Cathy's Art Diary

Enlightening exhibition at Charleston in Lewes looking at the life and work of Walter Sickert with an emphasis on his works on paper. The show followed his work chronologically looking at the role of drawings and print making at the various stages of his career. It also looked at how he repeated images and examined the everyday. There were some paintings, many from Charleston's own collection, but most interesting were the drawings and prints particularly a couple of examples where they were shown together to give an idea of how an image developed between forms. Closes 11 October 2026

Another excellent study morning from Paula Nuttall looking at drawings from the Netherlands in the 15th and 16th centuries to compliment the exhibition at the British Museum. Nuttall talked us thought the reasons why drawings were made and the techniques and materials used. She spent a lot of time talking about how drawings were used in artists’ workshops and looked in particular at the nine works by or from the workshop of Roger Van de Weyden. In each case she talked about the function of the drawing and highlighted any paintings which derived from them. We then looked at how drawings were used for work on different media as a design tool covering tapestry, prints, stained glass, sculpture and manuscripts. This was also a useful way of introducing these different media in the period. Finally she looked at the later years when ideas from Italy started to creep into the work from classical ideas to Italian landscapes done by artists on their travels. I had seen the show shortl...

Exquisite exhibition at the British Museum of Netherlandish drawings from 1400 to 1600. I love this period in Northern Renaissance art and this show didn't disappoint. Starting with the early works done as preparatory studies for workshops through to drawings made as works of art in their own right, they were shown with excellent explanations. This initial trip was a fairly quick one but I still managed to photograph most of the works! I'll definitely be going back particularly as I'll doing a course on it in a couple of weeks. The works were beautifully shown in the Print Room Gallery which gives you a shelf to lean on to study the detail, and what a lot of detail there was! I think my favourite was a procession by the workshop of Roger Van de Weyden with stunningly real faces. I also liked two kneeling ladies from the workshop of Hugo van der Goes. From the later period I loved a portrait of a older lady by Frans Pourbus and a print design by Pieter Bruegel the Eld...

Fascinating small exhibition at the British Museum looking at the work of Pierre Alexandre Wille and his circle. The show celebrates the bequest from the dealer and philanthropist Colin Clark which doubled the size of the works held by the museum by Wille who they had been collecting since the 19th century. Willie studied under the genre artist, Jean Baptist Greuze and imitated his style which suited the tastes of the ancient regime but failed to develop as times changed I thought the most striking works were the portraits at the end and I loved this portrait of a man from 1783. He often drew personalities from the Revolution in courtroom sketches. It was an interesting show to have on with the contemporary artist, Ian Hamilton Finlay who responding the same events 200 years later. No end date given

Charming exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of prints and drawings by Wayne Thiebaud to compliment the main show of his paintings. The focus was a series of 17 prints produced as a book and portfolio called “Delights” mainly of food.   A few of them which had been left in the studio were coloured by Thiebaud. They were delicate works often of the same subjects as the paintings but produced as distinct art works. The show also included some of the plates for the prints. Closed 18 January 2026

Enlightening small exhibition at the British Museum of recently acquired drawings by the sculptor Edward Allington. Allington's work was inspired by a fascination with classical antiquity which is reflected in these works. Although known as a sculptor, drawing was at the heart of his practice and expertly links the drawings to known sculptural work. I loved the fact that some of the drawings were done on paper which he had recycled such as an old account ledger and a record shop inventory. Closes 25 January 2026

Charming small exhibition at the British Museum of portrait drawings by a group of late 17th century artists based in London who knew each other. The display marks the acquisition by the museum of drawings by Samuel Cooper and Richard Gibson and they are shown with other works by artists in their circle who include Sir Peter Lely, Charles Beale, son of Mary Beale, and Sir Godfrey Kneller. The images are of family members, friends and servants as well as fellow artists. Most touching was Cooper's drawing of his cousin's infant son who died at a few weeks old. I loved Gibson's delicate drawing of his son-in-law, Michael Rosse, a jeweller and Kneller's of the artist Hugh Howard who he trained with in Rome. Closes 25 January 20

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of drawings by Lousie Bourgeois. The show featured works from the 1960s and highlighted Bourgeois daily practice of drawing. These works come from a period following course of psychoanalysis and a hiatus from the art world. The drawings echo her sculptures on show in another show in the gallery at the time as well as the curves of landscapes and bodies. They also move from a monotone period to using more colour. I didn't find myself responding to the works but I loved the quotes from Bourgeois on drawing such as "the drawings allow me to pinpoint and define anxiety. And to turn it at least into fear." and calling drawing "thought feathers".    Closed 14 September 2025

Charming exhibition at the British Museum focusing on drawings by Watteau from their collection. These were delightful, delicate works. They explained how Watteau would draw the people around him in the streets and reuse and combine the images in his paintings. He also produced finished drawings for collectors. As ever in the print galleries the labels were clearly written and explained Watteau's use of drawing but also used the chronological display to outline his life and career. I felt I came out of the show appreciating Watteau a lot more as I sometimes find the paintings a bit twee. My fact of the day was that he was born in an area of France which had been Flemish and there is a real feel of Dutch genre scenes in his him work. Favourites included this lovely back view and the way he uses the stripes to reflect the shape of the body below and this picture of two maids which he drew when in England for a year. Closed 17 September 2025

Charming exhibition at the Royal Drawing School marking its 25th anniversary. The show featured drawings by artists from across a variety of fields including most of the big names in contemporary art. Each drawing had a thoughtful quote by the artist often about what drawing means to them.  I loved this gentle still live by Jony Ive and it’s always good to see an Antony Gormley. It was fun to include a ‘wire drawing’ by Cornelia Parker as well as a drawing by King Charles III and a drawing of him by Eileen Hogan. I think my favourite aspect was the quotes so I include a selection of them here. Closed 26 July 2025 Review Telegraph Quotes “Drawing is a language I feel I can speak and understand, more than words. With a piece of paper and something as simple as a pencil we can chart, discover, explain and inform, we can create a surprising magic: maps, emotions, illusions and history. A universal language that doesn't need translation."  Ishbel Myerscough ...

Useful online lecture from ARTScapades describing the exhibition of drawings by Victor Hugo at the Royal Academy. I had visited this excellent exhibition a few days before so it was less of an introduction for me and more of a rediscovery. Sarah Lea guided us through the show’s layout highlighting some key works. I must admit didn’t get a lot from the talk which I hadn’t got from the show which was clearly narrated. I would like to have heard a bit more about how the show was put together and what she had learnt from doing it.

Interesting small exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of works on paper by Austrian and German 20th century artists. The show explained these works and the links between artists well and went into some detail on the techniques. There was also a section on the cultural anxiety of around the changing role of women. I think my favourite work was a portrait of Reinhard Piper by Peter Trumm which mimicked the effect of wood grain. I was also interesting to see a printing block made by Kandinsky. Closed 22 June 2025  

Small exhibition at the British Museum celebrating works left to the museum by the dealer, Kirsten Schubert. Schubert left 10 works but has donated a further 45 during his lifetime some of which were also featured. They ranged from modern masters like Picasso and Degas and artists he had represented such as Bridget Riley. I loved this early Riley which is hinting at her abstracted work to come but keeps a recognisable landscape. I also liked this Degas copied after a drawing in the Uffizi. Closed 21 April 2025  

Strange exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery focusing on the drawings of Henri Michaux done under the influence of the drug Mescaline. These were abstract works affected by the taking of a psychedelic drug in 1955. Michaux considered them to be a reflection of the inner workings of the mind and continued to produce work influenced by the experience into the 1960s.   He published various books and a film on the topic. The works themselves were quite repetitive consisting of packed images of fine lines so the more interesting aspect of the show was that it told the history of the use of these drugs in therapy and by artists. Closes 4 June 2025 Review Guardian  

Annoying exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of some of their recent drawing acquisitions. Prepare for more moaning! Why hold an exhibition, even if it’s quite small, in what is basically a corridor? It was hard to step back and look at the works without people walking past or to use the av presentation with more information without being bumped into. That said there were some nice works including one of the Tracey Emin drawings for the new gallery doors, a touching drawing of designer Richard Nicoll by Howard Tangye and Eileen Cooper’s pair of her portraits of herself and Cathie Pilkington. Closes 6 January 2026  

Useful exhibition at the National Gallery focusing on an altarpiece by Parmigianino during his time in Rome. This strange tall picture has been off display for 10 years and has been conserved before this show. My previous blog post was on a curators’ talk on the show which shone a light on the drawings included in the show. The altarpiece is still powerful and people were standing in awe before it. The strange composition and in particular the powerful figure of John the Baptist draws you in. It was lovely to see it with a selection of drawings by the artist, made to work out the composition in a variety of styles. They helped to understand the choices he made. Closed 9 March 2025 Re views Times Guardian  

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of works on blue paper from their collection. The show explained how artists used blue paper to give a mid-tone to drawings and watercolour sketches. It also looked at the different types of blue paper and how it was made. The best aspect was the beautiful works which were on show from a drawing from Tintoretto's workshop to a 20th century piece by Wyndham Lewis. I loved a small Turner landscape and wonderful church interior by Pieter Saenredam from 1634. I was most intrigued at the story with a female nude by Govert Flinck from 1648. It represents one of the earliest documented cases of women posing nude in Western art as a court case from the same year tells us that Flinck painted three sisters "stark naked".   Closes 26 January 2025

Useful online lecture from the London Art History Society looking at the different reasons artists drew in the Renaissance. Grant Lewis from the British Museum proposed that as well as drawing being a way of working out compositions and for use within the studio as artists tried to enhance their prestige they became collectable by patrons. He outlined Vasari’s principle of disegno or design and how being able to see the intellectual thought behind a work became important in raising the status of artists. Lewis showed us how some artists, including Raphael, made works which looked like spontaneous preparatory work but were actually   constructed with underdrawings which were rubbed out. They were playing with these ideals and using the drawings as an act of performance. He also talked about how a market developed for finished drawings with some by Michelangelo talking up to 6 months to produce although he also told us about Luca Cambiaso whose drawings were so popular he set ...

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at the air raid shelter drawings of Henry Moore and how they influenced his later work. I love this sort of small exhibition which not only shows beautiful work but also weaves an interesting argument around them. There was a lovely selection of shelter drawings. I hadn’t realised before that he just sketched and made notes in the shelters out of respect for the people. He worked them up into finished drawings later. I also hadn’t realised that his studio was bombed leaving him unable to make large sculptures during the war so he turned to drawing. The show concluded by looking at two post-war sculptural pieces which were visually influenced by the drawings and included a marquette for the relief wall of the Bouwcentrum in Rotterdam which I hadn’t come across before. Closed 22 September 2024 Review Evening Standard    

Lovely exhibition at the Stephen Friedman Gallery of three series of drawings by Kenturah Davis. These were exquisite drawings on paper embossed with text from various books and essays as well as comments on the process of the work. I loved the texture this gave to the work. Two series were portrait based, one shown in groups and the other in a bespoke frame with mini sculptures built in made by the artist’s partner. I loved the movement in these pictures and the detail in them. The third series showed clouds based on snap shots and were displayed in one room like an installation. Closed 20 July 2024