Cathy's Art Diary

Clever and beautiful small exhibition at the National Gallery looking at how David Hockney has been inspired by Piero Della Francesca. It brought together Francesca’s “Baptism of Christ” with two paintings by Hockney from 1977 in which it features, “Looking at Pictures on a Screen” and “My Parents” and hung them like a triptych. It did make you look more closely at all three. They were shown with archive material from the gallery around Hockney’s 1981 exhibition there in which “Looking at Pictures on a Screen” featured and including a letter from him to the gallery requesting private access to Van Gogh’s “ Sunflowers” and permission to photograph art works. I loved the reply from the then director denying the later due to how disruptive it might be. Oh dear I’d just taken at least one picture of each of the works in the show! This also made me think that the title of that “Looking at Pictures on a Screen” means something quite different now! Closed 27 October 2024 Reviews Ti...

Fascinating online conversation from the National Gallery discussing the recent restoration of Piero della Francesca’s “Nativity”. Carlo Corsato from the gallery’s education department interviewed Jill Dunkerton from the conservation department who had been working on the project since early 2020. She took us though earlier restorations and the thinking behind the current one. She explained how a mm of the panel had been lost after panels had been rejoined in the past which had distorted the face of an angel and their lute. This had been filled and the missing paint retouched which had rectified the angel’s squint. She also took us through how, in cleaning the stable, she discovered a patch of light on the wall which is coming through the hole in the roof which one shepherd points to. Talking of the shepherds she also discussed how these were not unfinished as previous thought but just worn. The decision was taken to retouch their faces based on the underdrawing and pounce marks...

Useful online lecture from the National Gallery outlining the life and career of Piero della Francesca. Jo Walton, one of the gallery’s Stories of Art lecturers, look us clearly through the work of this 15th century artist. I know his work fairly well both from the National Gallery a trip to Arezzo and Borgo San Sepulcro a few years ago but it was good to look at the works in detail with some idea of chronological order. She also discussed how for many years Piero was better known as a mathematician rather than an artist but came back to prominence as an artist in the 19th century and then told the story of Captain Tony Clarke who saved the town of Borgo San Sepulcro from extensive bombing in the Second World War as he had read an article by Adolphus Huxley which described “The Resurrection” in the town as “the best picture”.