Cathy's Art Diary

Disappointing installation at the Imperial War Museum by Ai Weiwei. I’d looked forward to seeing this installation as I like Ai Weiwei’s work and finding out what new things he has to say. The work consisted of a print across the whole of the ground floor of real historic and contemporary bomb at life size with details of their dimensions and power. I liked the way it extended up the staircase opposite the entrance. However I am afraid it lost it’s power with the confusion of the exhibits hanging above it and it was all too easy to walk across it without looking down and taking in the awesome information it was trying to impart. The write up says that it is “Exploring international migration, conflict as a root cause of human flow, and the relationship between the individual, society and the state” but I’m afraid that was lost in me. It might work better in a different space but I’m afraid here it looked a bit decorative rather than powerful. I guess though that there is somethi...

Fun exhibition in the windows of empty shop windows in Covent Garden of accessories and props from the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House. There was a window of point shoes where each was designed to represent different departments within the opera house and a fun installation of tutus slotted one inside another. Around the corner I found a window of set designs, props and costumes for the ballet The Tsarina’s Slippers. What a great use of these empty spaces to promote their neighbour and to keep this area looking vibrant and fun in difficult times. Officially closed on 10 August 2021 but I viewed it on 16th.

Enlightening exhibition at the National Gallery for this year’s Take one Picture initiative which invites schools to react to a picture in the collection. This year’s picture was “The Battle of San Romano” by Paolo Uccello of which I am very fond. The show always makes you   see something new in the picture through the children’s eyes and for me this year it was the fruit, particularly oranges and pomegranates in the foliage to the right and on Niccolò da Tolentino’s hat. Hyde Park Junior School reacted to this by making prints of fruit. Other highlight’s this year included Eton End School Berkshire who did abstract paintings based on the shapes the lances and horses made, St Benedicts Junior School London who made a striking horse’s head finish inspired by the armour and King Edward’s Junior School Bath, shown here called “Battle in Black and White” an installation of sculptures arranged like a chess board worthy of a contemporary art gallery. Closes 12 September 2021 ...

Delightful exhibition at the National Gallery reuniting Bellotto’s five views of the Königstein fortress just outside Dresden. Painted by Bernardo Bellotto, nephew of Canaletto, for August III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, in 1756-8 as part of a larger series of 30 views of Dresden and its surroundings. There are three external views of the fortress and two of the interior. They are beautifully displayed at eye level so you can view them easily and take in all the details. The external views are large and sublime but still include lots of details of the people supporting the fortress and surrounding countryside and the internal scenes are full of people and action from women hanging up washing, through soldiers to a beautiful walled garden. I could have looked at these pictures for hours and still found more in them. Closes 31 October 2021 R eviews Guardian Telegraph

Free outdoor exhibition in Trafalgar Square of reproductions of the pictures which were most viewed online from the National Gallery’s collections in lockdown. The pictures are shown as life sized replicas with good notes about them however sadly people seemed to be using the installation as extra seating rather than looking at the pictures. It’s a shame as it’s a good way of trying to entice people into the gallery however I fear the need to book might put off anyone who spontaneously decided to try. Alongside the exhibition the gallery was running art sessions nearby with a crowd of easels set up and all occupied by people   working on a variety of pictures. Some drew the view across the square but others worked from their imaginations and I spotted a skull. It was nice to see children and adults working together. Sketch on the Square ended 31 August 2021 Paintings display ends 2 September 2021

Fun exhibition at St Martin in the Fields of drawings and limited edition prints by Adam Dent. As I enjoy wandering around London I loved this show. Many of the works were maps saluting London’s theatres, lost rivers and squares   and included a new commemorative map to mark the 300th anniversary of the first foundation stone being laid at the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. I think my favourites were the one shown here called “Viral London” ie plague sites, how very timely, and “The Gilded Desert” which was an artistic map of Chelsea. I also like one of children’s games in Duke of York’s Square which was a modern on the Bruegel of children’s games. Closes 12 September

Interesting online lecture from the National Gallery on Polish painting in the 19th century and how it was used to create an idea of Polishness when the country no longer existed. Lydia Bauman, an educator from the gallery, led us through the history of the land mass of Poland from the start of its partition in 1733 through the 19th century and discussed how artists reacted to this. She outlined how King Stanislaw II Augustus brought in an Italian artist to start an art school and commissioned pictures of the city from Bellotto. However this art school did not survive partition and Polish artists had to go to Munich, Vienna or St Petersburg to study where they learnt Western art techniques and genres. She then talked about how they used these styles to create a Polish culture and to promote Polish history and events. I was introduced to lots of artists I had not come across before and particularly liked the work of Aleksander Gierymski including his picture “The Sandblasters” fr...

Fascinating online lecture from ARTscapades looking at Japanese woodblock prints of Tokyo. I know very little about Japanese woodblocks other than their influence on Western artists so I really enjoyed this talk by Clare Pollard of the Ashmolean Museum to coincide with their exhibition “Tokyo: Art and Photography” . She explained the early links between poetry and prints and the idea of famous areas known through poetry. I was particularly interested in the idea of 19th century guidebooks when peace enabled people to travel around the country and how one of these guidebooks by Utagawa Hiroshige was then expanded into a series of prints “One Hundred Views of Tokyo” in 1856-8. These were beautiful clear compositions and Pollard talked us through a number of them including the wonderful picture of a heavy rain shower used here. She bought the talk up to date by looking at Modernist prints from the start of the 20th century some of which showed the rebuilding of the city after an ear...

M ore of this enjoyable series of short videos from the Metropolitan Museum filmed during lockdown highlighting recent exhibitions and specific works of art. These are emailed to members and patrons once a week, so I hope it is OK to share the links. Most take the form of a talk from the curator’s home with a powerpoint presentation. A number of the curators have picked works which are particularly poignant at this time. Episode 37 : Augustus Saint-Gaudens's 'Standing Lincoln' Thayer Tolles, Marica F. Vilcek Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, take She follow its journey from monument to statuette, and explores how the artist deftly produced a likeness of the 16th President that melds fidelity of physical appearance with imposing projection of character. Episode 38: TheColour of the Hour Stephanie Herdrich, Associate Curator of American Painting and Sculpture, take a closer look at Sargent's portrait of Mrs. Hugh Hammersley and her vivid velvet dress....

Interesting online lecture from the National Gallery looking at two sets of paintings by Renoir and Vuillard that were painted for decorative schemes. Belle Smith started talking about “The Dancing Girls” By Renoir from 1909. She explained how the two pictures were commissioned by Maurice Gagnat for his Paris apartment. She talked about who the models were and one of their memories of it in later life. She discussed how the works fitted into his oeuvre and how the displayed Orientalism. Smith then looked at “Terrasse at Vasouy” by Vuillard, again two pictures painted in 1901 and reworked in the 1930s. She talked about how they were commissioned as one picture by Jean Schopfer and included people from the literary circle around Thadee and Misia Natanson. She discussed how they were painted in distemper, basically glue with pigment in it and how this gave a more matt effect. She then looked at why the picture was split in the 1930s and how Vuillard reworked it.

Fascinating online lecture from the Churches Conservation Trust looking at how love and marriage were reflected in medieval tomb monuments. Jessica Barker from the Courtauld Institute took as her starting point The Arundel Tomb in Chichester Cathedral which shows a couple holding hands. Although this is a 19th century reconstruction she felt this is how it would have originally have looked as there are many other examples of this around the country. She discussed a number of these and suggested that the hand holding was not a romantic gesture but a sign of a legal contact as often the women had bought land to what were controversial marriages. She also looked at tombs reflected ideas of marriage at the time giving two examples of brass memorials to merchants which give heavy emphasis to the children born to the marriage as a sign of a life well lived in the absence of rank and wealth. I liked the section which discussed two tombs commissioned by women, the wonderful Alice Chauce...

Delightful outdoor public installation in Spitalfields Market of a mother and a herd of baby elephants. Organised by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust they aim to highlight the plight of elephants in East Africa and each of the baby elephants represents an orphan the trust have helped. Each one has a plaque next to it telling its story. I gather the elephants had moved to Spitalfields recently having been in St James’ Park. The sculptures themselves are by artists Gillie and Marc and are shown with a couple of their earlier works which I have seen around London before. A really nice addition to the public space with a story to tell.

Quirky installation at the Whitechapel Gallery by Indian artist Nalini Malani. The immersion work consisted of animations projected simultaneously on all the walls gallery based on hand-drawn images and fragments of text with a subtle soundscape. The effect was of moving graffiti. You weren’t quite sure where to look to get all the effect. Evidently it is based on thoughts following the murder of a child in India but I didn’t get that and am not sure you need to know what it is about to appreciate it. Closes 5 September 2021  

Fascinating small exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery on the women involved with the surrealist movement. It took as its starting point Sheila Legge show stood in Trafalgar Square on 11 June 1936 with her head covered in red roses to launch the International Surrealism Exhibition and them discussed the other women who were involved with that show and Artists International Association show in 1939. The women of this movement are often overshadowed by the men but this show highlighted the female artists political campaigners, committee secretaries and organisers. Along the way I met some amazing characters such as Grace Pailthorpe who had been an surgeon in the First World War, a criminologist and an artist. I loved the fact the show included the receipt book of the 1936 exhibition as well as committee minutes. The centre piece of the show was a lovely miniature recreation of the 1936 show by Corelia Hughes showing both rooms of the show complete with Legge in her roses and Salv...

Fun eclectic exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery of work from the art collection of the insurance company Hiscox picked by Sol Calero the Venezuelan artist. The gallery was painted in very bright colours which made the art pop off the walls. Re-reading the handout the artist aimed to set it up like a house and give the sense of looking at someone’s private gallery. Evidently the yellow walls have architectural works, the green the outdoors and nature and the pink the interior of the house. I must admit I didn’t get this at the time but mainly because I was too busy looking at the great art works. Stand outs included Abigail Reynolds folder paper works with cut outs from a top picture exposing sections of a lower one, a set of 10 lithographs by Chris Ofili and William Blaeu’s map of Bermuda from 1640.   Most novel was a silk scarf shown framed by Pio Abad but there were also two rugs by Miro and ceramics by Picasso. Closes 15 August 2021

Fascinating exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery on the life and work of Eileen Agar. I hadn’t known Agar’s work before a small show a few weeks ago and was intrigued to see more. I hadn’t realised she was another product of the Slade in the 1920s but in 1925 she turned to surrealism and destroyed all her work to that date. I’m not always a fan of surrealism but these works had a real sense of fun and joy about them. It was nice to have at least one of the works she showed at the International Surrealism Exhibition in London in the show. I loved the picture of Picasso she painted called “The Muse of Construction” based on a photograph of him on a beach. It was interesting to see a gallery devoted to her photography, in which she recorded the shapes in the natural world and small assemblage sculptures made from found objects. I was intrigued to see that she was a friend of Lee Miller. Her war years were interesting, staying in London, being a fire watcher and volunteering at a ...

Fun exhibition at the National Maritime Museum of portraits of Royalty from the late 15th century to the present day. Most of the works in the show were from the National Portrait Gallery which is currently closed for refurbishment and this was a great way to show the pictures during this time. Every monarch was represented and interestingly it not only includes wives and husbands but also mistresses and favourites. It would make a great history lesson for children in the summer holidays. It was lovely to see these, mainly familiar pictures, in different surroundings and be able to get close enough to study the details. It was also fun that coins and stamps were included. In the modern section it was a chance to show more photography than at the National Portrait Gallery before the closure so there were a number of pictures I didn’t know. Closes 31 October 2021 Review Evening Standard      

Useful online lecture form the National Gallery introducing us to the new exhibition at the gallery reuniting five pictures of Königstein by Bernardo Bellotto from 1756-8. Letizia Treves, the curator of the show, talked us through the life of the artist who was the nephew of Canaletto and trained with him. In fact Bellotto’s nickname also became Canaletto and there is sometime confusion over their works. She showed us some of his earlier work from Venice, Turin and Florence. She explained how he moved to Dresden and was commissioned to paint the city by Augusts III, the Elector of Saxony, including these views of the fortress which were possibly never delivered due to the Seven Years War. Finally she talked us through the five pictures, pointing out some the finer details and explaining the function of some of the buildings. I really look forward to going to this show particularly now I know more about it.  

Joyful exhibition at Tate Modern on the life and work of Sophie Taeuber-Arp painter, crafts professional, interior designer, performer and more. This was such a colourful show and from the first room I got a real sense of friendships, loyalty and creativity in all forms. The show was dominated by Taeuber-Arp’s geometric abstract paintings often based on the gird structure of textiles. It also looked at how these designs moved into her craftwork and interior design. There was a fun display of her puppets for the play “King Stag” which were delighting various children when I was there. It was wonderful to see so many of them there alongside the set designs. These were shown in a room with Dadaesque heads, examples of her wood turning and lovely beaded bags. I loved the room on her interior design work particularly her work on her own home at Clamart near Paris. I wanted the simple book shelves made in brightly coloured stackable units. It was also nice to see the stained-glass wor...

Enlightening online lecture from the Wallace Collection looking at the collecting of Flemish painting in France on the 18th century and the influence of that on French art. Christopher Vogtherr from the Prussian Palaces and Gardens in Berlin explained how Flemish art started to enter the French royal collection mainly via the portrait artists they employed such as Rubens and Frans Porbus the Younger culminating in the commissioning of the great Marie de Medici cycle from Rubens. A greater variety of work entered the collection under Louis XIV mainly via still-lives and battle pictures. However on his death this increased and a series of other major collections started to emerge which features Flemish art on an equal footing with Italian. Though these collections Vogtherr talked about Roger de Piles principles of hanging art choosing work through the power of the painting not the subjects or schools and the development of the idea of the three schools of art, Italian, Netherlandish...

Fascinating online discussion from the British Museum discussing why the dispute between Henry II and Becket was important and its relevance today. The fascination of this talk came from the speakers, Rowan Williams, previous Archbishop of Canterbury and Rose Hudson-Wilkin, previous chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and now Suffragan bishop of Dover ably chaired by Naomi Speakman, Curator of the current British Museum exhibition on Becket. What better placed speakers to talk about church and state in modern Britain as they have lived it most directly. Williams shed light on the nuanced issues of the time and claiming Becket lost the battle but won the war as one of the principles of Magna Carta was “let the church be free”. He also talked about how in current times the church has to follow state law, such as shutting churches during Covid, but that this can be a tension. Hudson-Wilkin talked about being a member of the clergy at the heart of parliament and talked ab...