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l-l Can you imagine Damien| | Hirst, MarkWallinger and the

Chapman brothers signing up forthe Territorials? No, I think not, soingained in our culture is t}e ideaof-the avant-garde artist as part of aslobbv Bohemian demi-monde,conteinptuous of any whiff ofpatriotism or kowtowing to theestablished order.

But that wasn't the case in thelaterVictorian era, when it wasalmost de rigueur for a youngpainter or sculptor to do his bit forQueen and country by joining thevolunteer regiment knovrm as theArtists Rifles. A new exhibition atSout}ampton Art Gallery. runninguntil June 28, reviews the history ofthis remarkable institution and theachievements of itS members: itpromises to be both inlbrmativeand entertaining, as well asbringing to light some unfamiliarnames and pieces.

The curation ofthis show hasbeen a seven-year labour of love forPatrick Batv. himself a formercavalry and TA officer who nowworks in the artworld (primarily asan expert on the history of paint andcolour). In what he hopes will serveas a taster for a larger exhibition inthe future. he has assembled some60 works bv those who wore theArtists Rift5s badge and mined theregiment's curi ous historv.

The Artists Rifles was tistablishedin 1860, in response to a perceivedlhreat of French inv4sion. Dravr,nfrom musicians, architects, actors,authors and intellecfuals as well aspainters and sculptors, it had itsheadquarters in Burlington House,behind the RovalAcademv. Heredrill was held iriice daily, withadditional manoeuwes andmuskefy practice on WimbledonCommon and Hampstead Heath.

Only gentlemen needed apply:there was undoubtedly an elementof social snobbery involved - onewas nominated for enhy as onemieht be for a Pall Mall club. andadi-r-ission to the exclusive ranksobviously gave careerists valuableopporhrnities to rub shoulders withthe great in the mess.

There was also a touch of Dad.'sArmg farce to the proceedings:Dante Gabriel Rossetti wascashiered for showing too muchattihrde. William Morris marchedwith two left feet and Ford MadoxBrorvn accidentally shot his dog onan exercise. Bume-Jones. Millais.Leighton and Watts all dutifirllysigned up, however, and thesurprisingly bellicose Ruskin wasproud to be an honorary member.

Gradually, however, the tone ofthe ranks became more senerallvprofessional, hs lanTrers,ioctors,stockbrokers and engineers provedmore reliable and plentiful asource than the sfudios ofKensinglon. The Artists Rilles sentand lost men to the BoerWar and,come 1914, itwas well prepared:Field Marshal French was s<r

imoressed bv its efficientmoibilisatiorithat he gave out 5o

commissions on the spot andeffectively turned it into an officers'training unit.

Members went on to take oarl inseveral major actions on the-Western Front: among them PaulNash, painter of desolatebattlefields, and Charles Jagger,sculptor of the Royal ArtilleryMemorial, as well as the poetsWilfred Owen and EdwardThomas.Cavvoung No€l Coward wascons"criptdd too. but his weak chestleft him untrt for service.

After the First World War, theregiment continued to attracJ

names such as RC She,rriff, authorof Jwrneg's End.Hugh Lofting o[Dr Dolinle fame and the cadoonistFougasse. Yel., as lhe sceptical spiritof Bloomsbury prevailed. and thecultured intelligentsiademonstrated increasingly littlewish to play at soldiering, theromance went out of the thing, soafter the SecondWorldWar, theregimentwas incorporated into theSAS and faded into the archives,though the title is still used by the21st Special Air Service Regiment(Artists) (Reserve).

It's rather sickening to learn that

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When artists foughtfor Qtreen and country

manv galleries and museumsreleite-d Patrick Bafy's proposal forthe show on the gounds that itssubjectwas too white, male andmiddle-class - not least becausethe art involved is so vigorous andvaried. Five past presidents of theRoval Academv belonged to theregiment. and"tlrat is ihe obviousvenue for the larger retrospective ofwhich Baty dreams. Happily, afterseveral rebuffs, he has recentlybeen encouraged to hope that atsome point the Artists Rifles can behonoured on the premises whichonce served as its parade ground.

Paintbrush mightier than the sword? Men of the Artists Rifles in l9l4 - a new exhibition features 6O works