show the detail, but
do the original no justice. There is also a link to the painting shown
in one entire piece. I am also aware that somewhere is Dadd's account of
the scene, so if anyone knows where that is please post it.
I told you it was long.
Cathy
Ector
Ector
>the scene, so if anyone knows where that is please post it.
Yes, please do.
>I told you it was long.
But well worth the small effort.
>Cathy
Thank you so much, Cathy. I first heard "Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" in
1976. I've waited 26 years for the answer to my question. You're a dear.
--Johnny the Fox
Kinster
--
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"Cathy" <laz...@erols.com> wrote in message news:38A244...@erols.com...
> Ector wrote:
> >
<Big, Huge, SNIP>
Ector
>1976. I've waited 26 years for the answer to my question.
Uh...strike that...make it 24 years.
Chris Coleman
"Ector" <ec...@aol.com> wrote on 10 Feb 2000...
> I first heard "Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" in
>
> --Johnny the Fox
Not to mention the time travel thing... 1976 + 26 years = 2002. Could you
please answer the following questions for me...
1: Does Queen reform with a new singer/singers...?
2: If so is the material any good?
3: If not is there _STILL_ debate on amq about whether this shopuld happen?
4: Could you fwd by private email to me a full list of Gold Medal winners
from the 2000 Olympic Games so I can go see my bookie and make a killing?
Cheers,
Chris.
Ector
Chris wrote:
>Not to mention the time travel thing... 1976 + 26 years = 2002. Could you
>please answer the following questions for me...
Sure thing, smartass...
>1: Does Queen reform with a new singer/singers...?
Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels offers them one million dollars to
do one reunion concert with Gary Cherone singing. They give in to the
temptation, but Cherone spontaniously combusts on stage when he makes the
mistake of trying to wear his red and white striped shorts as tight as Freddie
did. (Also, he wore "it" to the wrong side, if you get my meaning.)
>2: If so is the material any good?
Some will say it's the best thing that could have happened...
>3: If not is there _STILL_ debate on amq about whether this shopuld happen?
"Shopuld?" I'm not sure which is worse, poor math or poor spelling. But to
answer your question, though it's about as likely for Queen as that other
brilliant and wildly successful British band with four members (...uh...what's
their name?), the debate rages on, wasting as much time and bandwidth as
pointless threads like this one.
>4: Could you fwd by private email to me a full list of Gold Medal winners
>from the 2000 Olympic Games so I can go see my bookie and make a killing?
The Olympic Games were this year? Haven't really cared much for them since
Barcelona.
Also in the near future, a new software program is developed that automatically
renders nitpickers incapable of posting obnoxious messages to Internet
newsgroups. The world is saved from the clutches of drivel! Intellect, wit,
and tolerance once again dominate human discourse!
See you there, darlings.
--Johnny the Fox
Susan Stansfield
The painting that inspired the song was by Richard Dadd. It can be seen on
some websites, but I don't have the URL's right now.
Susan
Susan Stansfield
In article <E2so4.1455$68.2...@typhoon.nyroc.rr.com>, "Kinster" wrote:
>Thank you Cathy. What a great painting!
I just saw it myself. Very cool.
Susan
Cathy
>
> > I am also aware that somewhere is Dadd's account of
> >the scene, so if anyone knows where that is please post it.
>
> Yes, please do.
>
> >I told you it was long.
>
> But well worth the small effort.
>
> >Cathy
>
> Thank you so much, Cathy. I first heard "Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" in
> 1976. I've waited 26 years for the answer to my question. You're a dear.
......
Thanks, but I think I did it just as much for my own selfish purposes as
for humanitarian ones…I've had neither the time nor the resources to
post anything thoughtful and/or fluffy lately, and since a lot of people
here these days aren't familiar with me for those reasons (read:
work/school/serious computer problems), I thought that the post might be
a good way to introduce myself on a *good* note… there is no second
chance for a first impression you know, and that was one of my better
efforts.
But yeah, I guess I was trying to be nice, too. It really is my nature.
And the rest of you can all stop laughing now.
>
> --Johnny the Fox
Cathy the Intermittent Guest-Host
NessaUK
>A note on the LP sleeve for Queen II states "The Fairy Feller's Master
>Stroke"
>was inspired by a painting. I forget the name of the artist because my LPs
>are
>in storage and I've been listening to the CD version.
>
>Can anyone please tell me more about the artist and painting, where I might
>find a copy to look at, and the link/relationship of this painting to
>Freddie?
>Any info much appreciated.
Andy Young's site has some pretty extensive information on the painting, by
Richard Dadd, which usually hangs in the Tate Gallery in London. He also has
info on the artist himself and the words Dadd wrote which inspired many of the
lyrics.
The URL is:
http://www.pemcom.demon.co.uk/queen/queen2/ffms.html
Cheers,
Nessa
Cathy
> Andy Young's site has some pretty extensive information on the painting, by
> Richard Dadd, which usually hangs in the Tate Gallery in London. He also has
> info on the artist himself and the words Dadd wrote which inspired many of the
> lyrics.
> The URL is:
> http://www.pemcom.demon.co.uk/queen/queen2/ffms.html
>
> Cheers,
> Nessa
........................
Thanks, Nessa--that URL led to the exact pages I was referencing. The
first page,
http://www.hevanet.com/demarest/dadd/index.html#fairy , contains a
biography of Dadd, and the second,
http://www.cc.emory.edu/ENGLISH/classes/Shakespeare_Illustrated/Dadd.Feller.html
, contains some of Dadd's account of his painting.
I seem to recall a much longer explanation from Dadd that I'd read
somewhere on the Internet about three years ago, but I do not remember
where I had seen it. These pages referenced above, however, are great
companion pieces to the painting for any that may be interested. I also
purchased a print of the painting through the Tate Gallery last year,
and it was worth every penny of the approximately $35 I paid for it.
Cathy