Sir Luke Fields (1877) The DoctorPrecious little is known about Sir Samuel Luke Fields' life, as a Victorian era, it seems most events were documented, but unfortunately, the life of Sir Luke Fields remains something of a mystery.
Whta little that is known is that Sir Samuel Luke Fields was commissioned by Henry Tate (founder of the Tate galleries) in 1875 to paint him The Doctor.
"The Doctor" is painted in oil on canvas, and was inspired by the death of Fildes' son.
Fildes' son died of what is believed to be bacterial meningitis, -it was at a time when bacteria still remained misunderstood and largely undiscovered.
[NB: After the Roman empire prevailed, because it was Roman belief that post-mortem investigation was immoral, and the science of medicine was blurring lines with religion, the king ordered his men to destroyed all evidence and documentation of medical breakthroughs.
The Post Roman times were spent re-discovering everything that had previously been doccumented by the Greeks.
In fact during the Plague (1847 onwards) quaranteen had to be re-realized, and sterilyzation, immunisation and antiseptics used during surgeries were all impliamented after this painting was produced.]
The painting shows a real story of the professional devotion of Dr Gustavus Murray who treated Fildes' son.
Depicted is a little girl, suggesting that perhaps depicting the death of his own son was far too painful for Fildes.
This work shows the heartbreaking moment when a child shows no sign of recovery.
This is visualised in the work by the redeeming light of dawn is shining on the child. One will notice the child is not laying in a bed, but instead is laid on tho wooden chars laid end-to-end. This is typical of the poverty stricken Victorian era.
When beginning to paint, [in order to make the picture convincing] Fildes' constructed a cottage interior in his studio, as close to the realism of his memory as possible; and began work at dawn each day to catch the exact light-fall on the set, reconstructing the grim scene exactly as it had played out.
The striking image of an ordinary doctor’s quiet heroism was hugely iconic amongst the late-Victorian public; the painting evoking an extreme catharsis amongst its audience who were akin to scenes like this in their own homes.
It is difficult to view this painting without feeling an overwhelming sense of sympathy for each character in the painting. This is a distressing scene of a small child, who the doctor realizes has little time left to live.
The mother [far right], is cradling her head in her arms, while her husband stands by her, completely unable to assuage her grief.
However, we must contexualize this painting before reading it. Doctors of the time were well aquaitned with the signs of an "unwell" child, but ultimately there was precious little they could do.
Infant mortality was staggeringly high during this climate, and hundreds of children like Fildes' son and the little girl in the painting would die every day. This would have been a harshly familliar scene to its contemporary audience.
The painting is executed with delicate strokes and is so finely painted it is almost photorealistic, showing a fleeting moment in time, but a crucial moment in life.
In my oppinion this painting is the most poingnant in Fildes' carreer and certainly the most emotive and personal work he ever produced.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
(Own Knowlege)
Author: UNKNOWN
Date: UNKNOWN
Date Link was Last Proved Active: 15/3/09
URL: http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=4277
Luke Fildes's life is rather well documented - I wrote a whole 80,000 thesis just on his 5 social realist paintings, and will write more at some stage. My article about him in the New Dictionary of National Biography was only so concise because that was what Oxford University Press required.
ReplyDeleteBoys were dressed very much the same as girls and had long hair when they were small in Luke Fildes's time. It was usually one of his sons that sat (or lay!) as the model for this painting.