The commissioner is just as important as the artist

A bold assumption, but it must be said. Without the commissioner, we wouldn’t have any of the great artworks in history that we know and love, carrying us to the realm of beauty. The mighty cathedrals of Europe would be non existent. The great portals and tympanums at Chartres, Sainte Foy, Saint-Etienne de Cahors, and many others would be but a door without the commission. The frescoes adorning the great painted Monastaries of Romania, such as Bucovina would be plain walls without being commissioned. The Mona Lisa would have never existed without the commission. Most of the great artists in art history, were only able to get by and create their masterpieces through commission.

I think the commissioner is often overlooked when it comes to art, particularly nowadays, the artist is commonly seen as being the defining component of art being made, and it makes sense why. As without someone who can paint, there would be no painting. But someone needs to allow the painter a reason to paint, that is the commissioner or patron. We envision the artist as a striving independent soul battling with the truths of life, trying to capture perfection in paint or stone.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Artist in his Studio, ca. 1628. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Well, at least in the earlier modern period, perhaps now you can get away with rolling around on a floor covering yourself in paint and that’s enough…. But someone still allows the person to roll on their floor to gather a crowd!

Poljak, Katarina

Of course the artist does attempt to capture truth, beauty may not be as important in the current post-post modern art world but for many it still is, and why artists do what they do. But without a reason to create, the artist would just flounce about their studio creating for the sake of creating, hoping somebody may like it enough to have in their home. This is still good, and art should adorn our homes. But the commission takes on a new angle, it is charged with a purpose. Whether it be a cafe wanting to commission a potter to make ceramics for serving, a parish needing a new church, or even a portrait of your beloved.

There is a power in utilising the artists abilities. If we look at hospitals, we can see an example of this. Historically hospitals were often tied to monasteries, they were houses of healing. Illness wasn’t just seen as a bodily affliction but also one of a spiritual nature. Where a mixture of practical nourishment and spiritual nourishment was performed. You can fix a broken bone with casts but can a cast fix a soul? Beauty and prayer can do this. A building needed to be made for this purpose, rather than just making it as big and ugly as possible to cram people like sardines, it needed to be functional and beautiful. Cloisters, gardens, chapels and wells, places to recover, pray and rest. The hospitals were often extensions within the monastic community. You knew you were being taken care of when around monks and nuns. Now of course, times have changed, leaps and bounds have been made within the world of medicine, and this can open up all kind of debate, but I am focussing on the buildings. The beauty of place and building are so fundamental to how we live. I shall use two pictures to highlight the difference of spiritual nourishment and purely cold scientific.

Monastery of Varleem

Royal London Hospital

The commissioner is just as important in the making of art, as they can sometimes see the potential in an artist, and allow them to stretch their skills for a new work. They can suggest and point, and the artist may struggle at first, but can be taken to new places which they hadn’t imagined. It is a collaboration of sorts, a balance has to be had. Sometimes the artist is right, and other times the commissioner is. The commissioner can allow for the space both physically and financially, and the artist can adorn. If we look at the most famous commission, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

A preparatory sketch and the finished piece

Pope Julius II wanted Michelangelo to paint the twelve apostles. Michelangelo said no, how about I paint nine pictures showing God's Creation of the World, God's Relationship with Mankind, and Mankind's Fall from God's Grace. And Julius didn’t say ‘right, chump, you’re fired, I’ll get someone else to do it.’ But allowed him the freedom to work. I’m sure he would of done a good job depicting the twelve apostles, but he took it further. And say what you will about these paintings, they are impressive and have certainly made their mark.

Now of course, commissioning art can be expensive, in some ways it is a luxury. There is a lot of mental and physical labour that goes into an art work, the artist needed to have the skill and knowledge of a craft to create. It is a very time consuming process, from training to mastery, it takes a lot, just like in any other work. Time costs. And it can be hard to know what is right, or if it’s worth the bother at all.

There is a wonderful story I once heard that elaborates this, it goes something like this: In the foggy city of New York during the 40s, a lady, lets call her Dot, was invited to a party by the governor no less, at the very last moment. Flabbergasted and delighted all at once, she set her mind to getting ready, she wanted to dress to impress, she had the velvet dress and silk stockings, diamond earrings with matching necklace, polished heels with a bow, she looked into the mirror, and she needed a hat. She rushed out the door, just grabbing her purse and flew into her Hudson Commodore and stylishly waltzed to the famous maker of hats Vincenzo’s. Barging through the door, she exclaims “Vincenzo! My good man, I need the most beautiful hat there is, this is of vital importance, it needs to be unique, it needs to be radiant, and most importantly it needs to fit!” Vincenzo, bowed his head to her and took a moment, he looked at her outfit and candour, it was an elegant array by all means, simple and understated. A few soft glances later, “Ah! one moment Madame.” Vincenzo rushed to the drawers, his hands scanned over threads and material, cotton… too thick, linen… too thin, “Ah! There it is”. A silk ribbon, just the right thickness, weight and colour. He took a few measurements of her head, the rest was done by eye, he turned his back and his hands set to work, flourishing left and right, up and down, the limp ribbon found it’s form in his hands and all of a sudden the most beautifully weaved and woven hat was made. “Close your eyes madame” Said Vincenzo and he placed the hat on her head. She opened her eyes and gasped at the splendour of the hat, she almost couldn’t believe it! “Oh Vincenzo, it’s magnificent, it’s a masterpiece! This will be sure to catch the eye of the Governor! Thank you, thank you! Let’s get down to business, how much do you want for it?”. Vincenzo took a moment, his eyebrows went up and down, “For you madame, $30.” ($657.31 in todays money) “$30!?!” cried Dot, “You can’t possibly be serious! I just saw you get a ribbon out of your scrap pile, $30 for just one ribbon! How on earth could it be $30!” Vincenzo paused for a moment and smiled, “Oh for you madame, the ribbon is on the house! for my 40 years of training and experience, it is $30.”

The Arrival of Marie de Medici at Marseille by Rubens (c. 1622-1625)

Looking at this piece by Rubens, it is an incredibly extravagant and in your face work. Nobody would commission a work of themselves arriving at the local MacDonalds, this is a different thing entirely. In a way, art is definitely used as a brag, a flex of the financial muscles, saying to others, ‘oh do so look at me, aren’t I great? I paid for this.’ The commissioner has utilised the artist for this reason going way back to Babylon. Not just the individual, but a family, a business, government and religions. The art reflects the ideals, and the ideals are expressed in all manor of ways. If there is a problem in the culture, look at what they worship, more often than not, the problem begins there. The art commissioned can be created for the love of beauty and of God, or for the love of self. Giovanni Rucellai, a major patron in fifteenth-century Florence, paid Leon Battista Alberti to construct the Palazzo Rucellai and the façade of Santa Maria Novella, both impressive in beauty, and very expensive. In his personal memoir, he talks about his motivations, noting that “All the above-mentioned things have given me the greatest satisfaction and pleasure, because in part they serve the honour of God as well as the honour of the city and the commemoration of myself.” At least he was honest at the end! And I suppose this is also true of the artist. Artists were just as able to gain entry into the higher echelons of society through their skills and prowess, in which they show rather than say ‘oh do so look at me, aren’t I great? I created this.’ Art is a funny old thing really, it has very noble and high ideals, but can quickly be tainted with pride and arrogance. The intention is important in the commission and in the art work.

I can’t talk about commissions without mentioning portraiture. With the aid of the artist you can pay how you want to be seen. You may have just bought a fancy new hat and outfit, you gosh darn want people to know how well you wear that hat.

The Laughing Cavalier, Frans Hals

We still see all of this today in social media, the portrayal of the self, feeding the ego, which I see as the hardest sin to battle with, pride. Of course nowadays, the camera has replaced the need for costly portraits, which I think is a shame, as some of the most beautiful artworks are portraits. When done effectively, they are reflections of humanity and our image seen in others. The artist can see things that the camera can’t, realistic portrayal doesn’t always mean a realistic portrayal. You can be smiling for the camera but deep down something’s raging. The eye of the spirit can see this, and if the artist is handy with a pencil, they can attempt to capture this. The portrait is a mirror of sorts, though we don’t see a reflection of our face we can see ourselves in the person, the human image is what we engage with most, as it is our essence. I think partly that’s a reason why God became Man in Christ, without doing so we can’t possibly view the uncreated light, and would find it much harder to see it in each and every one of us.

To conclude, commissions are important, and the commissioner is an incredibly vital component to the creation of artworks, we ought to commission more for our homes and spaces we exist in. Beauty in the house or at work will make a lot of difference to the day to day. Our walls are extensions of our psyche, the effort made in nurturing beauty can’t be understated, it is the caring of our soul. Commissioning work is a reaction against the ugliness and crap that is often offered pre-manufactured. It is a much more fine tuned experience, and allows for something new and (hopefully) beautiful to be made, with tender care for it’s need and the reason of its creation. Perhaps when it comes to birthdays or reasons for celebration, a piece of art would be worth more to a loved one than a smart watch or air fryer. Be rest assured, as you don’t need to be at the top of the ranks of Government, or even a member of the aristocracy to commission art. All that stuff makes your pocket run deeper, so you can put a twelve foot tall marble sculpture of yourself surrounded by dolphins or something in the garden. But there is always a way, it just needs time and won’t happen over night. Find the right artist for you, and see what is possible within your means. They don’t bite!

P.S: Within the realms of liturgical art, Aidan Hart has spoken far better on the topic than I can.

“Liturgical art is like a garden from which comes the spring, it’s a sort of Eden, a paradise…. From this paradise comes rivers which have profound affect on our daily lives outside, the whole of culture and the daily lives of our family. If we don’t get the worship right, and as rich as possible, there’s not a lot of hope I’m afraid.”

you can find that here: https://aidanharticons.com/sacred-art-and-the-liturgy-the-importance-of-visual-liturgical-art-and-how-to-commission-it/