The Classical Now
I did the show
the wrong way round but it worked! It’s better to start with the Bush House
section (go in through the back) which has some stunning works by contemporary
artists which take their inspiration from classical art. Sacha Sasko’s “The
Good Watchman” which was a classical head with an empty block where the eyes
should be. It really plays with your mind as you can see the road behind
through this apparently solid head. My favourite piece in the show was Edward
Allington’s “Victory Boxed”, 99 small blue and white Winged Victories arranged
in the pattern of the Greek flag.
There was a video
installation in this section which I didn’t have enough time to engage with. It
consisted of three upright video screens showing an artist sitting on a chair
talking how they use the classical world as a resource for the present. You sit
on a chair opposite them and listen though earphones. I’d like to have had time
to listen but also I think I’d have felt a bit self-conscious sitting on a
plinth watching.
The second
section, in the Inigo Rooms at Somerset House, looked at the more detailed
themes of place, myth and pose with each section including examples from the
classical world. The last section pose was the most fascinating as it looked at
how the poses of classical art have influenced contemporary artists and
attitudes to the figurative form. I loved Yves Flein’s “Blue Venus”, a
reworking of the Medici Venus. It was also an interesting idea to include 1970s
kitsch French photographs recreating Roman scenes which felt like a nod to 18th
century history paintings as well as the classical past.
It was also good to see a Pablo Bronstein drawing from an imaginary Canary Wharf Island Museum. I wish it could be built. It was also a nice touch to show a classically inspired Grayson Perry vase with an original one.
Closes on 28
April 2018
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