Tolkien portraits

[Mithalwen]

I went up to London the other week forgetting how much a difference a sea breeze makes and surfacing in Trafalgar Square to a heat that took the air from my lungs (yes it is possible in England though not a frequent occurence) air conditioned art galleries seemed like the most attractive option. As a result I went to the National Portrait Gallery for the first time in many years and certainly since it went interactive, and was inclined to linger.

The last time I went I had picked up a postcard of the Betty Swanwick cartoon of Tolkien and one of my motivations for going was to get more (sadly they were not on sale this time) but I did discover a little mezzanine with terminals where you could view the entire collection and found that there were three other Tolkien portraits (as well as a silhouette of a K Tolkien from the '20s who surely must have been a cousin). I really found them quite fascinating and thought others might be interested.

I give the link to them here, unfortunately you don't get the zoom facility available onsite with which I was able to examine the book titles and the list of tasks and deadlines (weeks past if the date of the picture is of when taken rather than published).

The earlier Chandler portraits are what you might expect - one an unremarkable formal b&w study that you might find on any dustjacket the other less formal , in what might be regarded as his natural habitat a room full of books but otherwise fairly spartan. He is more dapper than the sterotypical academic but of course he is of an older age and knew he was to have his picture taken. He looks more genial than might be expected from reading the contemporary letters which express resentment at the intrusion, and as if he is just about to expound on an interesting point.

The final portrait by Lord Snowdon is quite haunting. Stark, almost bleak. A huge contrast to both the earlier portraits - and to the famous last picture taken shortly after, next to the Pinus Nigra (on tolkienwiki).

Maybe it is the skill of the illustrious photograper that reaches deeper than the pose for a snapshot taken by friend or family - or maybe for them Tolkien could maintain the social smile, impossible in a longer shoot.

Snowdon chose an uncomfortable setting for an old man (however much he might love trees), he seems out of place even while blending into the environment. I find it fascinating and almost upsetting. There is such sadness in it - maybe it is the knowledge that the intervening decade included widowhood, failure to complete the work he hoped to at the start of his retirement and perhaps the realisation that failing health would deny him the extreme longevity of his kin.

I am no artist and though I am a good photographer of landscapes and architecture I am rubbish at people so this is very much a layman's perception. I would be interested to know what others think .