Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting installation at Pallant House Gallery of by Rana Begum. The piece was a series of shapes made of mesh in vibrant colours which hung down the 18th century stairwell. Lit by natural light from the windows the colours were more or less dense depending where you viewed it. Despite being still, its fragility gave a sense of movement to the space. This is one of a series of Staircase Commissions by the gallery. I think this about the third one I have seen. Closes April 2026

Beautiful exhibition at Pallant House Gallery of recent work by Caroline Walker exploring motherhood and early years care. These were bold yet tender paintings, sketches and ink drawings in domestic settings as well as maternity wards and other childcare settings. I loved this rather Caravaggio like painting "Friday Cleaning, Little Bugs" with its strong use of light making the outdoor setting slightly ambiguous. However, my favourite work was "Daphne" a painting of Walker's daughter seen through the window of her house during lockdown. It gives a real sense of the time and how we were all trapped in our homes and often only saw each other through windows. Again I loved the use of light. Closes 26 April 2026 Review Times

Slightly random online lecture from the Foundling Museum looking at music in Dutch Golden Age paintings. This was one in a series of talks on music in art and as such was geared to a more general audience rather than an art historical one. Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff, Founder of Art Historical London took us though the meaning of various musical instruments and of music in pictures in general as well as introducing the idea of symbolism in Dutch art. She had excellent illustrations but I would have appreciated a bit more structure to the talk possibly building to a conclusion.

Well thought out online lecture from the National Gallery looking at art from architectural spaces. Concentrating on works in the National Gallery which had been part of a decorative cycle but have now moved, Ben Street led us though the difference between a mural and a fresco and discussed how their meaning may change from being moved from their original setting both physically and in terms of subject. He talked about how frescos end up in galleries and the process by which they are removed from walls with particular reference to rescue and conservation work after the 1966 floods in Florence. Finally he led us though a selection of work which is still in situ from the Sistine Chapel ceiling to the mural commissioned by the gallery from Bridget Riley in 2019.

Excellent online lecture from ARTscapades on Hans Holbein the Younger. The author of a new biography of Holbein, Elizabeth Goldring, was in conversation with Michael Prodger of the New Statesman, to bring out the highlights of her book. I was fascinated to hear how Goldring went about her research given that Holbein left no diaries or letters. The only source material from him are a dictated will and notes on his drawings. Instead she turned to his patrons’ archives such as the letters of Erasmus. I liked her description of these as adjacent works. She talked about how Holbein’s portraits have become our view of Tudor England and how she can’t image Tudor art or history without him. However she also talked about other works by him from before he came to England, in particular his portraits of Erasmus which his workshop continued to produce in Basle even after he’d moved to England. She also mentioned his design work including armour for Henry VIII and over 200 pieces of jewell...

Well thought out online lecture from the National Gallery examining how and why science became entertainment in the 18th century. Matthew Morgan laid out a clear argument about how science was developing in this era and how people responded to this particularly in the circles of Wright of Derby. He looked at Rousseau’s ideas about education who advocated for learning by display rather than reading. He told us about various scientific experiments which were conducted in private houses or public spaces. I’m sure I’d have booked for a lecture at the giant Orrey at the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket. As usual with Morgan’s talks there was a good Q&A session at the end covering the difference between curiosity and learning, a comparison between the 18th century displays and Brian Cox’s podcasts and the role of women as they frequently appear in Wright’s paintings of scientific displays.