James Hollerbach

From Angie with love....

2014-04-09T13:41:00.003+01:00

Here's some great artwork from a close friend of mine, who offers commissions...

http://www.fromangiewithlove.com/

'Last chance to see-fest!'

2014-01-09T21:37:00.001+00:00

Yesterday I saw these exhibitions, which start closing on Sunday...

Both these 2 close this Sunday:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/vienna

http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2013/durer/

Both these 2 close on 26/1:

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/daumier/

http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/stanley-spencer

This is also at Somerset House:

http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/isabella-blow-fashion-galore

If you only see one more exhibition this year...

2013-11-05T19:55:00.001+00:00

...please make it this one!

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/ey-exhibition-paul-klee-making-visible?gclid=CMe24bqzzroCFUNe3godTiYAMA

Paul Klee was a master of the use of colour, who enjoyed to 'take a line for a walk' (to use his own words)! Some of his work in this exquisite exhibition expresses his delicate touch, innovative approach and regular experimentation with techniques and materials. For me, this is the best show of the year.

Last chance to see...

2013-09-17T22:01:00.000+01:00

...these 2 exhibitions, which close on the 22nd September and 6th October respectively. Although I really liked them, there's no time to write about them at the moment!

http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/exhibitions/now_on_show/a_crisis_of_brilliance.aspx

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/chagall-modern-master

"It's grim up north!"

2013-07-09T21:58:00.003+01:00

The new blockbuster exhibition at Tate Britain explores the work of an artist who is probably most famous for painting the working classes in the industrial north of England. LS (Laurence Stephen) Lowry depicted people going about there daily lives in Manchester and Salford where he was born. He perfectly captures the repetitive drudgery of people, heads down, making their way to or from the mills or factories where they work. The extremely tough living and working conditions of these people is also reflected in the dark, smoky and grimy canvases.

The exhibition is entitled Lowry and the Painting of Modern Life, but whatever the people in his scenes are doing it seems to me they just precede modern life and modernity. These lives are the remnants of the industrial revolution, then pre-war and post-war poverty and destitution, before the trappings of modern life. Perhaps modern life as we now know it began during the industrial revolution, as did modern art arguably, but anyway Lowry depicts the day-to-day 'battle of life'.

In life its often many moments outside of many of our daily working routines that stand out. For me, this is inadvertently the case with this exhibition. With so many dark, brooding scenes of peoples place of work, its the depictions of their leisure time that stand out...

Lancashire Fair, Good Friday, Daisy Nook (1946), (oil on canvas)

This is the case with Lancashire Fair, Good Friday, Daisy Nook (above) and Going to the Match (below) both in Room 1.

Going to the Match (1958), (oil on canvas)

Then there's Bandstand, Peel Park in Room 2...

Bandstand, Peel Park (1928)

St. Augustines Church, Pendlebury (1924), (oil on panel)

There's such a contrast between these these two paintings that are hung opposite each other also in Room 2. The dark and brooding early work St. Augustines Church, Pendlebury (above) and the surprisingly light Piccadilly Circus, London (below) from late in Lowry's career.

Piccadilly Circus, London (1960) (oil on canvas)

Blitzed Site (1942)

After the street life of Room 3, in the next room there are bleak cityscapes of a different kind in Blitzed Site (above) and The Lake (below).

The Lake (1937), (oil on canvas)

A rare moment of celebration in VE Day (below)...

VE Day (1945), (oil on canvas)

Ancoats Hospital Outpatients Hall (1952)

Perhaps Ancoats Hospital Outpatients Hall (above) and The Cripples (below), also in Room 5, consist of more Lowry-esque subject matters!

The Cripples (1949), (oil on canvas)

Fun Fair at Daisy Nook (1953), (oil on canvas)

Having said that, the show returns to the Fun Fair at Daisy Nook (above) and The Park (below).

The Park (1946), (oil on canvas)

Ebbw Vale (1960), (oil on canvas)

The exhibition ends with a room that includes some of Lowry's largest canvases, my favourites of which are Ebbw Vale (above) and Hillside in Wales (below). They depict scenes in South Wales, where Lowry also painted. I like the hazy and ethereal back/mid-ground sections in both The Park and Ebbw Vale. I prefer the way these details disappear in the distance to the child-like details in the foreground of some of his work.

Hillside in Wales (1962)

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/lowry-and-painting-modern-life

Caulfield & Hume

2013-06-21T18:23:00.001+01:00

Tate Britain's two current ticket exhibitions, before the eagerly anticipated LS Lowry show that opens next week, display the work of two complimentary artists. The late Patrick Caulfield and contemporary artist Gary Hume both use areas of bold flat colours in their paintings, so this may be one of the reasons that the galley have put them side by side with one ticket for both. This though encourages other comparisons, with Caulfield's work normally coming out on top.

Window at Night (1969) (oil paint on canvas), Patrick Caulfield

Personally I prefer the simpler of Caulfield's work, where he may just use four colours on a canvas. Examples of this include Window at Night (above) and Dining Recess (below). In both of these paintings he uses light well, so that parts of each work stands out and other parts sit back.

Dining Recess (1972) (acrylic paint on canvas), Patrick Caulfield

After Lunch (1975) (oil paint on canvas), Patrick Caulfield

I like Caulfield's excellent use of colour and the contrast he can create by painting small parts of a painting in an incredibly detailed photo-realist style. This obviously then stands out from the flat colour and sharp clean lines that are more typical of him. A classic and famous example of this is the view of the landscape from the window in After Lunch (above).

I feel that this is less successful when paintings become to busy with too much going on in them and with too many different colours used. Dining/Kitchen/Living (below), with its photo-realist casserole dish, is an example of this.

Dining/Kitchen/Living (1980) (acrylic paint on canvas), Patrick Caulfield

Caulfield later sometimes returned to a simpler colour scheme, which I feel works better. Bishops (below) does this, again with a photo-realist detail in the form of the beautifully painted door handles.

Bishops (2004) (acrylic paint on canvas) Patrick Caulfield

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/patrick-caulfield

One of the YBA's to graduate from Goldsmiths in the late 1980's, Gary Hume's work often combines flat area's of colour with a sparing use of line painted onto aluminium.

Blackbird (1988) (gloss paint on aluminium), Gary Hume

The only paintings in this exhibition that stood out for me, were the more representational Blackbird (above) and the interesting Beautiful (below). The latter was one of those artworks where its not until you get close to it before the details reveal themselves under the flat layer of pink paint. The darker part you can see from a distance (and in this photo) is Michael Jackson's nostrils, the lines that appear in the pink close up are the outlines of Kate Moss' face!

Beautiful (2002) (gloss paint on aluminium), Gary Hume

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/gary-hume

alien stoat designs

2013-06-16T20:15:00.004+01:00

Check out these beautifully detailed hand-painted miniatures...

http://www.alienstoatdesigns.com/

ATTENTION art lovers!!

2013-04-28T20:54:00.002+01:00

Here's work created by Chris Browne, one of the many talented artists who work with me at Tate Modern...

http://cargocollective.com/chrisbrowne

Last chance to see....

2013-04-04T18:26:00.000+01:00

...the Giorgio Morandi, Lines of Poetry exhibition at the Estorick Collection (in North London). The show was due to finish this Sunday April 7th, but has been extended by 3 weeks until the 28th. The Estorick Collection of modern Italian art currently shows not only etchings and watercolours by Morandi, but also the work of contemporary painter Alberto Di Fabio. Aside from these there is always the small but impressive permanent collection. Its famous for its Futurist artworks, but also features artists including Amedeo Modigliani and Giorgio de Chirico.

In the Morandi exhibition, these works below are the ones that stood out the most for me. In Savena Landscape (below), I like the way the river is left blank and the landscape is etched and printed around it. The plant form in the foreground contrasts well with the river.

Savena Landscape, (1929) (etching), Giorgio Morandi

In Hillside in the Morning (below) I like the fact that I couldnt tell if the background colour around the etched/printed areas was a wash applied by the artist or the ageing discolouring of the paper?

Hillside in the Morning, (1928) (etching), Giorgio Morandi

In Still Life of Vases on a Table (below) Morandi again leaves the prominent objects in the foreground blank with the background etched and printed around it.

Still Life of Vases on a Table, (1931) (etching), Giorgio Morandi

On of my favourite paintings in the permanent collection has always been The Boulevard by Gino Severini (below). I also remember seeing this one in the Futurism exhibition at Tate Modern in the summer of 2009.

The Boulevard, (1910-11) (oil on canvas), Gino Severini

http://www.estorickcollection.com/exhibitions/

Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union:

2013-03-09T16:34:00.003+00:00

New Art from Russia is one of the current exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery. Although the exhibition packs a punch in terms of its ability to shock, its arguably only the photography of Boris Mikhailov that really highlights the plight of the poor working classes in the former Soviet states since the break up of the USSR.

These are some of my highlights from Rooms 1 through to 10...

Think Steam Above The Wing Of A Sparrow, wood and paint, 2009, Anna Parkina

Wounded Deer, (lime wood, painted pine and iron), 2012, Gosha Ostretsov

Criminal Government, mixed media, 2008, Gosha Ostretsov

(detail below).

Bedtime Story, (glass, pvc and strings), 2012, Daniel Bragin

Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 2012, Janis Avotins

Principles of Surrender, mixed media, 2010, Nika Neelova

Heart, Organ Of Love (Sometimes My Heart Turns Into A Chicken), mixed media, 2011, Daria Krotova

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/russia/

The other exhibition at the Saatchi is: Breaking The Ice: Moscow Art 1960-80's, which I personally prefer to the other exhibition. These are some of my favourite works from Rooms 11 to 14 upstairs...

Tramway in Moscow, oil on canvas, 1959, Oscar Rabin

Portrait And Flower, oil on canvas on plywood, 1962, Oleg Tselkov

Diptych, oil and mixed media on wooden boards, 1966, Dmitri Plavinsky

McLenin's, light box, 1990 - 91. Malevich - Black Square, oil on canvas, 1987, both by Alexander Kosolapov

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/current/breaking-the-ice.php

Man Ray...

2013-03-09T16:11:00.000+00:00

...Portraits is the current ticketed exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery that takes a chronological look at the innovative American artists portrait photography. Each room focuses on work he did in each city at a certain time: starting in New York from 1916 to 1920, then moving through Paris and Hollywood and back to Paris from 1951 to 1976 when he died.

Although some of Man Ray's most pioneering work (such as rayograms) cannot be shown, there are examples of experimental techniques he used on display. These are a selection of my favourite photographs from the show:

A very interesting and alternative self-portrait from 1916...

Self-portrait (1916)

The very famous...

Le Violon d'ingres (1924)

The combination of two negatives exposed together on the enlarger?

Barbette (1926)

Solarised Portrait of Lee Miller (1929)

Both of these two artworks above and below are good examples of the solarisation technique.

Self-portrait with camera (1930)

http://www.npg.org.uk//whatson/man-ray-portraits/exhibition.php

Dancing around Duchamp!

2013-03-09T14:52:00.000+00:00

The Bride and the Batchelors: Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Rauschenberg and Johns is the current exhibition in the Barbican's art gallery. The show explores the legacy that the French born artist Marcel Duchamp (1887 - 1968) left in the USA and more specifically the influence he had on the composer John Cage (1912 - 1992), the choreographer Merce Cunningham (1919 - 2009) and the visual artists Robert Rauschenberg (1925 - 2008) and Jasper Johns (born 1930). With the exception of the latter, the previous three Americans all attended the innovative Black Mountain College in North Carolina and all went on to collaborate later in their careers.

The title of the exhibition is named after the Duchamp artwork The Bride stripped bare by her batchelors, even (1915-23), also known as The Large Glass. The original is not displayed here, but a later version is wonderfully lit with spotlights casting striking colours and shadows through the work. Unfortunately I couldnt include a photo of this artwork, but the following pictures are some of my other highlights from this well curated show...

Bride, oil on canvas, 1912, Marcel Duchamp

Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2), oil on canvas, 1912, Marcel Duchamp

Painted Bronze (Ale Cans), bronze & oil paint, 1960-64, Jasper Johns

These two works by Jasper Johns from the 1960's above and below remind me both of Duchamp's readymades that came before and work by Fischli & Weiss after, such as the Untitled (Tate) installation from 1992-2000.

Painted Bronze, bronze & oil paint, 1960-64, Jasper Johns

Portrait of Chess Players, oil on canvas, 1911, Marcel Duchamp

Untitled (Late Kabal American Zephyr), mixed media, 1985, Robert Rauschenberg

For someone who is more interested in visual art, this diverse exhibition offered a great musical and dance-led backdrop to the painting and sculpture. This was especially prevalent on the upper level, where I found myself periodically distracted by the performances on the lower level. I like the idea behind the 'live' piano music by Cage, which was played by 'ghost pianists' so that the two Disklavier piano's seem to be playing by themselves.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=14075

Paris 1901

2013-03-08T22:02:00.000+00:00

This is the year in the life & work of Pablo Picasso that the Courtauld Gallery focuses on in this excellent exhibition. The show has only paintings from Paris in 1901 when the Spanish artist had a breakthrough year, hence the title Becoming Picasso.

In some of the artworks on display there's a clear link between both what came before and after. One such work is Casagemas in his coffin (below) where I feel there's perhaps the influence of Cezanne and van Gogh in the brushstrokes, before a flat simplication of colour, line and form began soon after. This work depicts how he imagined his dear friend, Carlos Casagemas, looked in his coffin at the funeral Picasso could not attend. This was a suicide that deeply troubled the Spaniard and started his 'blue period.' The subject also cropped up in later works, such as The Three Dancers of 1925.

Casagemas in his coffin, oil on board, 1901

Harlequin & companion, oil on canvas, 1901

It was not long before Picasso's work lost more of its spatial depth, such as in Harlequin & companion (above) and Child with a Dove (below) and the reduction of three dimensions arguably set him on the road towards Cubism. I like these beautiful paintings for their differing use of flat colours inside bold black outlines: bold stunning colours above, soft pastels below.

Child with a Dove, oil on canvas, 1901

Ticket exhibitions at the Courtauld Gallery are normally spread over just two rooms, as is the case here. Becoming Picasso reflects that old adage: 'quality over quantity,' so please dont be put off by the small size of this show. For me this is the best show in London at the moment, and thats before you even look round the impressive permanent collection in the rest of the building.

http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2013/becoming-picasso/

MERZ!! Its Schwitters in Britain!

2013-03-08T19:59:00.000+00:00

The current ticket exhibition at Tate Britain focuses on the late work of the Modernist Kurt Schwitters, particularily his time spent in Britain in the final years before his death here in 1948. The German artist who coined the term Merz is most famous for his pioneering collage works using any materials that he found around him. He was the first artist that I remember inspiring my own work, in a project on urban decay, when I was a 17 year old at college.

The accompanying leaflet includes a quote from him in 1919:
The word Merz denotes essentially the combination of all conceivable materials for artistic purposes, and technically the principle of equal evaluation of the individual materials...
A perambulator wheel, wire-netting, string and cotton wool are factors having equal rights with paint.

The first room briefly runs through his work during the period before he departed Germany for Norway in 1937 when the Nazi party were condemning work such as his as degenerate art. The second room first looks at his work in the three years before he then went onto Britain when the Germans invaded. The room ends with work from his time interned in a camp on the Isle of Man, including the next three works (below) that I kept walking back to look at again:

Untitled (Picture with Wooden Ring), oil & wood on plywood, 1941

Aerated V, oil, wood & ping-pong ball on plywood, 1941

These three artworks, all from 1941, show Schwitters' incredible versatility. With materials in short supply he could use any to create both flat and 3D surfaces, such as in Untitled (Picture with Wooden Ring) and Aerated V (both above) respectively. Untitled (Portrait of Klaus Hinrichsen) (below) is an example of his technical ability to paint representationally.

Untitled (Portrait of Klaus Hinrichsen), oil on wood, 1941

In Untitled (Lovely Portrait) (1942) (below) there is this contrast in one artwork. The beautfully painted face contrasting with the abstract shapes that the figures body merges into.

Untitled (Lovely Portrait), oil on canvas on wood, 1942

I also like the way Schwitters includes cute features in his work, such as the mouse in (the top right hand corner of) Anything with a Stone (1941-44) below:

Anything with a Stone, mixed media, 1941-44

Although I must admit to not being so much of a fan of the free-standing sculptures by Schwitters that I have seen, an exception to this is the strange Dancer (1943) (below):

Dancer, painted bone & plaster, 1943

Untitled (Portrait of George Ainslie Johnston), oil on cardboard, 1946

I like it when artworks have any kind of story behind them, as does Untitled (Portrait of George Ainslie Johnston) (1946) (above). On the paintings descriptive text there's this great quote from Schwitters that shows he still had a sense of humour despite having recently been very ill:

I am painting my doctor, Doctor Johnston, in return for the pains he took to save my life. Now he does not like to sit for me so I play chess with him. That means a double effort...

The problem is: shall I let him win, as his expression is then friendly, but people may think that I am a bad chess player, as the game is pictured in the painting... or shall I let myself win, but then his expression is unfriendly, and people think I am a bad painter!

The last two rooms of the exhibition are devoted to two contemporary artists, Laure Prouvost and Adam Chodzko. Their displayed work responds to Schwitters' history and legacy for their 2011 commission from Tate and Grizedale Arts. Below is a still from the Prouvost installation that included a series of objects and a video. I like some of the interesting and quirky ceramics, but it is the personal, touching, funny and yet slightly disturbing film that lives longer in the memory.

Laure Prouvost commission (2011)

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/schwitters-britain?gclid=CNb6qpbW7bUCFUfMtAod5gMAug

Valentino at Somerset House

2013-02-06T23:48:00.000+00:00

Valentino, Master of Couture at Somerset House examines the career of this celebrated fashion designer that covers his six decades of couture design beginning in the 1950's.

As you enter the second room of the exhibition there are patterns projected onto a giant beautiful (wall mounted) flower that towers above visitors looking at the cabinets of photos, press cuttings and letters below. These letters adressed to Valentino from various designers, celebrities, fashion press and royalty leave me wondering why they are included? Are they really necessary when these are the sorts of correspondence you would expect a designer of his stature to receive?

Upstairs there is a catwalk leading us through Valentinos career on either side of the runway that visitors walk on. The designer is undoubtedly a master of elegant, clean cut and stylish dresses that could make any woman feel beautiful, but it is the garments that employ more embroidery and ask more questions of his fashion house seamstresses or embroiders that stand out. These include dresses and other garments spanning forty years of collections, from the Spring/Summer 1968 to the S/S 2008 collection.

Returning downstairs there is an elegant art deco style backdrop behind the section devoted to the royal wedding dress Valentino designed. Then before the show ends in the exhibition shop, there is rightly a room devoted to some of the techniques pioneered by the Valentino house seamstresses.

Unfortunately I cannot include any pictures of the work in the exhibition, so fans of Valentino or couture should go to see the work for themselves...

http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/valentino

Manet, Portraying Life...

2013-02-06T16:50:00.001+00:00

...is London's first blockbuster exhibition of the year, that recently opened at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Focusing on the portraits of Edouard Manet (1832 - 1883), the exhibition does not include some of his more provocative works that arguably established him as the father of modern art. These include the 1863 works Olympia and the original Dejeuner sur l'herbe (both of which are at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, where they'll aparently never leave). Although there is a later recreation of the latter included, there emission would be understandable as they are far less conventional portraits than the artworks on display. This is why I was probably more surprised that A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1881-2) was not borrowed from across London at the Courtauld Gallery.

Having said this, there are many masterpieces's in this understandably busy exhibition to keep fans of Manet happy, of which these are my highlights....

Boy Blowing Bubbles (1867) (oil on canvas)

Fishing (1862-63) (oil on canvas)

Berthe Morisot in mourning (1874) (oil on canvas)

Although not as beautifully finished and detailed as many of the faces Manet painted, I like the energy in this work that I feel makes it stand out from most of his other displayed portraits.

Portrait of Fanny Claus (Study for the balcony) (1868-69) (oil on canvas)

Portrait of M. Antonin Proust (1880) (oil on canvas)

The Railway (1873) (oil on canvas)

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/manet/

The Making of British Landscape?

2013-02-06T16:00:00.000+00:00

These are the last few days to see Constable, Gainsborough, Turner and the Making of Landscape at the Royal Academy of Arts. This exhibition closes on the 17 February, so this is the last chance to view artworks from the Academy's collection that have never before been shown together publicly.

The old British masters included in the show do not require any further fanfare than their names themselves. Which is just as well given that the RA only has a portable sign re-directing visitors to the nondescript untitled entrance and then they take us through the first few rooms before getting to see any of their work.

The first room explores the influence that the British school of landscape painting has had on contemporary artists before the next room jumps back to the 18th Century. This arguably could have been better displayed at the end of the exhibition?

Before entering Room 4 I found myself still hungry for more Constable's, Gainsborough's and Turner's, although there is this beautiful nautical scene (engraved after the latter) by Robert Wallis (below):

Cowes, Isle of Wight (engraving) (1830), (after JMW Turner) Robert Wallis (1794 - 1878).

In Constable's A Boat Passing a Lock (1826) (below) there's the atmospheric charge of an inevitable incoming storm created by the effects of the light and clouds in the sky:

A Boat Passing a Lock (oil on canvas) (1826), John Constable (1776 - 1837).

David Lucas aguably finds this difficult to replicate in his nevertheless outstanding mezzotint version of 1834 (below):

The Lock (mezzotint) (1834), (after J Constable) David Lucas (1802–1881).

This exhibition includes some beautifully detailed prints and paintings, but I cant help thinking that other visitors who are fans of Constable, Gainsborough and Turner will also be disappointed to see that there are not a higher percentage of artworks displayed by the three headlining artists.

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/constable-gainsborough-turner/

The Late Works...

2012-10-30T17:58:00.002+00:00

...is a small free exhibition that opened this month at the National Gallery showing artworks by the late Richard Hamilton (1922-2011), primarily from the last decade of his life. Here's some of my favourites...

For Design for 'The Artists Eye' exhibition poster (1978) (below) Hamilton uses a print of Jan van Eyck's The Arnolfini Portrait (1434) and places an unfinished modern canvas on an easel in the foreground. I like the way paint seems to drip down from that canvas out of the picture onto the white border framing it.

In Lobby (1985-7) (below) beautifully detailed reflections are visible on the clean and clinical mirrored glass pillars in the centre and right of the picture.

A great contrast is created in Bathroom Fig 1 II (below) between the blurred figure in motion in the foreground and the clean, sharp lines and flat colours all around her.

Hamilton created different surface textures in Bathroom Fig 2 II (2005-6) (below), especially in the bottom half of the picture.

As can be seen in other works on display, Hamilton sometimes painted onto prints of photographs. The impeccably painted artist in the foreground of Portrait of a Woman as an Artist (2007) (below) is another example of this.

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/richard-hamilton-the-late-works

Bronze and beautiful!

2012-10-30T16:53:00.000+00:00

The Royal Academy's current ticketed exhibition, Bronze, displays a huge variety of sculptures dating from approximately 4,500 BCE to Anish Kapoor's Untitled created this year. Rather than chronologically the show is arranged in themed rooms, such as Figures, Animals, Objects, etc. This creates a refreshing juxtaposition of artworks, so they have a Ming Dynasty figure in between an Auguste Rodin and a Willem de Kooning for example.

As the work spans over 6,000 years of excellent craftmanship and attention to detail there are many incredible artworks on display, although it was those from the Twentieth Century that stood out most for me. Here's a selection of my favourites...

As you enter the second room, David Smith's Portrait of a Painter (1954) (below) looks down on the visitor. I like the artists palette that the painter has for his/her head!

Borrowed from the Tate (Modern) collection, Umberto Boccioni's Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913, cast 1972) (below) is a famous example of Futurist sculpture. In this case capturing a strong and powerful human figure in motion.

Alberto Giacometti's The Cage (1st version) (1950) (below) shows the artist for what he is probably most well known for: tall, spindly figures which have Giacometti's finger marks still visible on the cast bronze.

As I entered the fifth room of the show, this giant spider appears to be climbing up the wall! Its Spider IV (1996) by Louise Bourgeois, who created a series of them. This one below is actually a small one in comparison to the gigantic one's displayed in and outside Tate Modern in the past.

Finally, Pablo Picasso's Baboon and Young (1951) (below) is a witty example of the way he often mixed found objects in his sculptures, such as the toy car he used here to cast the top half of the baboons face.

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/bronze/

Victorian avant-garde?

2012-10-21T23:41:00.000+01:00

Alongside the Turner Prize, Tate Britain's other current ticketed exhibition is the Pre-Raphaelites show that presents the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) as an avant-garde movement. I feel that this is an attempt by Tate to re-package a movement that they have had in the form of ticketed exhibitions in the past and that contains many works already from the Tate collection. When the accompanying guide states: "boldly original in style and conception, the Pre-Raphaelites made a profound contribution to the history of modern art," they dont explain how and this perhaps should be a describtion of the slightly later Impressionist movement?

They describe the many industrial, scientific and artistic changes that happened in the second half of the 19th Century, but not how "Pre-Raphaelite art distilled the energy of the world's first industrial society into striking new forms." Arguably it was the Italian Futurist movement who did this early in the 20th Century, admittedly when these changes had developed further still. I understand that the PRB considered their contemporary art as decadent, but by looking to art before Raphael for inspiration for their artistic style is not new or experimental. Neither is using for their subject matter themes that are taken from Shakespeare, the Bible, landscapes or the view from a window, however much they slightly developed any of the above.

I bow down to the fact that the curators undoubtedly have far more knowledge of the movement than me, but why not present the PRB movement for what they were based on their work? Many of the paintings on display do themselves provide evidence that they were a group of technically accomplished artists who created aesthetically pleasing artworks whether or not they were using classic subject matter or traditional painting genre's. They produced romanticised art which dealt with age-old subject matter, such as love, death, rejection, class and mythology.

Perhaps that would decrease potential visitor numbers and some may argue why shouldnt they look at art with a fresh curatorial perspective? So having said all that, I'll probably sound pedantic when I list my favourite paintings in this exhibition below that I really enjoyed seeing again!

Previously in the Romantics exhibition and taken from Tate Britain's collection, Henry Wallis' impeccably painted Chatterton (1855-6) (below) shows a young poet on his death-bed having commited suicide following repeated rejections from publishers. One of the most romantic yet tragic stories told in the artworks on display.

John Everett Millais Ferdinand Lured by Ariel (1849-50)

I always admire the soft style with which John Everett Millais painted Ophelia (1852) (below).

When looking closely at these 2 paintings by William Dyce you can see the incredible detail, such as the individually painted blades of grass. Pegwell Bay, Kent - a recollection of October 5th (1858) is above & The Man of Sorrows (1860) below.

I like Work (1852-63) by Ford Madox Brown (below) because its one of those paintings that are busy with various different people doing things, some more honestly than others! In this way it reminds me of a painting by William Powell Frith, The Derby Day (1856-8), thats in Tate Britain's Historic Collection.

I've included William Holman Hunt's The Children's Holiday (1864) because I like the stylised faces and the incredibly well painted silver on the left hand side of the painting.

In Isabella and the pot of basil (1866-68) William Holman Hunt expresses his incredible technical ability, such as in the way he painted the folds in the fabrics, the reflection on the furniture from the watering can and in Isabella's face.

Every page is like a work of art in William Morris' prints in this publication of The works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1896).

Edward Burne-Jones' The Golden Stairs (1880) is one of my favourite Pre-Raphaelite paintings in terms of its detail, the ladies stylised faces and the great use of colour.

The next three paintings by Edward Burne-Jones use as their inspiration Greek mythology, specifically Perseus slaying Medusa (the Gorgon) in order to rescue Andromeda from the Kraken.

The Rock of Doom (1885-1888), Edward Burne-Jones

The Doom Fullfilled (1885), Edward Burne-Jones

The Baleful Head (1886-7), Edward Burne-Jones

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/pre-raphaelites-victorian-avant-garde

Noble favourite

2012-10-21T20:20:00.000+01:00

In this year's Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Britain, my favourite of the 4 shortlisted artists is Paul Noble. Shortlisted because of his drawings of the fictional city of Nobson Newtown shown at the Gagosian Gallery, Noble's works on display here start with a word. He then draws around this word to create landscapes with strange biomorphic shapes contrasting with structures that appear to be man-made. When walking round looking at these works, it was like a game to see if you can spot where in each piece this starting point is.

In Villa Joe (Front View) (2005-6) (below) there's an obvious nod to Henry Moore with some of the shapes in the landscape being very similiar to Moore's sculptures. These include a drawing of Three Points (1939-40), which is part of the Tate Collection.

Some of these organic shapes in the drawings on the walls are then transformed into three dimensions by sculptures in the middle of the room. The photo below of a detail from (Large) TREV (2012) shows one of the contrasting 'man-made' structures.

Noble's drawing Lidonob (2000) is still on display in the A Walk Through the Twentieth Century galleries at Tate Britain.

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turner-prize-2012?gclid=CLeFy7LikrMCFXHLtAodv1MALA

Faces and Figures...

2012-10-21T19:08:00.002+01:00

...is the title of the current exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery that focuses on portraiture by Thomas Schutte, including sculpture, photography and paintings by the German artist.

On the walk through Hyde Park to the gallery I saw this sculpture across The Long Water/Serpentine lake. It reminds me a little of a Henry Moore or Barbara Hepworth.

Outside the south side of the gallery are these (patinated bronze) sculptures (below), United Enemies (2011).

As the sun begins to set, it casts great shadows across them and the grass.

As with the United Enemies sculptures outside, I like the weathered effect on the (patinated) bronze below. This artwork, Memorial for Unknown Artist (2011), also has that effect on its steel base too.

Vater Staat (Father State) (2010) has a similiar effect, albeit more rusty, on its steel surface.

I like the character that some of Schutte's ink and pencil drawings (on paper) have, such as this one from the Mirror Drawings (1998-99) series.

http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2011/03/thomas_schutte.html

Last week to see...

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...the Eley Kishimoto Living With Patterns exhibition at The Aram Gallery on Drury Lane in Covent Garden. The King and Queen of fashion print express how they have become surface designers too in this small interesting show.

I like the way the exhibition has been curated with fabric walls between the different rooms. These are 'flash' lace panels woven by MYB Textiles, which also adorn some of the windows in the Aram (furniture) store below the gallery.

This is the exhibition entrance (below), with a brief view of the Flash Gnomes inside.

According to the exhibition guide, these Flash Gnomes (below) "welcome you to the print on print world of Eley Kishimoto."

The Narumi ceramics (below) are the result of the Japanese bone china manufacturer and Eley Kishimoto collaborating on Narumi's 10th anniversary Styles range.

I really like the way they curated this room with just one pair of shoes displayed using this machine that walks them round in a perpetual circle.

That pair and these shoes below are the result of another collaboration, this time with Clarks. They feature Eley Kishimoto's Flash and Cute Boys prints.

Ofcourse no Eley Kishimoto show could be without printed womenswear, with my favourite 2 dresses below from the In Shape range.

The next 3 photos below are my favourite piece's in the room of Moorcraft pottery. These are traditional ceramics that have been handpainted with Eley Kishimoto designs.

I like the oriental feel of the 2 above and the fact that the one below reminds me of a few of the paintings in the Futurism exhibition at Tate Modern in 2009.

http://www.thearamgallery.org/now/

Please buy my greetings cards from Inkly!

2012-09-29T19:52:00.000+01:00

For all those of you who have an iphone, ipad or an ipod touch there's a new way to buy greetings cards from this free app from the itunes store.

If you search for my name within the app, you'll find my work...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inkly-cards/id557932128

Many thanks.

'From Paris:

2012-08-02T21:03:00.001+01:00

A Taste for Impressionism' is the current exhibition in the Sackler Wing of Galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts. The shows artworks are all borrowed from the collection of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts in the US. It is divided into these themes: Still Life, Landscape, Genre Scenes, The Female Figure, Orientalism and the Exotic and Portraits. These are my highlights, which are drawn from the majority of those themes of this quaint exhibition:

I really dont like the taste of them, but I like the way Renoir has painted Onions (below)! This softly painted style is classic Renoir.

Onions (1881) (Oil on Canvas), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 - 1919)

I like the way Rousseau draws the viewers eye first to the lightest area of the sky, then to the farm below and the path leading up to it. The style he painted Farm in the Landes (below) reminds me a little of Constable. Rousseau was a leading member of the Barbizon School and a major influence on the Impressionists.

Farm in the Landes (1844-67) (Oil on Canvas), Theodore Rousseau (1812 - 67)

In Gooseherd (below) by Troyon the viewers eye is immediately drawn to the light playing on the feathers of the softly painted geese.

Gooseherd (1850-55) (Oil on Panel), Constant Troyon (1810 - 65)

Saint-Charles, Eragny (below) was painted when Pissaro was temporarily adopting the pointillist technique that Georges Seurat is famous for.

Saint-Charles, Eragny (1891) (Oil on Canvas), Camille Pissarro (1830 - 1903)

Frigates (below) was painted magnificently by Jongkind. I especially like the detail on the ships in the centre of the canvas.

Frigates (1852-53) (Oil on Canvas), Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819 - 91)

Beautiful choice of colours from Renoir again...

Venice, the Doge's Palace (1881) (Oil on Canvas), Pierre Auguste Renoir

The beautifully painted Crossing the Street (below) by Boldini is another example of an artist drawing the viewers eye to where he wants it to go, in this case the immaculately executed face of the central character.

Crossing the Street (1873-75) (Oil on Panel), Giovanni Boldini (1842 - 1931)

In Renoir's A Box at the Theatre (At the Concert) (below) I like the way the contrast between the dark haired lady's eyes first holding the viewers gaze and the girl in profile then drawing the eyes down to the bouquet of flowers in her lap. According to the wall text for this painting there was a man in the top right hand corner that Renoir painted out with the curtain.

A Box at the Theatre (At the Concert) (1880) (Oil on Canvas), Pierre-Auguste Renoir

James Tissot, a master at painting people in many different surroundings...

Chrysanthemums (1874-76) (Oil on Canvas), James Tissot (1836 - 1902)

I like the stylised way Bonnard painted Women with a Dog (below), apparently influenced by the wonderful Japanese prints that so many of the Impressionists were.

Women with a Dog (1891) (Oil on Canvas), Pierre Bonnard (1867 - 1947)

Alfred Stevens is an artist I know very little about. Having seen A Duchess (The Blue Dress) (below), I now want to see more paintings by this specialist in meticulously executed genre scenes.

A Duchess (The Blue Dress) (1866) (Oil on Panel), Alfred Stevens (1823 - 1906)

The most striking painting in the final room for me was this Self-portrait (below) by Degas:

Self-portrait (1857-58) (Oil on Paper, mounted on Canvas), Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/from-paris-a-taste-for-impressionism/