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Darwin and Seurat

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Complex online lecture from the National Gallery speculating on the influence of Darwin’s ideas on the artist Georges Seurat. Emmelyn Buttterfield, Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, talked us through this complex argument focusing on Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jette” of 1886. Noting that the ideas of Darwin were being widely discussed and that the anatomist at the Ecole de Beaux Artes was an advocate of them she outlined visual links in the picture. This argument mainly revolved around the figure of the monkey as Darwin was often depicted as a monkey in cartoons and in some examples had a similar serpentine tail to the one in the painting. She also discussed how the woman holding the monkey’s lead can be seen as a sexualised figure mirroring ideas of reproduction in Darwin. As you may have guessed from my tone I didn’t fully understand the argument and felt it may have been conflation of ideas around at the time which may not have been c...
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Nicola Tyson: Their Jumpers

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Fun public artwork outside the Hayward Gallery by Nicola Tyson. I always like to go to see these annual outdoor pictures. This one speaks to the Gilbert and George exhibition that was on in the gallery as it featured two figures. Are they dancing? Is one surrendering? Why are they against a yellow wall? There are lots of questions, but I found it a cheerful work which raised a smile as I walked past. Closes June 2026
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Gilbert and George : 21st Century Pictures

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Bright almost overwhelming exhibition at the Hayward Gallery of works by Gilbert and George made since 2000. I do like Gilbert and George and have been to a few of their exhibitions over the last few years, so I recognised quite a lot of this work. Each piece worked well but shown on mass it got diluted and became almost cartoon like. You had to slow down and look at and read the details. It became repetitive after a while. The pieces which worked well were a couple of series of four which built more of a narrative across them. They looked good in the large white space. Closes 11 January 2026 Reviews Times Guardian T elegraph Evening Standard
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John Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture

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Useful online lecture from ARTscapades looking at the life and architecture of John Vanbrugh. Charles Saumarez-Smith, former director of the National Gallery and author of a book of the same title as the lecture, led us through Vanbrugh’s remarkable life, a story of confidence and opportunity. He told us how he was imprisoned in France returning to England with no career prospects in 1693 aged 19 but by 1705 he had written and translated plays, designed Castle Howard, was appointed Controller of the Office of Works, planned a West End theatre and been invited to design Blenheim Palace. He talked about how he got the prestigious architectural commissions and what he brought to them from his theatrical background.  
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The Romsey Rood: an Anglo-Saxon Artefact in the Anglo-Norman World

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Intriguing online lecture from the London Art History Society looking at a wonderful Anglo-Saxon crucifix on the outside of Romsey Abbey. Richard Plant, author on this period, shared thoughts on the Romsey Rood starting by describing it and comparing it to other crucifixes of the period. I love this period of art but don’t know a huge amount about it so it was fascinating to be introduced to some lovely objects. He then thought about rituals which may have been linked to this work such as the idea of fire for lighting candles being kept by a church door. He also mused on why it was on the nuns side of the church and whether they had some ritual linked to it. Finally he looked at why this Anglo-Saxon work might have been incorporated into a later Norman church. Did it have some sentimental meaning to the local people? Two Anglo-Saxon saints and a king were buried there so was the object linked to one of them? Had the nunnery become a home for Anglo-Saxon ladies post Conquest? Lot...
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Fair Ground 2025

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Interesting annual exhibition at Glyndebourne Opera House of new work by a selection of Sussex artists. My favourite works this year were by Michael Bishop who painted realistic landscapes but in exaggerated colours. I also liked Katherine Allen's loosely painted works. Closes 19 December 2025
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How to Curate a Commission

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Intriguing online lecture from the National Gallery discussing the history of the gallery commissioning new work. Daniel Herrmann, the Ardalan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Project at the gallery, started by outlining the tradition of the gallery incorporating contemporary art going back to the reuse of a statue of Britannia for Marble Arch being reconfigured to become Minerva for the front of the building. Hermann then talked about the mosaics in the old entrance by Boris Anrep and how he combined classical ideas with contemporary cultural references as well as talking about how they were made. Most interesting was when he discussed the commissioning of two recent works, Bridget Riley’s “Messengers” and Richard Long’s “Mud Sun”, talking about how they worked with the artists to create the works. He also mentioned the wonderful “Triumph of Art” project to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the gallery which I had attended in Trafalgar Square.
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