The Second Hand: Reworked Art over Time

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld looking at works of art that had been worked on over time by more than one artist giving them a layering of meaning.

The show is curated by the students on the MA course in Curating the Art Museum. Their annual show is always interesting and makes you look at works in a new way. Works included a drawing by Coxie which had been reworked by Rubens to thin the figure down and another by Parmigainino which of two female figures and a cupid to which a later artist had added an architectural setting.

The second room concentrated more on new works which had been heavily influenced by an older one so they were a reworking of an idea. The star of the room was “Candle Bathing” by Johnannes Phokela of Ruben’s “Samson and Delilah”. At first my eye thought it ws a copy they you realise the Samson is black, the old woman is smoking a cigarette and the soldiers coming into the room have been replaces by a naked woman. It is interesting to see such a familiar image so changed.

My favourite item inevitably was a spinet by Dolmetsch painted by Roger Fry. It’s a beautiful piece and very Bloomsbury but evidently Dolmetsch was livid!

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