Cathy's Art Diary

Intriguing online lecture from London Art Week introducing new research on a 14th century monument near Dijon. I encountered this monumental well in another recent talk and was fascinated by it. In this discussion Alexandra Gajewski, deputy editor of The Burlington, interviewed Susie Nash, from the Courtauld, about an article she was about to have published in the magazine outlining her latest research. The well was in the grounds of a monastery near Dijon and has prophets around the base and Nash has concluded that it was topped by a Crucifix with Mary Magdalene at the feet of Christ. She has also linked the work, commissioned by Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, to the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 in which the sons of many of the French noble families were killed and his son was taken hostage. I enjoyed hearing a clear, well-argued piece of research and would love to read the article which was promised to those who attended the talk but it hasn’t materialised.

Clear and intriguing online lecture from the London Art History Society on the restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral five years after the major fire. Alexandra Gajewski, reviews editor of the Burlington magazine who has a phd in Gothic architecture, led us through what was lost and what survived then the three stages of construction, securing the building, analysis of the fabric and restoration. I hadn’t realised that the site had to be closed for about 5 months early on when it was discovered that the levels of lead were too dangerous to work in the whole structure had to be hoovered to make it safe. I was fascinated to hear how the stonework which survived had to be supported until the roof, which stabilised it was replaced. The first service is planned to take place on 8 December and I will look out for it with interest.

Fascinating study day from the London Art History Society looking at the art of the papacy in Avignon from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century. Alexandra Gajewski from the Burlington Magazine and a specialist on architecture of this period took us though the history of the city in this period looking at how that history influenced art and architecture. I don’t know the city at all and now want to visit. There were some wonderful slides of the papal palace, the remains of the bridge and various chapels from around the city. For a brief half an hour, I may have understood the papal schism, which I never did when studying Medieval history at university! I was fascinated to learn that Simone Martini worked and died in the city and fragments of the frescos he did for the cathedral survive in the museum. Also to see the drawing of Cardinal Jean de la Grange’s tomb which was destroyed in the French Revolution but was probably one the largest and greatest tombs of this period.

Fascinating online tour from London Art Week of an exhibition at Sam Fogg looking at Medieval women as the subject and makers of art. Jana Gajdosova, Medieval specialist at Sam Fogg and Alexandra Gajewski   of Burlington Magazine took us round the show with four brief videos of the installation then picked out specific images to highlight themes. I loved the image of St Avia shown here which would probably have been set in a wall and fascinated to hear about Shrine Madonna’s which open up down the chest to reveal an image, often a Trinity, and fell out of fashion due to the theological contradiction that them implied the Virgin came before all aspects of the Trinity not just the son. They kept mentioning a previous round table discussion which I found on the Sam Fogg website which involved the two speakers from the talk plus Jeffrey Hamburger from Harvard University and Madeline Caviness from Tuft University. This talked more about the themes involved including the idea of who...