Cathy's Art Diary

Stunning exhibition at the Royal Academy to show this cartoon by Daniel Malise for his picture of the Battle of Waterloo in the House of Lords. This cartoon was huge, taking up 10 panels and was shown in a curved display so you felt surrounded by all the faces and action. The quality of the drawing was stunning. Everywhere you eye landed there was something else to see. It was also good that you could get up close and look at the detail such as a tourniquet on an arm. Malise had drawn this when the battle was still in living memory so he had interviewed veterans and taken a lot of care to make it historically accurate. It was shown with some French prints of the time including a set with a similar feel by Rospina showing a frieze of the Feats of Napoleon. This was a fitting last Waterloo piece to see in this anniversary year! Closes on 3 January 2016 Review Telegraph

Delightful display at the Foundling Museum looking at the effects of the Napoleonic wars on the Foundling Hospital. One case looked at two foundlings who had fought at Trafalgar one of whom, George King, had written a memoir of his life. The other case looked at Waterloo. After the battle the government had asked the hospital to waive their usual admissions policy to allow in any children whose fathers had been killed in the Battle however in the end only three women seem to have applied. I’d love to more of the story of one who said she had been ‘seduced by a soldier’ who was then killed in the battle! There is a novel in that!

Fascinating exhibition at the Hermitage Amsterdam looking at the relationships between Napoleon Bonaparte, his wife Josephine and Tsar Alexander I. The first room looked at their friendship and the start of Josephine’s collection at Chateau de Malmaison. The main room then looked in detail at Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and his defeat there with the retreat from Moscow. Needless to say it was all very War and Peace. I loved the display of weapons in the centre of the room including some which turned. I find displays of guns and swords dry but his made them into an installation in their own right and yet had all the detail anyone who was really interested might need. I also liked the display of uniforms from both sides against a red background. Upstairs looked at Alexanders entry into Paris and how he won over the Parisians. He formed an unlikely affectionate friendship with Josephine and acquired much of her art collection on her death which is why it is the Hermita...

Delightful exhibition at Somerset House of photographs by Sam Faulkner of Waterloo re-enactors. I know it sounds odd but this show had a real sense of majesty and destiny! The pictures had been taken since 2009 at various Waterloo re-enactments in a improvised studio. They were shown in a large format like an art gallery and hung against a background of red Hainsworth fabric, which was the material British uniforms were made from which gave the name of Red Coats.   The chandeliers in the room had been bagged giving it a slightly feeling of the Waterloo Ball from Vanity Fair. The detail of the recreation and photography of the uniforms was stunning and it was easy to forget that these were not early 19th century soldiers but happy modern geeks! Despite the detailed and lovely uniforms you really focused on the faces.   Since seeing this show I have seen a set of photographs of veterans of Waterloo in their original uniforms and there was a real dialogue between the...

Lovely exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looking at The Duke of Wellington, the men who served with him and his family and friends to mark 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo. There was a nice cross section of portraits of Wellington so you could see him age as you moved through the show. I liked an early one by John Hoppner from about 1795 which had a matching picture of his brother who was Governor General of India. I had not realised that Wellington had been based in India. Of course I loved the Goya which had a wall to itself and I was interested to read how Goya had to keep revisiting it to paint on more medals! I liked the section on the Peninsular War which was based on soldiers sketches particularly Edmund Wheatley’s delightful illustrated diary created for his sweetheart who he later married, the last line was “Never think I have forgotten you”! I also liked Thomas Heaphy’s set of portraits of the generals from the war painted as studies for a larger ...