ART LOST FOREVER - AN UNFATHOMABLE LOSS TO CIVILIZATION

Works of art are a statement of and a commentary on the time, place and persons who created them and patronized them. They are the images of the civilization gone bye and help us to understand history. Although we may not realize it, art is a cultural statement that remains to inform and educate future generations of how life once was. This is what makes certain pieces of art more poignant and famous than others, when they come to symbolize a generation or period of time.

Though priceless and invaluable there have been occasions in history when they were not shown the respect they deserved and they were pillaged, plundered, stolen and destroyed. Thus either unknowingly or worse still, knowingly and with a vengeance of intolerance they have been destroyed and left gaping holes in the story of our civilization. So whether it was because of the World Wars or it was the plunder of Muslim fundamentalists of ISIS or Taliban, many precious works of art were lost forever. Accidents, fire, negligence and botched up restoration efforts too have contributed to the tragic loss of priceless artworks. 

The wars have had a very detrimental impact on culture and civilization and art which remains an embodiment of both has suffered most and many epics have been lost forever. The invading armies were either ignorant of their true value or were so afraid of their potential to revive a culture that they purposely destroyed them.

When properly taken care of, works of art can persist through millenniums that tell the stories of the times passed to future generations. To preserve cultural heritage from getting destroyed, art galleries and museums have installed a set of rules designed to protect the artworks from thieves, vandals, and accidents. Artworks are often protected by safety ropes that keep the visitors at a reasonable distance. Some pieces are placed inside bulletproof glass boxes.

But, since art venues are trying to keep the sense of accessibility, many works are showcased without these protective items. Instead, they are guarded by a series of guidelines that the visitors must obey. For instance, viewers are often asked to leave their belongings (such as briefcases and umbrellas) at the front desk. Since children are prone to accidents of all kinds, museums demand that they must be accompanied by adults. Food and drinks are not allowed and touching the pieces is strictly forbidden.

There's a reason why museums and galleries ask people not to touch works on display. Human skin carries natural oils and acids that are harmful to artworks. A single touch can initiate permanent changes, darken the paint or corrode metal. But despite these rules, accidents happen and artworks get shattered, punched through or completely destroyed.

In a 5 part series I will be presenting 50 priceless and invaluable works of art which we will never be able to see again because they have been lost forever and this is the first series of 10 such masterpieces:

1. Le Peintre by Pablo Picasso

One of the most famous paintings by the modern art world's beloved creator, this 1963 painting entitled "Le Peintre" (The Painter) was lost in a 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111 off of Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time of the crash, the painting was valued at about one and half million dollars. "Le Peintre" was part of a famous series in Picasso's revolutionary 'Blue Movement'.

An artist stares contemplatively at his canvas in Pablo Picasso Le Peintre (The Painter), 1963 as he lifts his brush to the surface. There is intensity in his brow line, and his expression is serious. Wild lines make up his beard, adding an element of frenzy to the creative process. The hand of the man also contains movement – Picasso has layered multiple outlines of the hand to create this motion to and fro across the canvas. The use of hand applied Pochoir makes this a very special work, giving the appearance of watercolor. It adds a lovely texture and complexity to the collotype.

2. The Fourteen Paintings by Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter in the mid to late 19th century whose work focused on the female form and were noted for their eroticism. Serena Lederer was a wealthy Viennese art collector and a prominent member of Austria society who collected fourteen of Klimt's paintings that came to be known as the Fourteen Paintings. In 1943, Lederer sent the paintings to the Schloss Immendorf museum for safe keeping during the war, however the opposite occurred. The Nazi Party set fire to the Schloss Immendorf Museum in 1945, ruining all of Lederer's Klimt works along with thousands of other pieces of art.

Gustav Klimt ‘s most famous work is The Kiss'. To me it is far more fascinating than a rather underwhelming Monalisa. It is the final painting of Klimt's Gold Period, during which he incorporated gold leaf into his works. This practice reflects the strong influence of the gold-detailed religious art of the Middle Ages as well as the sacred works created by artists of the Byzantine Empire. As a result, some considered such paintings as "The Kiss" to be sacrilegious.
Gustav's uncle Earnst had a metalwork in which Gustav worked when he was young. He learned the artistic use of metals in his early days. Though both figures in 'the kiss' are fully clothed still it exudes eroticism. It is no coincidence that Klimt's work is often linked to that of his Viennese compatriot, and near-contemporary, Sigmond Freud. This oil painting with gold leaf metal work is in Belvedere museum housed in the Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria.

3. Water Lilies – Oscar Claude Monet

Oscar Claude Monet was a French painter, a founder of French Impressionist painting and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to landscape painting. In fact the term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting 'Impression, soleil levant' or Impression Sunrise.

One of Claude Monet's most famous works of the impressionist movement the Water Lilies series. Two of the paintings from the series were destroyed by fire in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City in 1958. The entire Water Lillies series was completed by Monet in 1883 and contained over 250 oil paintings, and which were also painted while Monet was suffering from cataracts. In April, 1958, a fire broke out on the second floor of MoMA, which was supposedly set off by a worker who lit a cigarette too close to paint cans and canvas.

4. Leda and the Swan by Michelangelo

The Greek myth of Leda and the Swan was painted into life by Michelangelo around 1530. In the story of Leda and the swan, the Greek god Zeus appears in the form of a swan and rapes and seduces Leda. From that encounter, Helen and Polydeuces are born, the former to later become the reason for the Trojan War. According to the story, Michelangelo gave the painting to his friend and student, Antonia Mini, who then took the painting with him to France. There, Mini may have sold the painting because it was last seen in the royal collection of Fontainebleau in 1530. The court painter, Rosso Fiorentino, painted a copy of it and it is the only copy that still remains, besides Peter Paul Rubens reproduction of it.

Not only Michelangelo but even poet William Butler Yeats was moved by this story and composed this famous poem:

Leda and the Swan

A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.

How can those terrified vague fingers push
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
And how can body, laid in that white rush,
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?

A shudder in the loins engenders there
The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead.
Being so caught up,
So mastered by the brute blood of the air,

Did she put on his knowledge with his power
Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?


5. Mississippi River Panorama - John Banvard

John Banvard was an American panorama and portrait painter best known for his panoramic views of the Mississippi Valley. In 1840, the New York-born artist spent months traveling up and down the Mississippi River in a boat to sketch and take in the scenery. Eventually, he transferred his sketches to a large canvas which he then beautifully painted. It is believed that the finished work measured 12 feet high and a mile and a half long, and toured the United States in the mid-19th century. He even took it to different cities of Europe and held a special exhibition exclusively for the British Queen. Towards the end of the 19th century, the panorama was cut into several pieces for storage and some of those pieces have never been recovered.

Such was the popularity of the painter that during World War II, a Liberty Ship was named the S.S. John Banvard.

Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th century in Europe and the U.S. but only a few have survived into the 21st century and are on public display.

6. The painter on his way to work - Vincent Van Gogh

Another of the world's infamous modern artists and the creator of the famous Starry Night, this painting was finished in July of 1888, just two years before the artist's death. Of the nearly two thousand works of art completed in Van Gogh's life time, this is one of six that has disappeared. The painting was housed at the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, which was destroyed by fire in the Second World War. The painting is believed to be one of Van Gogh's many self-portraits, in which he is carrying his painting supplies in Montmajour.

It is part of several paint studies that he sent to his younger brother Theo. This self-portrait is very different from his others, in which he typically depicted himself as seated with a plainer background, showing only his torso and face. In this painting, he is full-bodied, trudging along the road to work with his cane and art supplies. The figure is paused mid-step, suggesting that he stopped his busy pace to see if this was the place to paint. Much of his painting took place outdoors, travelling from area to area for new subjects. His face is obscured, giving the impression that he is part of the surrounding countryside. It is inferred that the figure is Van Gogh by the red hair peeking out below the straw hat.

7. Spring - Jean Antonie Watteau

Known as the rejuvenator of the Baroque style, Watteau was a well-known French painter in the early 18th century. In 1716, Watteau painted a series of seasonal images for Pierre Crozat, a prominent French art collector, entitled Spring (Printemps), Autumn, Winter, and Summer. Of the four seasonal paintings, only one remains today. Spring was magically rediscovered in 1964, only to be destroyed by fire just two years later, and Autumn and Winter have never been found.

Little known during his lifetime beyond a small circle of his devotees, Watteau was mentioned but seldom in contemporary art criticism and then usually reprovingly. Some of his famous works are Polish woman standing, in Warsaw National museum, A Puerto, Mezzetino in Louvre Paris and The hunter; in National Gallery of Scotland.

8. Portrait of Winston Churchill - Graham Sutherland

In 1954, the artist Graham Viivian Sutherland was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of Winston Churchill in celebration of is 80th birthday. Sutherland was considered a 'moderate painter' and was known for capturing the 'real side' of his subjects, which is why the House of Commons and House of Lords donated money to have the painting done in 1954. Yet Sutherland's true-to-life style was not so appreciated by Churchill himself, nor his wife, and after the public presentation, it was never officially displayed. In 1977, following Lady Churchill's death, it was discovered that she had destroyed the painting upon receiving it.

Sutherland was famous for his work on glass, fabric, prints and portraits so he was a painter, etched and designer. He taught at a number of art colleges, notably at Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College and was the official war artist of Second World War.

9. The Concert - Johannes Vermeer

Painted in 1664 by the famous Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, The Concert depicts a man and two women playing music. It belonged to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, but in one of the most famous art heists in history, was stolen in 1990 and remains missing. The estimated value of the painting is about $200 million, thought to be one of the most valuable unrecovered stolen paintings. The thieves were believed to be disguised as police officers, and stole 13 more works of art from the museum, including Rembrandt's "The Storm of the Sea of Galilee".

Of three musicians in the oil painting a young woman is sitting at a harpsichord a man is playing the lute and a woman .is singing. The harpsichord's upturned lid is decorated with an Arcadian landscape; its bright coloring stands in contrast to the two paintings hanging on the wall. The musicians' clothing and surroundings identify them as members of the aristocracy.

Interestingly of the two paintings in the background, the one on the right is The Procuress by Dirck Van Baburen (c. 1622), which belonged to Vermeer's mother-in-law, and it has appeared in his yet another masterpiece 'The Lady Seated at a Virginal'.

10. The Colossus of Rhodes - Charles of Lindos

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, the personification of the sun, on the island of Rhodes, constructed by artist Charles of Lindos in 280 BC. The statue, which was destroyed in the earthquake of 226 BC, stood over 30 meters (98.4 feet) high and was one of the tallest statues in the ancient world. Until today, it is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, constructed to celebrate the victory of Rhodes over Demetrius, the ruler of Cyprus in 305 BC.

Construction began in 292 BC. Ancient accounts, which differ to some degree, describe the structure as being built with iron tie bars to which brass plates were fixed to form the skin.Much of the iron and bronze was reformed from the various weapons Demetrius's army left behind, and the abandoned second siege tower may have been used for scaffolding around the lower levels during construction. Upper portions were built with the use of a large earthen ramp. During the building, workers would pile mounds of earth on the sides of the colossus. Upon completion all of the earth was removed and the colossus was left to stand alone.

Preserved in Greek anthologies of poetry is what is believed to be the genuine dedication text for the Colossus:

To you, O Sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this bronze statue reaching to Olympus,
when they had pacified the waves of war and crowned their city with the spoils taken from the enemy.
Not only over the seas but also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom and independence.
For to the descendants of Herakles belongs dominion over sea and land.

Let us continue our journey through the world of priceless lost art treasures in 2nd part of this series.