Cathy's Art Diary

Charming exhibition at Leighton House of drawings in gold by Evelyn De Morgan. I am fond of Evelyn de Morgan’s work although it’s subject matter can be a bit strange and I own a small sketch by her, but I had never come across her rather unique idea of drawing in gold. The show explained her technique well and how she bought ‘cakes of gold’ which she ground down to create gold paint and a type of   crayon which she’d invented. It also explained how, informed by Renaissance mystic and alchemist, Paracelsus, she felt gold was a colour of spiritual salvation. The works were very delicate but at first looked a little dull but when you looked closely you could see the gold shimmering on the surface and giving an other-worldly effect. Closes 27 August 2023 Review Evening Standard  

Interesting one day course from the London Art History Society looking at two married 19th century artistic couples, William and Evelyn De Morgan and Charles and Margaret Mackintosh. Anne Anderson split the day into four lectures with one of each of the characters. All the talks gave a good overview of their art with good illustrations but I’d have liked a clearer narrative. We seemed to spot around their lives a bit and inevitably looking at each of a married couple separately led to some repetition. I did however like the fact they got equal billing and emphasis. I also liked the fact that she included Margaret Mackintosh’s sister. Frances, in the section on Margaret. I did learn new things about all the artists and look forward to seeing more of their work and understanding it better.