Cathy's Art Diary

Lecture at the National Gallery on the craft of fresco by James Heard. This was a super evening including a demonstration of the different stages of making a fresco from the first plaster layer, through the sinopia or under drawing through to the painting itself. He discussed the difference pigments used and how they reacted with the lime and why some had to be added, often with disastrous effects, after the plaster was dry. There were some wonderful slides of fresco painters at work which highlighted the logistical challenges of working at height and of getting the materials you needed to the site. We also heard why some frescos look as they do for example whey the sky’s are sometimes red, because the blue was added later and has fallen off, or why they are sometime patchy, because paint dried to different colours which were difficult to predict in the patched which had to be worked on each day. This was a fascinating evening. I have always loved fresco’s and think they are my favour

A well constructed exhibition at the National Gallery of the art of Sienna in the Renaissance period covering the 100 years from the canonisation of Saint Bernardino to the entry of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V in 1536. I thought I knew the art of Sienna well but realise it’s the earlier period I know, Duccio and the good and bad government frescos, I did not really know what came next and this was therefore a fascinating insight of how these earlier works influenced later generations. I loved Francesco de Giorgio’s covers for the cities account books in the first room including miniature pictures of the city complete with its blank and white stripped cathedral tower. However the highlights of the show were the works which had been brought together from different collections for the first time in 100 or more years. They included Matteo di Giovanni’s Assumption altarpiece brought together for the first time since its discovery in 1800 and works from Pandolfo Pettrucci’s chamber i

Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum focusing on the designers of London and Paris between 1947 and 1957 starting with Dior’s New Look and ending with his death in 1957. This was a luscious exhibition of beautiful clothes. On the whole it was well laid out and I love the way that the V&A exhibit clothes in a way that you can look through the displays to see the clothes on mass and also see their reflections giving different views and a sort of life to the clothes. However I found the middle section which was imaginatively set out like fashion houses a bit cramped and not logical to go round. I suspect the exhibition is a victim of its own success as it’s the weight of people which makes it difficult. I would definitely recommend trying to go on a week day not a busy Saturday before Christmas! Anyway moaning over as the clothes were gorgeous. Women were women then and I felt quite ashamed of my badly ironed skirt and purple striped top and wished I’d made more effort! My fav

Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum of photographs of and by Lee Miller examining her role as muse and photographer. I was excited to see the exhibition as I had very much enjoyed the exhibition of portraits at the National Portrait Gallery a number of years ago and had been to visit Farley Farm in Sussex where she had lived with her husband Roland Penrose in the latter years of her life. This is now the home of the Lee Miller archive. It was a magical visit so it was super to see this large range of photos brought together. I loved the surrealist section particularly the very clear focused pictures based on the idea of found art such as the picture of four rats called “Rat’s tails” and the birdcages in a window. One of the unexpected sections was the one on Egypt where she lived with her first husband which included a small contact print called “Procession, the Red Sea” which in the sand takes on a surreal quality. There was a nice theme running through the exhibition of scen

Exhibition of photographs of Bruce Springsteen at the Proud Gallery by Charring Cross Station including rare unseen photographs from those who have worked most closely with him. Artists included Jim Marchese, Rene van Diemen, Debra L. Rothenberg, Adrian Boot and Terry O’Neill. Ok so I’m biased but this was a fantastic exhibition of photographs running through from the famous Hammersmith concert in 1975 to the Devils and Dust Tour in 2005. There were great action shots but my personal favourite was a monumental head shot showing every fine detail of pore and stubble. Whoever this was of it would be a great photo. I just wish I had been able to afford one! Photo spread Guardian Review Collective : the BBC interactive cultural magazine

Annual exhibition and prize at the National Portrait Gallery which showcases the work of the most talented emerging young photographers, photography students and gifted amateurs alongside that of established professionals. The introduction answered my earlier question, at the Pop Art Portraits, of what is a portrait. This exhibition defined it as “photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis in their identity as individuals.” This that about says it! It was a nice collection of photographs, each with something to say. I found there was too heavy an emphasis on children. My favourites were “The Lime Plasterer” by Clare Richardson, a man and his dog outside the house he had helped to plaster, “Sophia” by Billy and Hells, which explored the effects of light in Dutch C17th paintings and “Otis Ferry and his hunting hounds” by Tim Waite which gives a new take on old hunting prints. Reviews Times Guardian Daily Telegraph

Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of portraits from the pop art school. I must admit this exhibition mainly made me use on the subject of what is a portrait. I feel it is a representation of a real person in a realistic or abstract form not people used in a picture to express something else. I therefore felt the Eduardo Paolozzi’s at the start of the exhibition were not portraits. I did however like the Marilyn Monroe theme running through the show culminating in a room devoted to her. The Marilyn pictures mainly focused on the effects of fame on a person and an image. It was great to see a Lichtenstein close up again. We are so used to seeing them in prints that the images are familiar but it is good to be reminded of the sheer precision of the original. I think my favourite picture was Mel Ramoes “Hunt for the Best” a picture of his wife with a ketchup bottle. I also liked the dialogue it unconsciously set up with previous exhibitions such as last year Hockney portraits and

Excellent talk at the National Gallery by Sian Walters, an art historian and Darren Walters, a dance historian, looking at how we can learn about dance in the Renaissance from the paintings and the role that dance played in society and art. It was a talk to compliment the current Renaissance Sienna exhibition . Sian Walters outlined the artistic themes them Roy Walters and his group Nonsuch History and Dance Company demonstrated the dances which had been shown in the pictures. It was a really magical moment when they recreated the dance in the Good and Bad Government fresco from Sienna with the picture behind.

Exhibition at the Doge’s Palace in Venice looking at the relationship between Venice and Islam over nearly 1000 years looking at the role it played in design, trade, diplomacy and science. It included the Bellini portrait of Mahomet II alongside a contemporary portrait of a Doge with an example of the Islamic material he is wearing. I loved the idea that Venice learnt its glass making arts from Islam only for the East to then buy venation glass lamps for their mosques. By the end you also realised you were in an exhibit as the exhibition was held in the council chamber of the palace featuring the “Battle of Lepanto” by Andrea Vincentino. The Battle of Lepanto being the great battle with the Turkish forces which end the relationship. This was a good compliment to the exhibition at the National Gallery last year on “ Bellini and the East ”.

Exhibition at the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice which examines the relationship between art, time and the power of display, representing a breadth of cultures and periods and featuring over 300 objects ranging from rare archaeological materials to contemporary installations. This was exhibition was like entering a cabinet of curiosities drawing subtle parallels between the art and objects of different times and places. It left you to make your own links and to have your own ideas. Works included those by Picasso, Man Ray, Francis Bacon and many others as well as ancient objects with unknown artists. I must admit I found it really mind blowing. The venue itself was stunning too. It was the home and workshop of the fashion designer Mariano Fortuny who also designed theatre sets and lighting and had his own printing press. The whole place was sumptuous giving a picture of a life and interests. Much as I loved the exhibition I would like to go back to see the palazzo on an ordinary day.

Exhibition at the Cini Collection in Venice of the C18th portrait painter Rosalba Carriera. Rosalba specialised in portraits in pastels and exported her technique to France. A portrait by her become one of the main purchases on a Grand Tour. The exhibition included pictures commissioned by the English aristocracy on their travels and a wonderful set of clerical portraits. This gallery itself was a real find and I can’t believe I had not head of it before. It contained Count Vittorio Cini’s collection of Tuscan art including a Peiro della Francesco, a Giotto, a Daddi and a Gaddi, a Filipo Lippi and wonderful Pontormo portrait of two gentlemen.

Exhibition of contemporary works from the Francois Pinault Collection at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice timed to coincide with the Biennale. I found the whole thing a bit precious after the Biennale. Each artist had their own white room and rather officious guard. I loved the series of identical black and white painted self portraits by Rudolf Stingel. Marlene Dumas homage to the Holbein picture of Christ in the tomb and a gently loving cigarette packet but I can’t now trace who that was by. The exhibition included the skull made up of tin cans outside on the Grand Canal by Subo Guptadh. Francois Pinault, the French owner of department stores as well as Christie's, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, owns an 80% share in the Palazzo Grassi as a venue for displaying his collection. Photos from the Daily Telegraph

Exhibition at the Ca Rezzonico in Venice of drawings of ships and other canal scenes by Luca Carlevarijs. described as a precursor to Canaletto. These were exquisite detailed drawings of the ships and boats which could be seen around Venice in the late C17th early C18th. I must admit this exhibition came at the end of the long day so I did not do it justice.

Exhibition at the Ca Pesaro , the museum of modern art in Venice, of contemporary works, I think by an artists collective in the city but my Italian wasn’t up to translating. I particularly liked some marquetry portraits of women by Vanni D’este and bronze sculptures of hands by Sara Casal. The museum itself was rather good with a work by most C20th artists, its start work being a super Klimt of Salome. I fell for a picture by Umberto Boccioni of his sister reading.

I spent two great days at the Biennale exhibition in Venice starting with the displays in the gardens on day one and moving on the Arsenale the next day. The theme of the event was “Thin with the senses: feel with the mind”’. It was great to see so much cutting edge modern art in a relaxed atmosphere. There was so much it was as if exhibit said “take me or leave me. If you like me great if you don’t oh well.” I felt the whole thing was rather over burdened by the theme of war although at times this produced great works such as Emily Prince’s wall of drawings of US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan arranged in the shape of the US flag. This felt like the Vietnam memorial in Washington. One wonders if she continues to draw as more die. Jason Rhoades neon installation provided a welcome wake up for the eyes half way round the Arsenale. I loved the Morrinho Project’s recreation of townscape in the gardens complete with lego block people. Jose Alejandro Restrepo’s Veronica, projection

An exhibition at the Museo Correr in Venice of celestial and terrestrial Globes of the 16th-20th century. The exhibition included the seminal texts which developed the techniques for mapping the world and the heavens, some of which we hold at work, as well as full scale globes plus the printed papers to cover globes. I had never thought of what shape a globe is when flat and printed before so it was fascinating to see these flat representations.

M ajor exhibition at the British Museum of the life and death of China’s first emperor Qin Shihuangdi. The first half of the exhibition focused on the emperor’s life looking at how he unified the country both militarily, administratively and emotionally. I must admit I found this section a little bit superfluous. Although I am sure if was good to give a context to the terracotta warriors, which I am sure is what most people had come to see, the sparse nature of the artefacts made this a rather reading based section and a bit stodgy. It felt a little like a way of controlling the flow of people to the meat of the exhibition. Talking of the meat the figures themselves were not disappointing. They were put into the context of the death of the emperor although I found myself viewing them as art artefacts in their own right. I was most struck by how different they all were. The image you get from photo’s of the tomb is of an amorphous group of figures more astonishing for their numbers that

Talk at the National Gallery in their “Wine, Nibbles and Talk” series given by Norman Coady. This was an interesting talk concentrating on the use of colour in Veronese but also looking at its comparisons to music. The speaker, a free lance art historian, made some fascinating and witty comparison between opera singers and artists of this period likening Titian to Maria Callas and Veronese to Joan Sutherland. There was much talk of how Veronese used colours against each other and to provide rhythm to a picture. I must admit for me the wine and nibbles element of the talk was a bit superfluous. It was not a particularly social environment. I had hoped for a more seminar style approach given the difference in price to the usual lecture ticket.

Exhibition at the Royal Society of Medicine Library of items from the London Clubs and other members of the Association of Pall Mall Libraries (APML). I have to say it’s excellent because my library (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) has lent three items . Ten of us went to the opening party on Thursday night and had a great evening. The exhibition was opened by the author A.N. Wilson introduced by Ian Snowley, President of APML and Cilip and the wine flowed freely! Of course I think our items are highlights but must admit they can’t match up to a stuffed penguin from Scott’s final expedition. He stands presiding over the proceedings with his head at a rather jaunty angle! Reviews Time Out

Small exhibition at Charleston Farmhouse to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Julian Bell’s death on the 18th July 1937 while driving an ambulance during the Battle of Brunete in the Spanish Civil War. This is a collaborative exhibition with Photoworks and Magnum Photos will includes images by Magnum co-founder Robert Capa and his lover Gerda Taro, who was killed just 9 days after Julian. It includes some very moving pictures but is a very small exhibition and could do with a bit more explanation. It’s a nice taster but I was left wanting more.

Going through Victoria Station on Friday night I spotted a headline in the standard promising art on the station concourse so of course I went to look. By the escalator up the shops I found a statue of a giant woman with her head in a photo booth. Further reading of the Standard told me it is by Louis Molloy, David Beckham’s tattooist. Its advertising a new reality TV show and there is another statue at Tower Bridge of a swimmer. I’m all for a bit more public art and anything to brighten up a Friday night.

Very small exhibition at the Wallace collection bringing together two versions of this picture, one from their own collection and one from the Getty. They were probable painted in the same year and this was the first time they had been together since they had been in the studio. Conservation work for this exhibition has shown the Getty one to be the first as the under drawing shows signs of the composition changing whereas the other does not and shows more clarity in the finish. Reviews Guardian

Exhibition at The Wallace Collection of silver collected by two generations of the Schroder family between 1870 and 1930. Mainly German renaissance in origin the first part of the exhibition focused on English and Continental domestic silver including beautiful German stacking beakers which fitted perfectly one inside the other and a drinking cut in the form of a bear which looked rather like a demented hamster. The second room focused on silver for display and talked about the advent of kunstkammer or schatzkanner, art or treasure chambers, in houses to display precious objects. These were said to be the forerunner of museums. The finest piece was a ewer in the shape of a ship complete with tiny enamel figures of solders, rowers and event a small party men eating dinner. Those men wore the Maltese cross as it was made for the order of St John in Germany. The exhibition was accompanies by a small display in the conservation galleries showing a mock up of a silver workshop explaining ho

Exhibition of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery tracing the history of British press photography in the Fleet Street years from the turn of the century to 1986. It looks at the different roles of staff photographers and agencies and has a number of photos with photographers in them including one for about 1910 of an incident at Downing Street with a photographer in the middle. There was a good section on how different people or causes have used press photographs to their advantage such as the Suffragettes and Winston Churchill at the siege of Sidney Street. I liked the more odd ball pictures such as members of Broadstairs Council ready for gas drill showing a collection of gentlemen in gas masks looking like refugee monsters from Doctor Who or Lord Hailsham swimming at Brighton. Reviews Daily Telegraph FT Observer

This annual exhibition and award at the National Portrait Gallery aims to promote the very best in contemporary portrait painting. This year it has been opened to all artists abolishing the upper age limit but introducing an extra prize for artists aged between 18 and 30. Although each picture is decided on merit, inevitably each year themes do seem to appear. This year seemed to have a good selection of pictures focusing on age. The winner “Michael Simpson” by Paul Emsley is a large portrait of an older man, in fact an artist from him home town. It is so big and so finely painted that every crevice in the face is visible and the whole face seems to look out of the black background towards you. Another picture entitles “Bevan Boy” showed the artist, Philip Renforth’s, father who had been a Bevan Boy in the war. He now had a face of great dignity. Another theme seemed to be paintings of not just anonymous sitters but sitters who were not actually know by the painter. “Commuter” by John

Exhibition at the Queen’s House, Greenwich of 200 works in the National Maritime Museum’s art collections. Arranged in a slightly off order I think the aim is to show the different collections owned by and looked after by the Museum. Collections such as that of Eric Palmer, a soldier, restaurateur and bon viver, who, following research on one Netherlandish seascape he bought began a full scale study of Flemish and Dutch marine pictures or the collections of the Ministry of Defence which include pictures from Cook’s 2nd and 3rd trips to the Pacific. The collections includes pictures by Turner, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Hogarth and William Orpen. Even though the pictures are of one subject they are amazingly varied. My favourite room contained works chosen by the War Artists Advisory Commission and included pictures done by World War II war artists. Most moving were pictures by John Worsley, a POW in a naval prison camp Morlag (0). These are painted on bed sheets as he had no canvas. My fa

Small exhibition at the National Maritime Museum looking at how sailors’ uniforms, particularly those of the Royal Navy have influence fashion ever since Queen Victoria had a sailor suit made for the four year of Price of Wales. It starts with early C20th bathing costumes, moves through theatrical and movie costumes and then looks at haute couture coming right through to Kenzo designs for 2007. It was particularly nice to see the aforementioned Princes sailor suit next to the Winterhalter portrait of him wearing it. Reviews Times

Small exhibition in the Sunley Room at the National Gallery which has already been on tour to Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery and the Laing Art Gallery, in Newcastle upon Tyne. It takes the opportunity too look at a bit of social history, how work and leisure have changed over the last 4000 years, and show this through works of art from the National Gallery’s own collection and loans from other galleries. It was a good idea and done well but somehow left me wanting more! As it is such a small space it could almost have been worth doing two separate exhibitions to give more depth, however it was good to see the links between the themes. Works such as the acrylic sculpture “The Traveller” by Duane Hanson showed how leisure can actually be hard work. There was the inevitable Lowry given the theme was work and a Ford Maddox Brown picture “Work” showing the sentimental view of the working classes in Victorian England. The most extraordinary piece was a roll of material from 1992

Short talk at the National Gallery on “The Origin of the Milky Way” by Jacopo Tintoretto in Room 9 given by Leslie Primo. Nice interlude after work looking at this picture and its iconography. Also covered a bit on the life of Tintoretto. I particularly liked the story of how he entered a competition to decorate the ceiling in the Council Chamber in Venice and won it by sneaking in one evening and just putting his entry up in situ then donating it to the council. This picture was painted for the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II and shows the moment where the baby Hercules is placed on the sleeping Juno’s breast to feed and give him immortality. However she wakes and the spilt milk forms the Milky Way. The speaker was excellent and drew quite a crowd by the end of the session and signed off with “That was the High Renaissance and this is Tintoretto. Thank you and goodnight!”

The featured artist this month at the Abbott and Holder Gallery in Museum Street is Duncan Grant with works possibly for the Cambridge production of Aristophanes 'The Birds' in 1923/24 and some recumbent male figures. Being a big Bloomsbury fan it was good to see these works and realise that a line block print which I bought a few years ago relates to “The Birds” pictures. Although these pictures were too expensive for me I did fall for a small drawing by Leonard Leslie Brooke for a illustration for the poem “Mr and Mrs Spikky Sparrow” by Edward Lear and two very small, honest not much bigger than a postage stamp, sketches by William or Evelyn de Morgan. Now where will I hang them?

Exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace of Italian art in the Royal Collection bringing together 90 paintings and 85 drawings from royal palaces. Galleries of paintings focused on Florence, Rome, Venice and Northern Italy in the C16th and the Baroque. Another gallery side gallery had three rooms of drawings looking at the different techniques. Incorporated through the exhibition was furniture, sculpture and books from the collection. There was some focus on how the items entered the Royal Collection looking in particular at the collecting of Charles I including how it was dispersed on his death and how many items were required on the Restoration. It was a lovely opportunity to see some great works of art. My particular favourites were two drawings by Michelangelo as a gift for Tommaso de’ Cavalieri one of “A children’s bacchanal” and one of “The Fall of Phaeton”. The best painting was the self portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi which was shown next to works by her father

"Art at the Airport" is an initiative at Edinburgh airport to showcase the work of Scottish artists and is located at the departure lounge at gate 12. The current exhibition is called "On the Water" and featured seascapes and river scenes. I particularly liked the work of Paul Bartlett, who does birds on water and Hugh Murdoch who concentrates on sunsets over water. All works are for sale. This was a nice chance in a busy environment to see some original works of art. I'd been on business in Edinburgh, so despite the fact the festival was on, this was my only chance to look at art. Quite frustrating considering all the great things which seemed to be going on up there !

I am a Friend of Charleston, the house where the painters Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, the art wing of the Bloomsbury Group, lived in Sussex. In last years AGM we bought a tour of the house with Simon Watney, one of the leading writers on the Bloomsbury group whose most recent book is " Bloomsbury in Sussex ". It had taken a while to arrange but on Saturday four of us gathered for our tour. Although I know the house well already it was a real treat to go round with someone who had known the house when Duncan was still alive and had been instrumental in saving and conserving it. It was also good to focus on the paintings and decorative aspects of the house rather than the personalities. I had not known before how much of the decoration had been done quite soon after they moved in in 1916. It was good to have your eye drawn to paintings you might have missed on previous visits. While there we also took the opportunity to view the small temporary exhibition which was on in the

Second plenary lecture for the Courtauld Summer School given by Professor Eric Fernie who is a previous director of the Courtauld and architectural historian. It traced the geographical boundaries of the Latin Church in this period and how external factors influenced the architecture on the North. South, East and West edges. Must admit after a week of the school I found this possibly one lecture too far. I think it is something which might be quite interesting to go back and read at a later date. As I was tired I was getting my Eastern and Western influences a bit muddled.

Again two very good days and I'm really sorry the week is over. On Thursday we concentrated on Roger Van de Weyden with Douglas Brine. In the morning we looked in detail at "The Descent from the Cross" which is in Madrid. I saw this at the end of last year so the experience of it was quite fresh in my mind. Fascinating to go through the iconography in detail and to think about how and why the figures fit in the space the way they do. We then focused on some of the other works in detail. The afternoon was spent in the Print and Drawing Room at the British Museum . I hadn't realised that anyone can go along and ask to see anything that they hold there. A nice atmosphere with a mix of people studying and the staff who work in the room with their personalised desks. We had out a series of drawings linked to Roger van de Weyden. There was a particularly fine portrait of a woman but my favourite was a drawing which was probably for a wall painting of a procession. I was dra

Good exhibition at the Heritage Rooms looking at works of art and objects from Napoleon and Josephine's country retreat at Malmaison brought together for the first time since their dispersal in 1815. The displays focused on how the works were collected, by fair means and foul, and how such a large number of items found their way into Russian collections. The highlights for me were the paintings which included a St Sebastian by Ribera and Claude Lorrain's "Landscape with Tobias and the Angel". There was also a wonderful Canova sculpture of a dancer in a diaphanous dress. It was also good that the works were shown with more personal objects which had belonged to Josephine including a court dress and shoes. Personally I was impressed that she had hundreds of pairs of shoes! The exhibition was a good picture of the taste of one person who in turn influenced the taste of a generation as well as the nature of collections. Reviews Times Metro

Another good day at the Summer School. Today focused on The Master of Flemalle or Robert Campin, again looking in detail at a selection of works attributed to him with the course leader Dr Susie Nash. In the morning we went into some detail on who this artist was, whether he was Robert Campin who taught Roger van de Weyden or whether he was the unnamed master of the Flemalle panels. Also whether all the works attributed to him are in fact by the same hand. In the afternoon we focused on the Seilern Triptych in the Courtauld collection. We looked at detailed micro photography of it and talked through the iconography then spent time before the actual picture thinking about what we had learnt. Finally we went into the conservation department to look at the x-rays of the picture and to discuss changes which had been made while it was being painted. Susie Nash had worked closely with this picture so it was fascinating to hear new research and ideas about it.

Small Room 1 exhibition at the National Gallery to commemorate 200 years since the abolition of the slave trade bringing together "Mrs Oswald" by Zoffany and "Colonel Tarleton" by Reynolds to look at their and their families role in the trade. Also looked at the role of slave trade money in art collection of the C18th and how those collections formed the foundation galleries such at the National itself. The initial core of the collection was given by John Julius Angerstein (of whom their is a portrait in the exhibition) who was instrumental in the development of LLoyds which profited from insuring slave ships amongst others and who also had shares in Caribbean plantations. The Room 1 exhibition was complimented by new work by Yinka Shonibore MBE both in that gallery and Room 36 where the two main portraits usually hang, which explores the effects of the wealth created by the trade on society. The main work were two headless figures shooting birds with clothes mirror

Another good day on this course being immersed in Jan van Eyck. We had a different lecturer today, Dr Douglas Brine, who took us through a brief outline of the life of Van Eyck and then focused on three major works The Washington Annunciation The Rolin Madonna The Van der Paele Madonna It was fascinating to look at these works in detail, focusing on symbolism in them and how new technologies have brought to light changes in the composition between the initial drawing and the final painting. The lecturer was just back from Bruges where he had been doing some research into the Van der Paele Madonna so we were introduced to some new theories about this picture. In the afternoon we went to the National Gallery to look at the Van Eyck's there as well as the Van de Weydens and Gerard David.

Just done day one of a Courtauld Summer School on Early Netherlandish art. I thoroughly recommend these. I did a Spring school last year on Saints and Sanctity and really enjoyed it. It was nice to see people I'd met at the previous course and to meet new people. Today we've had good general introduction looking at why a lot of this work has disappeared and what the workshop set up was like. The afternoon was spent in the conservation department where we got a chance to mix and use paints and pigments of the time. Fascinating to use contemporary materials and see how a different pigment can affect the feel as well as the colour of the paint. Quite proud of my small rather cross eyed virgin but I think I'll stick to the day job!

Small but focused exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery based around their "Adam and Eve" by Cranach. It brings together linked drawings and four other Cranach's of similar themes. This is a nice opportunity to explore a specific picture and some of the detail in it. It includes two beautiful studies of deer and an amazing early still life drawing of dead partridges. Pop by the small sister exhibition of German drawings from the Courtauld collection which includes their two Durer's. Reviews The Times FT Evening Standard