Cathy's Art Diary

Fascinating series of short online talks from the British Museum looking at life at the fort of Vindolanda. The event was linked to the current exhibition “Legion” and brought together an interesting collection of speakers to talk about the fort. Guy de la Bedoyere kicked things off by looking at the function of forts and the types of people that would be found there. Barbara Burley, director of the Vindolands Trust outlined the layers of archaeology on the site and spent some time talking about the writing tablets which have been found and what they can tell us about everyday life. Finally novelist Adrian Goldsworth looked at how he has taken the facts from these, such as a birthday invitation, and used them to build stories of the fort and its place in the Roman world.

Interesting online lecture from the National Gallery to mark International Women’s Day looking at how women artists have supported other women artists. The discussion between Amy Mechowski and Jon King started by looking at Rosa Bonheur and how she mentored her female partners who were also artists. They also used her to look at how difficult it was for women to train as artists until the late 19th century. They also looked at Adelaide Labille-Guiard and Louise Vigree le Brun and how society set them up as rivals in the 18th century. They also looked in detail at Labille-Guiard’s self-portrait with two of her pupils. They came up to date by looking at some of the artists in residence in the gallery and what they have done to rebalance the collection.  

Fascinating exhibition at the National Gallery introducing the shortlisted candidates for art works for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in 2026 and 2028. I always try to see this show and vote for my favourite and love seeing how the ideas translate into a finished work. You have to remember that the maquettes are just concepts and not the detail of how they will be achieved or will finally look. In previous years you have voted for two and I picked two only to find this time you got one vote. My vote went to Thomas J Price’s “Ancient Feelings”, a dramatic, huge, gold head of a woman. I love Price’s with and would love to see it writ large in a public space. I was disappointed not to be able to vote for Andra Ursuta’s untitled work which presented a   hollow, life-sized equestrian statue covered in a shroud. It would be decided at a future date with statue would be used as the base. I thought it set up an interesting dialogue with other works in the square. I was unsu...

Interesting exhibition at Canada House of prints from pictures by Ningiukulu Teevee reflecting stories told by the Inuit people of Canada. The commentary explained how her drawings have been translated into prints for the Kinngait annual print collections. The studios there have produced an annual print collection every year since 1959. I loved the clarity of the work and the descriptions helped to me to understand the stories that had inspired them. It was interesting to read how stories had been shared across different areas and I found some of them similar to British and Irish stories such as that of the kelpie translated here into a fox. I loved this image based on the story of the owl and the Raven. When you look you can see that the head of the owl is actually a raven. Closes 1 June 2024  

Charming small exhibition at the Wallace Collection of watercolours by J.M.W. Turner and Richard Bonington. There were just ten pictures in the show but they were beautiful and delicate. The commentary was well and clearly written covering the techniques used as well as the stories behind the pictures. I loved the pictures of Venice by Bonington, an artist I had not come across before. He was based in France and was known to admire Turner. As well as the Venice works there were pictures of Normandy. The four Turner pictures were of Yorkshire and were all done for the brother-in-law of his friend   Walter Fawkes, with who he spent holidays in the county. They felt like his version of holiday photographs and included the two men in the landscapes.   Closes 12 May 2024 Review Evening Standard

Charming online interview from the Victoria and Albert Museum with the costumier John Bright. Bright was interviewed by curator and film historian Keith Brodwick and they went through Bright’s career starting with BC costume dramas but with an emphasis on the work he did on Merchant Ivory films. He talked about how he uses vintage pieces where possible. He did this work via his company Cosprop which he wet up in 1965. They discussed collaboration with actors so it was fascinating that Helena Bonham-Carter joined the conversation to talk about the importance of the clothes to building a role and the process of working with Bright on a number of films including “A Room with a View”. The talk ended by looking at Bright’s recent charity work and the creation of the Bright Foundation to bring art education to young people with a theatre and museum space in Hastings.

Fascinating online lecture from ARTscapades looking at how art in 19th century France reflected the politics of the time. Lois Oliver, a curator at the Royal Academy and guest lecture at the Courtauld, took us through the paintings that were shown at the salon in Paris from around the 1830s and the political implications of some of the works. Not having studied this period it was all ideas which had passed me by. She concentrated on the work of Alexandre Antigne, Gustave Courbet, Jules Breton and his daughter Virginie Demont-Breton,   Jean Francois Millet and Rosa Bonheur. A couple of the artists were new to me and I’ll be looking out for them in the future. I was particularly fascinated by the art of the Second Republic from 1848 to 1852 when so much seemed to be happening and who knew there could be so much politics in gleaning!  

Thoughtful exhibition at the Royal Academy addressing the links between the academy and colonialism. I’d worried this would be a woke, one dimensional show but it was backed up with some fascinating research on the founders and history of the academy alongside contemporary works which commented on the issues raised. I love the way the first few rooms were weighted towards the early works and organised by the art genres of the time. There were some iconic pieces. I’ve done a number of online talks that have referenced “Watson and the Shark” by John Singleton Copley so I was very excited to see it in the flesh. From the first, elegantly hung room of portraits I was hooked. As you moved into the later rooms the contemporary art started to take centre stage again with iconic pieces such as Lubiana Himid’s “Naming the Money” and Issac Julien’s wonderful video "Lesson’s of the Hour” on Frederick Douglas. I  came away buzzing with ideas and lots of nuances to think about. Clos...

Neat little exhibition at the Royal Academy of preparatory drawings for Lubiana Himid’s large installation work. The large work of 100 cut out figures is in the “Entangled Lands” show in the other side of the building. Each figure represents an imagined, forgotten Black figure with a rhyme on the back about who character had been and who they were made to become. It’s a work I have seen parts of many times. These preparatory studies paired a sketch with a collaged version of a figure. They were in the same bright palette of the final work and it was interesting to see her working through ideas. I was interested to see that this was Himid’s diploma work on her admission to the academy. Closes 16 June 2024  

Interesting exhibition at the Royal Academy to make Lord Leighton’s “Flaming June” on loan. I assumed the show would just be the picture, but they used it talk about Leighton’s technique and process and showed it with his small sculptures he used to create compositions and sketches for the the picture. It was also used to demonstrate the long running art historical debate on the whether sculpture or painting is the superior art form. As ever it was lovely to see the work, on loan from Puerto Rico, 128 years since it was shown in an annual Royal Academy show. I last saw in it 2017 when it was shown at Leighton House. It is an iconic picture and I love how it sits within its beautiful frame but I was surprised at how rough some of the finish was on the drapery. Closes 12 January 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph

Fascinating exhibition at the Royal Academy bringing together works on paper by Impressionist artists. There was a lovely selection of works in a variety of medium including pastels, watercolours and drawing. I also spotted a number of artists I’d not come across before such as Federico Zandomeneghi so I have lots of look up. Because it was quite busy and the works were closely hung, I found myself having some good conversations as I went around. Closed 10 March 2024 Reviews Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard

Beautiful exhibition at Hauser & Wirth pairing two pictures by Frank Bowling to mark his 90th birthday. The two works came from 1973 and now and were of a similar large scale and colour palette but demonstrated how his technique had changed. Both showed a love of the fluidity of paint. The new work “Thanks to Water” had a feeling of a pink Monet lilies painting and made me feel calm yet energised. I’ve been fascinated since to read about the technique used from soaking the canvas in water and paint then applying pink and gold paint with a mop like a performance work. This was a new way of working for him which is remarkable at 90. Closed 16 March 2024

Bright and bold exhibition at Hauser & Wirth of new work by Uman. I’m not sure I understood the work but I loved the effects of these large pictures in the white space. The blurb says they “fluidly navigate in-between realms to explore both the physical and spiritual”. I particularly liked the two inset with mirrors which bring the room and the viewer into the piece. Closed 30 March 2024

Surprisingly good exhibition at Tate Modern on the art of Yoko Ono. It is difficult to show conceptual art in exhibitions, particularly when there is a performance or interactive element, but this exhibition succeeded in giving a flavour of events and planting their ideas in a way that does make you think and participate. The show worked in participation well. Some of the actions were taken up enthusiastically, like the room at the end where you were invited to take a blue pen and add to it and tables to play all white chess, but some others weren’t so popular like the being in a bag or the shaking hands through a hole in a wall. I felt a bit sorry for the attendants with the latter two. I loved the idea of Ono’s instruction pieces putting out an idea for artists and us to take up in some way. I thought I’d find the ‘peace’ pieces a bit vapid but actually I found them simple and profound. I loved the two acorns she sent to every world leader to plant for peace on her marriage to...

Strange exhibition at Eden Assanti of new work by Jenkin van Zyl. These were weird sci-fi like drawings which I gather from the blurb were part of “world-building that occurs within fringe subcultural communities”. It’s not an aesthetic that appeals to me and I didn’t get a lot from them. I did however like some of the frames which had added detail like switches and the ring pulls from fuzzy drinks. Closed 9 March 2024

Interesting exhibition at Edel Assanti of new sculptures by Oren Pinhassi. The works were made of burlap and sand.   Each stood like human figures on a rock but took on more amorphous shapes. They worked well as a group but I’m not sure how they would work on their own. I would like to have seen them in an outdoor space where they would have had a good dialogue with the space around them. Closed 9 March 2024

Charming exhibition at Gillian Jason Gallery of new work by Collette LaVette. This work was part of a trend for art inspired by the Rococo. Having recently done a course on Poussin I also felt it had a feel of him. From the blurb I think the work was meant to be more edgy than that but my art historic eye couldn’t get beyond the aesthetic. I was interested to read that LaVette used all natural pigments for the work which made them more muted that the Rococo. They also had a more out of focus quality. I particularly liked the recurring theme of a tiger. C losed 2 March 2024  

Beautiful exhibition at the Hayward Gallery of contemporary sculpture which is inspired by movement, fluidity and growth in nature. There were 21 artists in this show and from the first work by a group called Drift which had amoeba like light shades elegantly dancing from the ceiling I was hooked. I was surprised how much if the work I recognised from going round the private galleries such as Marguerite Humeau’s sculpture like a huge fungi of beeswax and Ruth Asawa’s basket like hangings. I loved Michel Blazy’s “Bouquet Final” which created bubbles from a scaffold which gently grew and waved in the draught and the colours of Jean-Luc Moulene’s glass work. Oh and now about a neon rollercoaster? Closes 6 May 2024 Reviews Times Guardian  

Interesting exhibition at the National Theatre of work by Amelia Lancaster. Lancaster had taken photographs of the theatre and its Brutalist architecture then simplified it down to light and shade to paint making geometric abstracts with were still recognisable as the building. I particularly liked mid-stage work which was projected onto the textured walls. Closes Autumn 2024 Review Guardian

Engaging exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of portraits in charcoal by Frank Auerbach. These were exquisite works from early in his career where the heads seemed to look out of the darkness with a ghostly quality. Close to they had a ragged feel but as you moved away beautiful faces emerged. The commentary was fascinating saying how he made them by drawing the figure over a number of hours then rubbing it out and drawing over it. He repeated this until he was happy with the image. Often, he rubbed them out so many times and vigorously that the paper tore and he patched it. This had the effect of making the people look broken. I loved the fact that he drew the same people again and again, with this show featuring his friends Stella, the artist Leon Kossoff, his cousin Gerde Bohem and his wife Julia. My favourite however was a self-portrait from 1958 which was beautifully drawn and pulled you across the axis of the two rooms to look at it. It had a Rembrandt like quality of in...

Surprising exhibition at Somerset House examining the aesthetic of cuteness. The show looked at the growth of this aesthetic since the start of the internet with the blurb saying “it helps us to process a complicated world”. It discussed the ambiguity of cute being both vulnerable but also subversive. The ground floor looked at the growth of the phenomenon from pre-internet examples like the cat paintings of Louis Wain to the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty. Upstairs blended contemporary artists responses to the idea with themed displays of toys, publications and fashion. Themes included how cute can be used to soften something that is unpalatable, how it can transform the monstrous and cuteness as an emotional response. I must admit going in half term wasn’t the best choice as it was overrun by children, a number of them dressed in the aesthetic, and I’m not sure they were appreciating the nuisances, but I did overhear discussions about what people found cute. I also suspect ...

Useful online lecture from ARTscapades introducing the exhibition of the same title at the Royal Academy. Dorothy Price, one of the curators of the show, which explores the role of the Royal Academy in the Empire and slavery from its foundation to today, guided us through the themes and some of the key works. As this is quite a complex show it was really useful to have had this introduction when I then visited the show a week or so later. Price outlined the curatorial principles of the show and the key questions they were based on. She then took us through room by room. As an art historian, I suspect she had been more involved in the earlier rooms as they took up the majority of the talk, but they also addressed some of the more complex issues and laid the foundation for the more reflective later rooms. The talk was followed by an excellent Q&A session covering how they had worked with contemporary artists in the show, what works they would have liked to have included but co...

Strange installation at the Now Gallery by Irish fashion designer Robyn Lynch. This is the gallery’s annual fashion commission where it gives a designer a platform to give insight into their practice. The work featured two spaces created by an inflatable structure. One highlighted the creative process with photographs of things which had inspired Lynch and some mocked up garments ready to send to the manufacturer. The second stage had a video on the labels practice but, at 29 minutes long, I’m afraid I didn’t have time to commit. I’m afraid I found the piece a bit incomprehensible and would have liked a bit more written explanation. I did quite like the av presentation which took your image and applied items from the label’s collections and zany heads. Closed 25 February 2024  

Excellent exhibition at the British Museum looking at life in the Roman Army. Don’t be put off by the early, obvious targeting at children, using the Horrible Histories rat. The show strikes a good balance between a clear and personal narrative, following the career of a real soldier, Claudius Terentianus, whose letters home survive, with fantastic and significant objects. Inevitably it is the small, personal items which are most engaging and moving and I loved the use of tombstones as a way of telling some of the individual stories. I also liked the use throughout of images from Trajan’s column. Favourite objects included the only surviving Roman long shield and a lovely tomb showing how they were used. I have to give a shout out for almost the last object in the show which was a hoard of coins, equivalent to the value of a soldiers pension, found in my home town of Didcot. I was moved by the bell of a mule which would have carried the goods of a cohort who shared a tent. Its...

Comprehensive small exhibition at the British Museum looking at antique gems and the history of the museum’s collection. For a small show this exhibition covered a lot of ground. It had some beautiful examples but also talked about how the gems were faked and included those. It talks about collecting in the Renaissance and 18th century with a focus on the collection of Charles Townley which was sold to the museum in the early 19th century. There is also a section on the recent thefts from the museum which had included gems and some of those which have been recovered were there. It talks about how this has prompted a major project to catalogue and record the gems in the collection which has not been done before. Closes 2 June 2024

Interesting online study day from the London Art History Society on Picasso. Jacqueline Cockburn took us through Picasso’s life highlighting four key periods. It was clear and well-illustrated but I felt I would have liked even more to fill the gaps. We started with his early life in Malaga and Barcelona, looking at what a good draughtsman he was and how some of the subjects he started painting then continued throughout his life. I hadn’t realised how much his family had moved around in his youth. We then moved to the early years of his life in Paris Including the death of his friend Casagemas and the effect that had on his art, bringing in the blue period leading to “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and Cubism. After lunch we moved on to his muse Marie-Theresa Walter. This was my favourite section as we were taken through the different ways he approached her as muse at different periods of their relationship. We ended with his series of works from the 1950s examining and deconstructi...