Cathy's Art Diary

Excellent online course from the London Art History Society looking in depth at the life and work of Nicolas Poussin. Over five weeks and ten lectures Giulia Martina Weston led us thought the themes in Poussin’s work, placing him within the context of his time. The 17th century isn’t a period in art I know very well so as well as learning about the artist I also got a good overview of the art market in Italy and France at the time. I was fascinated by hearing that critics at the time talked about Poussin as the anti-Caravaggio and the New Raphael. I must admit in the Caravaggio v Raphael argument I’m with the former so I felt that explained why I don’t feel drawn to Poussin. Despite not being a fan of Poussin I feel I will now get a lot more from looking at his work as I now understand his philosophy from his Neo-stoicism, his vision of art as poetry and how he used biblical and mythical texts, his repletion of images like the variations in music and use of the antique. We als...

Fascinating online lecture from the National Gallery focusing on the work of the conservation department. Larry Keith, Head of Conservation, talked to us from the studio using Poussin’s “Cephalus and Aurora” from the 1630s which he is working on at the moment as an example for the points he was making. He took us though the history of conservation at the gallery and some early controversies. I was amused to hear of a Parliamentary select committee getting involved in the 1850s which I can’t imagine happening now. We looked at the issues that can occur using this painting to discuss the effect of darkening varnish, how colours change and what to do about tears as this work was damaged by falling slate when it was in storage in the Second World War. He talked about how works are chosen for conservation and the principles by which the gallery works using materials that can be reversed if future generations change their minds about the treatment of a picture.

Joyous exhibition   at the National Gallery examining Poussin’s portrayal of dance in his early work.   Based around the loan of “The Dance to the Music of Time” from the Wallace Collection the show looked at how Poussin often painted dance and movement in work, what the influences for this were and how he achieved it. The pictures and objects were delightful and full of life and colour. The show not only made you smile but gave lots of depth on the works. They had managed to borrow two major influences of the work which Poussin saw in Rome, the Borghese dancers and wonderful huge Roman vase also from the Borghese. I was fascinated to learn that Poussin was instrumental in getting a cast of the dancers for the King of France which was reworked and recast after it was damaged in transit. That version was also on loan from the Wallace Collection. I loved the hanging of four pictures commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635 which include figures from the vase around it. T...

Fascinating morning at the National Gallery on a seminar in their “A Longer Look” series looking at Poussin’s “Adoration of the Golden Calf” led by Jacqui Ansell. I must admit it’s not a picture I’d ever looked at and I often found Poussin a bit dull but I like this series and they always make you look at pictures in a different way. We began by looking at Poussin in this period and why his reputation had ebbed and flowed over the years. We discussed the story of the Golden Calf and how it was told in this picture. I’m not sure I would have spotted the Moses coming down from the mountain in the corner if it had not been pointed out. In the second half we went and sat in front of the picture and decoded it further, moving on to look at other Poussin’s in the same room. I came away wanting to know more about the artist. I loved the complexity of the symbolism, like a big puzzle!