The Amazing Adventures of Archibald Esq.
Dogs at the Tate Gallery, London
Being one afternoon in an indolent yet inquisitive frame of mind, I decided to peruse the online gallery at the Tate, London, in search of artistic renditions paying homage to the form and glory of the dachshund. Oh, yes, I admit it, it was a sort of self-indulgent lassitude, but what of it?! To allay my ambivalent feelings of vanity I will summarise my search for the benefit of other curious web-hounds….
Several hours were well spent in a virtual tour of the Tate collection, and I am happy to report that a general search for ‘dog’ resulted in over 700+ works of art involving canines. The Tate is even so good as to further categorise the types of dogs so represented – amongst which are listed bloodhounds, great danes, deer hounds, fox hounds, sheepdogs, staghounds, St Bernards, lurchers, pointers, poodles, terriers, wolfhounds and such like. I must say I noted a particular preponderance of spaniels (a favourite of European aristocracy), and not a few pugs (of whom Hogarth was particularly fond, for example).
But to my growling dismay, there was no special category for dachshunds. Can you believe it? Could it be true? Are dachshunds entirely left out of the Tate? How could it be? Much as it is edifying to know dogs in general have been honoured by human artists, I was still craving to see artistic expression of my own type - in other words, dogs with long noses, long ears, long bodies and short legs!
Alas, there was nothing for it but to dig through those 700+ works of art. So I pawed and nosed my way through a good part of the Tate collection to see if I could turn up any of my own breed. It’s a good thing we dogs are known for our doggedness – once on the scent we do not give up so easily. And at last, dear reader, I can report that I found a particularly pleasing oil painting that in no way can be doubted to be representing the noble badger hound. An additional pleasure comes from the fact that it is a vibrantly colourful, pleasing, altogether life-affirming and delightful painting.
The work is ‘Le Café’ (1915) by the French artist Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) - an artist of whom I had known nothing until this particularly curious search was undertaken. From 1888 Bonnard attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and in 1889 decided to become an artist; he had also studied law. His early works mainly depict scenes from Parisian life. His later works included landscapes, interiors, nudes and still life, and the works became increasingly rich in colour. (See Ronald Alley, Catalogue of the Tate Gallery’s Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists, Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981: 63-64).
There can be no doubt that the hound in the frame is a dachshund - note the long ears and nose, the precocious physical posture, and in particular the distinctively out-turned ’seal feet’ paws on the red and white check tablecloth. The woman is dressed in lively yellow, and with her head tilted as to a lover’s towards the dog, it appears that they have been caught by the artist in a moment of private, confidential conversation.
This is a cosmopolitan dog, there can be no doubt. A Parisian dog. A dog of cafés and philosophical musings. A dog, in other words, after my own heart of hearts. The beverage being enjoyed in the scene is not a domestic coffee that is had in the private sanctity of a household. No - this is a scene that takes place in a cafe but is not about having a cup of coffee. Notice the somewhat innocuous blue figure, who blends into the background (as good waiters do), who is serving the woman and her hound. Indeed, when one attends closely to the painting it becomes clear that the woman and her beloved companion are in fact enjoying a pot of tea. There are two cups on the table; it seems another person is on their way to join them – the artist himself perhaps?
In the notes from the display caption (September 2004) we learn that the dining table was one of Bonnard’s favourite subjects; ‘’domesticity and conviviality were in tune with his intimate vision of art'’ and are instructed that the woman in the painting is the artist’s wife Marthe, with her ‘’pet dog.'’ (How did the Tate caption writer miss out on the fact that this was no ordinary or generic dog but rather, a fine specimen of a dachshund! There clearly is more work to do there in categorising the types of dogs shown in works of art - aroof!).
Despite the caption’s intimation that the scene is private and domestic, it appears obvious to a sleuth dog such as myself that the title of the piece indicates a public space - a Café - rather than the beverage being enjoyed. This is as clear as the fact that the drink is of tea, not coffee, and that the scene is public rather than private. Or that, dear reader, is how the scene appears to me, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the painting as much as I do.
Aroof! Archie.
Bonnard’s Le Café (1915): Oil on canvas. The work was presented to the Tate by Sir Michael Sadler through the National Art Collections Fund in 1941.
Posted 08 Dec 05
One Response to “Dogs at the Tate Gallery, London”
Leave a Reply
©2008 Roleta Archibald, Awoof!™
[…] Pierre Bonnard is without doubt one of the greatest painters of the noble dachshund the world has ever seen (and there have been many dachshund-inspired artists, including Picasso, Andy Warhol and others). The feet even travelled to Paris to see a Bonnard exhibition. Highly-rated painter of donught-dogs. Awoof! Archie […]
Archie - Dog tales - Bonnard @ 5:04 pm, 07 May 2007