Cathy's Art Diary

Bold installation in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College by Peter Walker. There were two works in the display. The first in the body of the hall was like eight long lampshades which changed colour and was accompanied by a soundscape by David Harper. They gave a calming effect but I’m not sure I’d have understood the idea from the blurb that they “evoke the complexity of human identity, its fluidity, and its constant evolution.” I preferred the more dramatic work on the dais which reinterprets “The Creation of Man” from the Sistine Chapel by using giant female hands. It dominated the space and drew the eye. I loved the way the shadows of people sharing the space fell across the hands. Closed 25 January 2026

Interesting online book discussion from the National Gallery looking at a recent book on the art of the British Isles. The author, Charlotte Mullins, was ably interviewed by Jacqui Ansell and they began by discussing the various definitions used in the book for what terms are used for the British Isles at various points in history. The author wanted to include Ireland in the mix as for most of the period under discussion it was united with Great Britain so their artistic histories are interwoven. In typing up the talk I realised they then went on to pick works in the gallery’s own collection which were covered in the book. This therefore became a bit of a skip through art history but it did lead to them making the point that much of what we think of as British art has actually been done by immigrants to the country such as Holbein and Van Dyck.