I applaud the incentive behind such an abstract form of portraiture: North Sketch Sequence at Chatsworth by artist Jacob van der Beugel. Faithful to their taste and understanding of contemporary art, the 12th Duke and Duchess of Devonshire commissioned Jacob van der Beugel (a pupil of Edmund de Vaal) to create a family portrait. For this site-specific piece, the DNA of the Duke and Duchess, as well as their son Lord Burlington and his wife Lady Burlington, was visually translated into hand-made ceramic straw-coloured tiles (the straw colour is the Cavendish’s racing colour).
Detail of North Sketch Sequence, 2014
Each tile is composed of four rows of blocks, varying in size and texture, that represent the four nitrogen containing bases which are making the double helix of a DNA sequence. The glazed blocks are arranging according to each individual’s response to a subject. The Duke chose his favourite walk in the garden, the Duchess her favourite piece of music, Lord Burlington wanted to be surrounded by his family and Lady Burlington chose a stitching pattern. The fifth portrait, titled the Everyman portrait, materialises the DNA we all share and metaphorically draws a portrait of us all. This almost participatory work, replaces, in places, ceramic blocks by little mirrors which conceptually let the viewer takes part in the piece. On the other side of the corridor, the wall covered with mirrors built in hand-made-ceramic tiles, reflects not only the portraits of four members of the Cavendish family, but it also incorporates the viewer into the artwork creating a collective portrait. I find the piece to be successful in linking past and present, in uniting the tradition of family portraiture with conceptual contemporary art, in such a seamless fashion with its Baroque surroundings. By highlighting what makes us human, the piece invites to viewer to go a step further than contemplating the heritage of the Cavendish family, it not only provides a relatable artwork, but is also made me like the Cavendish’s open-mindedness and intelligence even more.
North Sketch Gallery at Chatsworth House
The mirrored wall of the North Sketch Gallery