Inspired by Art

My Favourite Painting | Sir Peter Michael

An Upland Song by Percy Tarrant

This little gem of a picture painted around 1910 is just one of my many favourites. It’s in my collection, purchased years ago for very little at the time. Whenever I pass it, I look and I see nothing but happiness on a spring day preceding what is going to be a wonderful summer. A group of children, the youngest maybe four or five years old, hold hands and sing as they romp in a meadow. The smallest girls have gathered marguerite daisies by the armful; the entire group is “full of the joys of spring.” I can picture my wife Maggie as one of these girls, just growing into the woman I will meet some years later. She’s living in that moment, completely unaware of what the future holds, but I know what’s in store.

Artist Biography

While British painter Percy Tarrant had a relatively successful career as a landscape painter, he was perhaps best known for his work as a book illustrator, most notably of Wuthering Heights and Little Women. Tarrant exhibited a number of paintings at the Royal Academy in London and at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, which houses the largest collection of British art outside of London.

Painted in 1916, An Upland Song suggests an Edwardian ideal of childhood. The artist depicts five girls of various ages walking hand-in-hand through a pasture of wildflowers. Two of the children have gathered flowers that they hold bunched in their hands, while one girl reaches toward a bird that flies just out of her reach. Small clouds billow in the blue sky behind them, and a breeze seems to gently blow the children’s clothes and long hair. There is an overarching sense of freedom and ease; the painting evokes a bygone age but also a timeless dream, a simplicity and innocence that spark both memories and nostalgia.

My Favourite Painting | Paul Michael

Chatterboxes by Philip Wilson Steer

Asking me to choose my favourite piece of art from our collection is like asking me to pick my favourite Peter Michael wine—a question I’m often asked. Do you mean red, white, from the last vintage, from all vintages, for lunch or dinner? The answer is usually the last vintage we made and, in the same way, my favourite art choice is a very recent addition to the collection.

Chatterboxes, by the British impressionist painter Philip Wilson Steer, currently shimmers above the fireplace in the bar at the Vineyard Hotel. It was painted in 1886—and reminds me of where I was a hundred years later, in 1986, as a twenty-one-year-old living in Paris. That’s where I was introduced to the works of the French impressionists at the Musée du Jeu de Paume shortly before the collection was moved to the then brand-new Musée d’Orsay. I didn’t learn about British impressionism until much later on. Chatterboxes evokes memories of happy childhood banter and summers in the countryside where I grew up and where my kids have also grown up now. The painting alone is one very good reason to enjoy a contemplative cocktail or glass of wine in the Vineyard Hotel’s bar.

My Favourite Painting | Emily Michael

Coastal Landscape by Thomas Cordell

The river and the coast, especially in England, have always been a big part of my life and never more so than recently; further exploring of and enjoying our local coast have been one of the few positive things to come out of the recent travel restrictions.

This painting just had my name on it. It puts a smile on my face to have this piece of California coastland hanging on our wall in England. In fact, it was the very first piece of art to be hung in our first marital home. The absence of people, animals, and buildings is both refreshing and powerful. The colors, the topography, the sense of climate, and the thunderous ocean just blow away the cobwebs and fill me with an energy.

Artist Biography

Thomas Cordell was born in 1951 in Grand Island, Nebraska. His predominant creative inspiration came out of the conceptualist movement of the 1970s, which was often seen as a reaction to the minimalism then so prevalent in American art. The conceptualists set out to challenge the art establishment with works focusing on ideas and mood over technique or imagery. Cordell’s bold, painterly colors and strong geometries wed mood and representation in this powerfully affecting work that both celebrates and challenges our ideas of traditional landscape painting.

My Favourite Sculpture | Mylo Michael

The Edge II by Sir Antony Gormley

I remember when I was being shown around on my first visit to Eton College. I saw this statue and thought to myself, This school is really something else, as we were told all about its history and informed that “there is always another way of looking at the world.” Even funnier, it was drizzling that day and the statue appeared to be relieving itself. You can imagine the giggles.

The statue can have different meanings for different people, but I’ve always found it quite comedic that Etonians walk past it many times a day, but few take notice of the man standing horizontally, smiling down on us. Now, four years later and studying physics for A-level, I rush to my lesson to learn all about gravity watched over by this naked statue that’s defying the laws of physics.

My Favourite Painting | Elliot Michael

Execution of Charles I, 1649 by Ernest Crofts

Ernest Crofts painted numerous works depicting the region where we live—including Donnington Castle, which I can see from my bedroom window. This painting is hanging front and center in my bedroom. Despite the dark nature of Crofts’s work, the familiar landscape resonates with me and captures a powerful moment in the history of England.

I first noticed this painting as a young child while playing hide-and-seek at our grandparent’s house. Of all the incredible works within the house, it was the mysterious eyes of King Charles I that captured my imagination. Crofts’s incredibly detailed portrayal leaves me curious as to what the subject was feeling in his final moments. His stern, deep stare is mesmerizing.

The more I look at this painting, the more I notice, and the more I find myself being drawn into the dramatic scene. Each individual has a distinct expression on his face, and over the years, they have developed personalities in my mind.

My Favourite Sculpture | Anna Michael

Donnington Castle by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder

Being asked to reflect on a piece of art took me back to my very first sculpture, of Donnington Castle. The castle is practically on our doorstep; hide-and-seek and sledding on its hill were such a part of my childhood, and today it’s where we walk our dogs. I wanted to capture a reflection of its history from the English Civil War to today in a depiction of the imposing gatehouse, which is all that remains of the original structure.

I liked the idea of viewing an architectural structure through its gaps; the arrowslit windows, tower gates, and missing ceilings all open up the imagination. I built a three-dimensional structure out of grogged crank clay to give me the textures of the building’s flint, stone, and brick. The different surfaces were made using red terra-cotta, porcelain slip, and molochite. Oxides and underglaze colours helped give a sense of the original stone’s texture.

The inside of this sculpture is coated in an antique gold metallic lustre; its mirror effect represents the reflection of all that has taken place at Donnington Castle—from the likes of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, who reportedly stayed there, through to today, with me playing on the remains of the external walls.

This piece was created five years ago and is so very different to the graphic design degree I am currently studying, but it encapsulates the idea of “reflection.” My sculpture is pictured here alongside the building that inspired it. Hence, I credit the “artist” as Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder, who turned his manor into a fortified castle in 1396.