The Big City

Impressive exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery of large paintings from the City of London’s collection.

The show took an interesting approach to the subject. It began with what I had assumed might be the whole show, large scale picture of events in the city from a Lord Mayor’s river procession in the 18th century to the  Queen’s Coronation lunch in the Guildhall. I came across artists I didn’t know such as Terence Cuneo and Frank O. Salisbury who were obviously highly thought of at the time but have fallen out of fashion. I loved the way Cuneo represented everyone as individuals in huge group scenes.

The next section was more unexpected and looks at how artists have chosen large formats to represent ordinary life. It was nice to see a Ken Howard of Cheapside from 1970 alongside an Oliver Bevan from 1995 off disassociated figures on a road crossing.

Next were large panoramic views of the city. I could have looked at the detail in David R Thomas’s 1965 “London from the Top of the Shell  Building” for hours. I liked its strange flat palate while showing every window in the buildings.

Finally it was a clever touch to showcase a large ceiling panels for the decoration of a room in the Guildhall by James Thornhill.

A surprisingly good show blending historic and contemporary art.

Closes 23 April 2023


 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Exhibition 2019

Image
Delightful exhibition at Clarendon Fine Art showing pictures from the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year TV series. I had loved the series which had set nine artists, both professional and amateur, to paint one of three celebrities. It then had a semi-final and final with them all looking at one sitter and in the final they also took on a commission. I loved the way you watched a picture build and how some were then made or spoiled by one stroke of paint.   Finding these pictures I knew so well in the flesh was therefore fascinating. None of them disappointed. My favourite artist from the final, Tom Mead, works looked just as good in real life if not better as you could see the detail. The show included his impressive self-portrait which he submitted to enter the competition, a wonderful fragmented picture of his reflection in a mirror giving a sense of movement. I loved that it included a large version of him and a miniature. His commission for the final of Jazzie B was
Read more

Thomas Becket: Murder and Making of a Saint

Image
Stunning exhibition at the British Museum on the life and afterlife of Thomas Becket. I studied Becket both at A Level and at university so I was really looking forward to this show and it did not disappoint. From walking in to see an old friend, the early Limoges casket showing the murder from the Victoria and Albert Museum, I was gripped. The show told the story well using fantastic objects and led you through his life, the murder, the political aftermath, his sainthood and miracles, and how Canterbury became a major pilgrimage site. It is hard to pick out the best objects as so many were wonderful. I loved that they had early copies of some of the five eyewitness accounts of the murder which made you fell you were almost touching the event. I liked the manuscript on his time in exile which was almost like a comic strip. How wonderful to get a 13th century font from Sweden which shows how far and how quickly the news that Henry II had integrated the murder spread. I think my
Read more

Courtauld summer school day 1

Image
Today has been my first day of this year’s week at the Courtauld Institute’s summer schools. This year I am doing “Painting in Renaissance Venice” which is being led by Michael Douglas-Scott. It was nice to see some familiar faces and there are at least five of us who did Michael’s course last year. Today has been two lectures. Firstly setting out the background of Venice in this period looking at how the city had set up a myth of itself, the role of the Doge. the nature of the Republic and the role of citizens. The second lecture looked at why the nature of Renaissance was different in Venice. There was still a sense of the coming of antiquity and humanism but in Venice it fused with the Gothic and Byzantine rather than replacing it. The day ended with a choice of gallery talks. I went to one on the second floor of the Courtauld on the coming of Modernism. In essence it looked at the Impressionists and discussed what they were reacting against and what themes they portrayed. All in a
Read more