Cathy's Art Diary

Colourful exhibition at Flowers of work from throughout the career of John Bellany, a contemporary artist who died in 2013. These were big bold works many of them influenced by his childhood in a seafaring community. I loved “Silver Crest II” off two fishing boats in a harbour. Some of the works were more symbolic. My favourite, shown here, “Still Life With Mexican Vase” from 1996 was a large still life, at a metre and a half long, and full of colour and interest. Closes 27 August 2022    

Colourful exhibition at Fortnum & Mason of work by John Bellany. This is the second exhibition at the shop and this year they chose to look at an individual artist. This is the first exhibition of Bellany’s work in London since his death in 2013. It’s a great idea to show the work in the shop as it give its an almost domestic setting and it’s fun wandering round with the plan trying to find a all the works. Plus I’m not adverse to a nice ice cream sundae at the end as a reward! The works were big and bright and were engaging pictures of people both his friends and figures from his youth in Scotland. There was a sense of joy and freedom about them. “The Scottish Fish Gutter”, an early work from 1965, was a monumental picture with the fish and their innards forming a colourful almost abstract pattern around the central figure. I loved his homage to Titian in a “Danae Shower of Gold” with himself as the main servant. There were also a few landscapes and I think ...