I saw a documentary on youtube about this fellow recently

[BTCG]

I second liking his work. I believe though, the only scientific evidence in the case, points to him.

[Steelysama]

But does this make him a 'horrible man'? Don't think so. Immoral, certainly; horrible, no.

Well, I respect your right to your opinion of him, of course. And I overgeneralized in my original statement. He may well have been nice in some ways. I do not know. I apologize for being hasty and overly emotive with that.

I will just leave it that I very much dislike and disapprove of the immoral behavior in which he engaged. That, of course, is my own view.

[Triplesod]

Steelysama, if all adulterous men were candidates for JtR... well, half of the world population would be liable!

Sometimes it feels like half the population has already been speculated against.

[Triplesod]

Completely wrong actually.

I read this, by Stephen Ryder:

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html

It certainly does not sound at all like he was a good man.

Well, there must have been something "good" about him if all those women wanted to be with him.

Actually. Didn't Pat go on about him being unable to have sex because of his diseased and withered auld todger, or something?
I seem to remember this problem being her likely candidate for his psychological breakdown, so how would he have fathered all these kids?

[Graham]

Sickert made his name as an artist by portraying scenes of London music-hall life, which meant that he must have known the East End rather well. He never made any secret of his interest in the Ripper, and he may/may have not been responsible for at least one 'Ripper Letter'. His later works portrayed boredom and depression and staleness of life, and he also had a taste for painting females reclining on beds, chaises-longues, etc., which may account for his rumoured knowledge of Mary Kelly's corpse as it was discovered. The presumed link with the Ripper Crimes comes solely (I think) from the 'revelations' of his illegitimate son Joseph Gorman Sickert, which were latched onto by Stephen Knight. Great story, but largely nonsense, as Joseph eventually admitted that he made the whole thing up.

Sickert was a strikingly good-looking bohemian, whose morals most certainly do not find accord with our modern acceptance of what Victorian and Edwardian morals should have been; he had many lovers, and probably enough illegitimate offspring that he perhaps lost count of them. But does this make him a 'horrible man'? Don't think so. Immoral, certainly; horrible, no.

And I like his work, too.

Graham

[prowling cat]

All I'm not saying it's that, given what men are like, I still think that a 19th century male who indulged in adultery could still be quite a nice person, alas.
Blame it on my Catholic, Mediterranean upbringing, I think all men are adulterous, or would be if they had the chance, whatever their nature, nice or otherwise.

[Steelysama]

Steelysama, if all adulterous men were candidates for JtR... well, half of the world population would be liable!

Well, if you read my post, I said that he most likely was NOT JtR.

Just so that we get no more of these:

I do not think that Sickert was JtR.

That does not make him a good man, though.

[prowling cat]

Steelysama, if all adulterous men were candidates for JtR... well, half of the world population would be liable!

[Steelysama]

I have just the faintest, slightest impression that the only book you have ever read about Sickert was written by a person called Cornwell. Am I right?

Graham

Completely wrong actually.

I read this, by Stephen Ryder:

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html

, a close friend, Jacques-Emile Blanche described Sickert in 1902 as an "immoralist... with a swarm of children of provenances which are not possible to count." Sickert was known to have had several mistresses, and was cited as being an adulterer by his first wife.

It certainly does not sound at all like he was a good man.

[Graham]

From what I have read about Sickert's life, he was a horrible man. He was most likely not the Ripper. However, he certainly lived a despicable life including rampant adultery. It is not surprising that his paintings were strange and disturbing in nature.

I have just the faintest, slightest impression that the only book you have ever read about Sickert was written by a person called Cornwell. Am I right?

Graham

[JuliaH]

Hello from an old sometime visitor who got kicked out during the crash of 08, or 09...!

Just want to throw in my 2cents and say that I think too much is read into there being some kind of resemblence between his paintings and the angle of Mary Kelly's body or whatever the theory is. It reminds me of the belief that Man Ray killed Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia) because her body was positioned in a way that looked like one of his photographs. Hogwash!

[Limehouse]

The vast majority of Sickert's paintings are not at all nasty or disturbing. In my opinion, many of them reveal a great degree of sensitivity and atmosphere.

[Steelysama]

From what I have read about Sickert's life, he was a horrible man. He was most likely not the Ripper. However, he certainly lived a despicable life including rampant adultery. It is not surprising that his paintings were strange and disturbing in nature.

[George Hutchinson]

I've got some pencil cartoon sketches purporting to have been done by Sickert. If I can find the bleedin' thing I'll post it up to get some opinions.

PHILIP

[Graham]

One of Sickert's paintings are in a Gallery at Bath, i can't remember if it was a violet or an iris now. Which ever, it was a small oil painting, with simplicity.

Shouldn't that read: some of Sickert's paintings is in a Gallery at Bath?

I wish I had just one of his paintings hanging on my wall. I could be horrible and say that it would cover that nasty damp patch, but I happen to very much like Sickert. The Ripper he was not.

Cheers,

Graham