Cathy's Art Diary

Excellent online lecture from ARTscapades comparing the work of Anselm Kiefer and Vincent Van Gogh. Although the talk was instigated by the current exhibition of the same title at the Royal Academy, Ben Street made it more than a description of the show and instead developed a clear and well thought out discussion of the similarities in the artists work despite working about a century apart. He explained how Kiefer, the contemporary artist, has always responded to Van Gogh’s work from his first trip out of German using a travel grant to retrace Van Gogh’s travels in Europe. He spent time comparing works by both artists and tracing the links. He discussed the concept of ‘deskilling’ in art as well as how both artists view the role of artists. My favourite section looked at how we view older art with contemporary eyes bringing to it events which have happened since the work was painted. For example how can we look at Van Gogh’s painting of his boots without thinking of the image...

Stunning exhibition/installation at White Cube Bermondsey by Anselm Kiefer. Inspired by the layers in the book Finnegan’s Wake, the work filled the space starting with the corridor of the gallery packed with shelves with an eclectic mix of objects which catch your eye. It had an atmospheric and claustrophobic feel. This opens onto four rooms. The first had an immense painting with you gradually realise has figures at your level walking towards you. This was shown with a great pile of sand with discarded shopping trolleys. Another room was arranged in a similar way to the corridor but was lighter with the shelves facing to the very high ceiling and objects looming over you from the top. My favourite room had a set of amazing landscapes packed with trees and with gold skies. They had a real sense of the sublime. The paint was thick and you could still smell it. I have no idea what it all meant but I loved it! Closed 20 August 2023        

Stunning exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey of new work by Anselm Kiefer. From the wonderful main corridor lined with 30 vitrines, boxes filled with a collage of painting and sculpture, I was grabbed. Each box work as a standalone work but the whole became an installation. The detail of each was different and I particularly liked the ones with gold backgrounds. From the corridor you fed off into the side rooms which were mainly dominated by huge landscapes. My favourite was “Ramanujan Summation 1/12”, a huge piece in a room of its own, which worked like a modern altarpiece. There was a complex explanation of it but I saw a First World War battlefield with rows of posts and explosions. I stood in front of it with a sense of awe. I loved the three “Superstrings” pictures, great wide landscapes, with paths leading to a horizon. They made me feel very positive and lifted, however the description described them a devastated landscapes, so maybe I was just in an optimistic ...

Fantastic exhibition at White Cube, Bermondsey of new work by Anselm Kiefer. I loved the contrast in this show between the dark, oppressive lead lined installation areas and the bright white spaces for the large scale pictures. Your first view was a dark dormitory with beds down the sides complete with lead bedding. Your eye was drawn to the end a photograph of the back of figure walking away from you. This was a really oppressive and yet beautiful space. The mood was enhanced by the health and safety sheet you were handed before you went in to warn you not to touch the lead! Off this to the right of this corridor were other dark installation spaces. I loved the room which seemed to recreate his studio with lengths of film, more lead sheets, burnt objects in safes and more things than your eye could take in. If you turned into the rooms to the left you were greeted by white spaces which a mix of sculptures and large scale paintings. One room just had a spiral staircas...