Each of the four artists have created exhibition spaces which have an immersive quality but the Delaine Le Bas room are a riot of black and white exuberance with individual chambers filled with textiles, paint, costume and sculpture. The themes are death, loss and renewal.
Above are four works by Claudette Johnson. After the immersion of the other rooms it was quite a relief to see portraits on canvas on walls. The subjects are Black men and women with a very striking narrative quality to each of them. Big, bold and expressive, I really liked these works.
Jasleen Kaur’s rooms are about tradition, memory, family and history. There’s also a very witty quality to the work. A vintage Ford Escort is covered with a large doily crocheted from cotton.
Pio Abad explores cultural loss and colonial history. Inspired by museum objects from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford he channels his Filipino heritage. The image I’ve posted is bladed weaponry from Mindanao. Beautiful but terrifying at the same time.
There are some interesting films about each of the artists in the corridor outside the exhibition space and it’s useful to hear their inspiration and see their studio spaces. The show is on until 16th February 2025 but the winner will be announced at Tate Britain on 3rd December 2024, the prize’s 40th anniversary.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this exhibition of work by Michael Craig-Martin but I’m happy to report that it was very enjoyable. I tend to be drawn to a painterly painting, with plentiful brushstrokes and evidence of the artist’s hand at work and I wasn’t sure that his very graphic, almost cartoon-like style might not appeal to me. But it just goes to show that you need to wander around an exhibition with an open mind and be prepared to reassess any preconceived ideas.
Loved the hot, bright colours the curators have chosen to set off these works. The celebration of ‘ordinary’ objects is great fun. Once you look beyond the intense colours and the strong outlines, the composition is thoughtful and the subjects are intriguing.
Above: an example of Craig-Martin’s interpretation of old masters, reducing themto strong graphic shapes with bold colours. On the right is a self-portrait.
I really enjoyed the Digital creation entitled Cosmos – an immersive film with everyday objects flying across the walls, balls bouncing, musical instruments barrelling across the space in time to an interesting plinky plonky music track. It did make me feel like Alice tumbling down the fictional rabbit hole, passing shelves of familiar objects, seeing life cascading past her as she drifted further down to Wonderland.
The exhibition features some of Michael Craig-Martin’s early work too. Experiments with form, balance and conceptual ideas. I really liked the wonky shelf with the milk bottles.
And I was also impressed by the wall sculptures which are an interesting mix of his drawings combined with blocks of colour. Also, I was fascinated to learn that it was the discovery of a special black crepe tape, used in electronics, which he used to create the very uniform outline shapes.
Interesting seeing an artist’s world where there is no shading, no deliberate 3D expression yet somehow the objects just explode from their surfaces. A very interesting exhibition. It’s on at the Royal Academy in London until 10th December 2024.
Above, are some of the best-known images from this period. There’s the chair with the pipe, a self-portrait and an impression of the Yellow House, the building in the centre of Arles which he rented. Vincent set up home here, creating a studio space, while welcoming fellow artists to share in his enthusiasm for the surroundings and the exciting development of his art.
These portraits were new to me too. Left to right we have Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier), an old gardener, painted in wonderfully bold colours. Middle is a portrait of Lieutenant Milliet named The Lover, because of this handsome fellow’s success in attracting women – He is wearing the uniform of the Zoauves. On the right is The Arlesienne, based on a portrait of Marie Ginoux who ran the local cafe in Arles. She’s been reading Charles Dickens’s Christmas Stories and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Apparently the women in Arles were renowned for their beauty. Vincent declared that he had seen a ‘Venus’ in the town!
Wonderful to see the variety of landscapes. On the left is a view of the Garden of the Asylum at Saint-Remy, in 1889, where Vincent Van Gogh admitted himself when dealing with a mental health crisis. He was given a room at the hospital to use as a studio and sent the work he generated to his brother Theo. Middle is a view of the Hospital at Saint Remy and on the right is a familiar image: Starry Night over the Rhone which is just breathtaking.
Portrait of the Poet, above. This is Eugene Boch, painted in 1888, complete with starry sky in the background. And on the right is a Wheatfield with Cypresses, one of the exhibition’s ‘old friends’ we can see at in the National Gallery collection.
Alas, my photo on the right does not show all three images but, apparently, Vincent Van Gogh wanted the portrait of Augustine Roulin, (picture is entitled La Berceuse – the Lullaby) to be seen flanked by two of his sunflowers paintings. So, there they are.
This is a show well worth seeing. Amazing that it covers just the last two years of his life but what a rich and productive time it was for the artist, despite difficult relationships with fellow artists and mental health battles . Most of all, it’s a joy to view rarely-seen images which have been lent by collections from all over the world, giving us a very comprehensive glimpse into the artist’s careful use of colour, brave application of paint, personal interests and fascinating subjects.
Van Gogh, Poets & Lovers opens on 14th September and runs until 19th January 2025
I’m so enjoying the series of small, but perfectly formed, exhibitions which are being shown at the National Gallery in Room 46. These jewel-like shows are only on for a few weeks but are FREE to view and utterly enchanting. So, from 8th August until 27th October 2024, it is the turn of The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca (1415 – 1492) to feature, flanked by two paintings by our greatest living artist David Hockney.
What you can see on either side of the fabulous Piero painting, made using egg tempera, are two portraits made by Hockney in 1977. On the left is a portrait of Henry Geldzahler, Belgian-born American curator of 20th-century art (and a close friend of Hockney’s) taking a long close look at four paintings including the Piero painting. On the right is Hockney’s lovingly crafted portrait of his parents, Laura and Kenneth Hockney (usually in Tate Britain) and in the mirror on the chest between the two figures you can see a depiction of the Piero, based on a postcard.
Hockney has long been a huge admirer of the National Gallery. Apparently, he first came to the gallery aged 18 and, as he put it, has never tired of ‘this gem’ the Piero painting which drew him in. In the two paintings he had clearly referenced the Piero, using the same horizontal and vertical lines in the composition as well as the style of the poses. In the Piero, the figure of Christ is centre stage with St John the Baptist in profile as he pours holy water over the young man. There’s also a wonderful glimpse of a man peeling off his shirt in readiness for baptism, giving it a realistic and personal feel. In the portrait of his parents, Hockney has depicted his mother lookind directly at him while his father is in profile, immersed in the study of a book. And in the painting of Geldzahler, the central figure is depicted in white, centre stage with strong verticals.
Hockney reminds us that even though an artist has died, their art lives on. And there can be relationship between artists across the ages, simply by ‘eyeballing’ art and absorbing the special atmosphere of a painting, allowing its power to be absorbed and interpreted in contemporary work.
Before the advent of phones with cameras, the Gallery was not in favour of visitors taking photographs of works. The view was that a painting should be admired and recalled in memory. Hockney disagreed. He argued that artists and viewers would benefit from taking home some impression or reminder of the work, whether it’s a photo, a postcard or poster. Apparently he keeps a postcard of The Baptism of Christ by his bed and enjoys looking at it every night.
The National Gallery is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. What a marvellous example this is of the way exhibitions can bring artists together across the centuries in a most satisfying and creative way.
Above is a very compelling and painterly portrait of Adam Pearson, British TV presenter and disability rights campaigner, by Tim Benson. I chatted to Adam about the process and he told me that the portrait had been completed in under four hours in one sitting. It’s that immediacy of image and energy which really attracted me to it.
I was very taken by this portrait entitled Chewing the Cud by Emily Ponsonby. Using the ‘encaustic’ technique using honeyed wax, scraped and mixed with oil and oil pastel, I think it’s a very successful painting both technically and in terms of composition. The viewer is given a surprising ‘fly on the wall’ viewpoint and absolutely absorbed into the conversation in a Dorset kitchen.
Above, a couple of winners. First prize went to Antony Williams‘ portrait: Jacqueline with Still Life. It’s been meticulously painted in tempera, which is a difficult medium (you mix egg yolk with pigment and it’s full of depth and interest. On the right is the Second Prize, Isabella Watling‘s portrait of Zizi which combines very traditional use of paint and pose but gives the subject and the whole atmosphere of the painting, a very contemporary feel.
These two portraits, above, captivated me for their narrative quality. They are not just good paintings but they capture a moment and an emotion. On the left is Estuary English by Ray Richardson and the subject is Adé, a young actor. The two met by chance and became good friends. The title refers both to the body of water in the background of the painting and also the English accent associated with areas of London, along the River Thames, where both men live.
On the right is 1111, by Shinji Ihara. The artist records his partner on the day their beloved cat died. It took over a year and 90 sittings to complete.
By contrast, I was very struck by the photo-realism of this painting on aluminium of Agnese by Massimiliano Poronti. I chatted to the artist who told me that it took a very long time to complete this one.
And above is just a selection of other portraits which caught my eye. I do like a brush stroke and these paintings delivered!
The Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024 exhibition is free to visit at the National Portrait Gallery from 11th July until 27th October 2024. Good stuff.
Visiting the Sir John Soane’s Museum is always a pleasure. It’s a treasure-trove of cultural history which is open to the public, free, from Wednesdays to Sundays, and well worth a trip. Every now and then the museum collaborates with a contemporary artist. This year Lina Iris Victor, a Liberian/British multidisciplinary artist who lives and works between Italy and the UK, has taken on the challenge of creating works which reflect and complement the collection. Her African heritage really comes through in these pieces. She combines all manner of materials, most fascinatingly, she uses empty silkworm cases, fragments of woven fabric and weaves them in amonsgt acrylic forms gilded with gold.
Many of the works are on paper – sturdy paper, because these pieces are heavy – and there’s an impressive gutsy-ness to the pieces.
I was really taken by the large scale colourful work which combined gold with red on paper. Red Ornamental (series of four works) mixed media on paper.
I liked the array of portraits too which combine the gold element with strongly pigmented paint and drawing on paper.
It’s very interesting to see such original art in such a spectacular setting. The amalgam of contemporary and ancient really blends well. Down in the crypt are two ‘Ritual Thrones’ and an extraordinary sculpture entitled Nbiru which goes rather well with the Greek and Roman statues collected by Soane.
The exhibition opens on 10th July and will be there until 19th January 2025. Free
I’m going to post just a few of the pieces which caught my eye this week at City & Guilds of London Arts School. The show is on until 28th June 2024 and it’s a joy to tour the studios where all the magic happens and see the results of some seriously hard work on show.
Above: Here is Bunny Hennessey with her terrific, and very large, canvas which channels a Philip Guston feel. And on the right is a very intriguing, and also large canvas by Zoe Klink. Great to see pictures with serious bombast and confidence.
Above is work by Iris MCConnell who has used expandable foam to create some very playful sculptures of fantastical hounds. It makes you smile when you enter the studio. And on the right is a really intriguing piece by Gwen Brown entitled Making Dinner. She’s hand made all the plates for her dinner party using a variety of materials. And there’s a film above the installation with images of the plates, knives and forks being used for a very lively looking feast.
And in the stone carving space outside I loved these two pieces:
The carved shirts are by Paul Farmiloe and the relief carving is by Alex Wheeldon. So great to see such important and historic skills alive and well and being carried on by such expert graduates.
And finally, I liked Elmo Spethmann‘s ‘world view’ and a huge amount of work which went into his final piece.
Probably the most famous of the Six Wives was Anne Boleyn. Not only was it a love match but she was a clever woman and a diplomat. And, most importantly, her daughter Elizabeth turned out to be a spectacular queen. However, it’s hard to find trustworthy images of Anne Boleyn because she was ‘written out’ of Tudor history.
Above, is the posthumous portrait, probably commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I but the miniature is thought to be a surviving image of her painted from life.
Anne Boleyn had attracted the king’s eye after he tired of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. He argued that the woman, who had been married to his older brother Arthur, who died, should not have been foisted upon him as a wife. They were married for 24 years but only one daughter was born, Princess Mary and future queen. Hence, the king’s break with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England with the King at its head. Below is an image of Katherine of Aragon.
After Henry tired Anne Boleyn and her inability to produce a son. His eye turned to Jane Seymour.
Jane Seymour was a favourite wife, and she produced an heir, the future King Edward VI who sadly died aged 15. And Jane died soon after his birth causing the King genuine grief and creating a vacancy.
So the next wife was Anne of Cleves. Her initial portrait didn’t attract the king but a second version, a miniature, convinced him that she should make a good wife. Below are the two images of her. The one of her looking directly at the viewer did the trick.
However, the marriage was quickly annulled. The King did not like the look of his ‘Flanders Mare’. And he looked around the court again and spied young Katherine Howard. Her scheming family were delighted at the prospect of a daughter of the family marrying into the royal family. Below is a miniature thought to be of her. Because she was accused of adultery and executed, her images were generally erased. Poor girl. She was only queen for two years.
The final queen was Catherine Parr. She was a good mother to the step-siblings and created a semblance of family life for them. By the time of their marriage, the king was in poor health.
King Henry VIII died in 1547 at the age of 55. He was enormously fat, as his portrait by Holbein and his suit of armour attest. But what a memorable monarch.
This exhibition gives each of the women in Henry VIII’s life equal status and the curators have assembled a wonderful collection of letters, books with inscriptions, jewels and other artefacts relating to them which have survived their histories. It’s a truly fascinating show and I do recommend it.
Six Lives: the stories of Henry VIII wives is at the National Portrait Gallery until 8th September 2024.
It’s always fun to see the work chosen by the RA judges and almost impossible to identify a theme. However, I did notice that many unusual materials had been employed by artists and I was heartened to see that several works on or of paper were included. And quite a few examples of collage, which always pleases me. So that’s the focus of my short review this year.
Above are some of my selected paper pieces. I was very taken by the collaged encyclopaedia made by Alison Stockman who cut out prints in the pages and made a very original artowrk. On the right is a very charming, beguilingly simple piece by Holly Frean called Four Nuns. I like the witty simplicity of them. And below is a very strong paper collage by Peter Freeth RA entitled Common Ground.
Above are another three paper-based pieces. The ship is a spectacular model created by Richard Wilson RA, The Observer book of dogs, deconstructed by Laura Beaumont and some very delicate vessel, Teacup Murmuration, made from sticky brown paper by Joanna Kori.
Just a selection of the pieces which caught my eye. Too many to name individually though I liked Jim Moir’s birds design and Chris Orr’s hectic Talent Night painting. Just go along to the Royal Academy and enjoy the show. It’s on until 18th August 2024.
We take it for granted these days that men and women can forge equally successful careers in art. Four hundred years ago it was a different story. But women still studied art, became proficient at their skill and even earned a living. The curators of this excellent show have found examples of work by over 100 female artists working in Britain from 1520 – 1920 and it’s the most uplifting exhibition.
I really liked this portrait of Messenger Monsey by Mary Black,1737-1814. This is her only known oil painting and it’s so full of character and technical skill. Apparently, Black expected Monsey to pay her £25 for the portrait but her subject objected and suggested that she should not be paid at all for her work, claiming it would damage her reputation and that she might be regarded as a ‘slut’, if she sold her skills. Dear, dear.
This is a tiny self-portrait by Sarah Biffin (1784-1850) who was born without arms or legs. Yet she taught herself to paint, sew and write using her mouth and shoulder. She specialised in portrait miniatures and often signed her work, ‘painted by Miss Biffin Without Hands’.
This is a portrait of Elizabeth Montagu by Frances Reynolds, sister of Joshua Reynolds, President of the Royal Academy. Frances was denied the opportunities of her brother and kept house for him in London and learned to paint by making copies of his work. She was a member of the Bluestocking Circle, a group of women writers, artists and intellectuals who met at the house of philanthropist Elizabeth Montagu, the subject of this wonderful painting.
A charming portrait of Miss Helena Beatson made using pastel on paper by Katherine Read 1723-1778, her aunt. Pastels were not rated by the oil painting men of the period but they were easier to obtain and use by women. The young child in the portrait turned out to be a prodigy and was exhibiting at the Society of Artists at the age of eight.
This fascinated me. It’s a self-portrait made entirely from embroidery by Mary Knowles 1733-1807. Queen Charlotte commissioned her to make a portrait of her husband, King George III, you can see she’s working on it. The clever way she uses silks to create the moulding and lively look of the picture is amazing.
Loved the strength of this and the painterly confidence. It’s by Ethel Wright 1855-1939 and a portrait of Una Dugdale Duval who is famous for refusing to promise to obey her husband during their marriage vows in 1913.
These are two paper cutouts, mosaics created by Mrs Delaney 1700-1782, who used collage, based on the Dutch art known as knipkunst, and used fragments of cut paper to depict, with amazing accuracy, examples of plants and flowers. Mrs Delaney was a favourite in the court of King George III and was given an apartment to live in at Windsor Castle.
Here are just a few more of the pictures which caught my eye. A really, really great show. it’s on until 13th October 2024 at Tate Britain.
Paper Places 