Culture of Jersey - Art

Art

Some Neolithic carvings are the earliest works of artistic character to be found in Jersey. Only fragmentary wall-paintings remain from the rich mediaeval artistic heritage, after the wholesale iconoclasm of the Calvinist reformation of the 16th century - the most notable of these are the wall-paintings of the Fisherman's Chapel (la Chapelle ès Pêcheurs) in St. Brelade.

The 1751 statue of George II by John Cheere in the Royal Square was Jersey's first public sculpture since the Reformation. Subsequent works of public art to be seen include:

• Westaway monument (1875, Pierre-Alfred Robinet)
• Don monument (1885, Pierre-Alfred Robinet)
• Queen Victoria statue (1890, Georges Wallet)
• George V statue (1939, William Reid Dick)
• Liberation sculpture (1995, Philip Jackson)
• La Vaque dé Jèrri (2001, John McKenna)
• Jersey Girl (2010, Rowan Gillespie)

John Singleton Copley's painting of the Battle of Jersey (6 January 1781), "The Death of Major Pierson", became a national icon. The States of Jersey failed in an attempt to purchase it (it is now in the Tate Britain), but the image is reproduced on the reverse of a Jersey £10 note.

John Le Capelain (1812–1848) was the son of Samuel Le Capelain, a printer and lithographer, and Elizabeth Anne Pinckney, his English wife. Le Capelain displayed early talent, but never had formal art training. He was born and lived all his life in St. Helier, setting up his studio in the attic of his parents' house in Hill Street. He is best known for his watercolours, although he had earlier followed his father in lithography but abandoned it after 1843. He travelled widely, taking advantage of St. Helier's excellent maritime links, and went sketching in France, England and Scotland. He was commissioned to produce a series of watercolours which were presented to Queen Victoria by the States of Jersey to commemorate her visit of 1846. The series was subsequently lithographed and published in book form. The Queen commissioned Le Capelain to produce a series of watercolour views of the Isle of Wight and it was while working on this commission that Le Capelain contracted tuberculosis and died, barely a week after his 36th birthday. A collection of his works, presented by public subscription in his memory, is displayed in the Parish Hall of St. Helier.

Among artists attracted to Jersey in the 19th century was Sarah Louisa Kilpack (1839–1909), an English artist noted for seascapes and coastal scenes, often stormy, produced for exhibition in London.

John Everett Millais, a Jèrriais speaker from a Jersey family, was born in England, but is considered a Jersey artist.

The "Glass Church" (St. Matthew's, Millbrook, St. Lawrence) is decorated with Art Deco glass by René Lalique, commissioned by Florence, Lady Trent, the Jersey-born wife of Lord Trent, founder of Boots Chemists.

Edmund Blampied (1886–1966), illustrator and artist, is the most popular Jersey artist of the 20th century.

Hector Whistler, educated at Victoria College, produced some decorative work for the extension of the States Building.

John St. Helier Lander (1869–1944), born in St. Helier, later became a fashionable portrait painter in London. His portrait of George V hangs at Victoria College, and the Masonic Temple in St. Helier holds a number of masonic portraits by him.

Philip John Ouless (1817–1885), a successful workmanlike painter of marine subjects, was the father of Walter William Ouless RA (1848–1933), who developed a career as a portrait painter in London, becoming an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1877 and RA in 1881.

Henry Bosdet (1857–1934), an artist in stained glass in a Pre-Raphaelite style, taught in the Royal Academy schools in London. Some of his work can be seen in his native Island.

Suzanne Malherbe and Claude Cahun, the "Surrealist Sisters" were among photographers attracted to Jersey.

Sir Francis Cook (1907–1978), English painter, moved to Jersey in 1948. In the 1960s he bought the former Methodist chapel at Augrès and converted it to a studio and gallery which was donated after his death to the Jersey Heritage Trust along with a collection of his works. The building, now named the Sir Francis Cook Gallery, serves as an exhibition space.

The Berni Gallery at the Jersey Arts Centre holds a programme of exhibitions by Jersey and visiting artists. The Barreau-Le Maistre Gallery in the Jersey Museum displays works from the permanent collection of the Jersey Heritage trust. Plans for a National Gallery to display the range of national holdings of visual art and provide suitable temporary exhibition space have been proposed from time to time. A National Gallery steering group chaired by Philip Bailhache, Bailiff of Jersey, is due to report by the end of 2007. A site for the National Gallery has been earmarked on the site of the former Weighbridge bus station in St Helier, funded by waterfront development.