Only Light and Shadow

Interesting exhibition at the Barber Institute of  Fine Arts Spanish of prints from their collection.

Prints by Goya were the centre of the show but there were also works by Ribera, Picasso and Miro as well a Goya prints after works by Velazquez. The commentaries were excellent and in just 11 pictures they gave a good overview of Spanish art and its themes.

The Goya prints were strange and surreal such as one called “There is Something Beneath the Sock Cloth” of a line of men in sacks. I always forget that Goya was working at the time of the French Revolution and showing the fear that this spread through Europe.

The Picasso print was a nice one of his last wife turned to the right with good use made of dark patches as well as highlights. The Miro print was fascinating as it was the design for a stamp to be sold in aid of the Republican Government in the Civil War, an interesting contrast with Goya’s dissatisfaction with society.

Closes on 22 October 2017

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