Cathy's Art Diary

Delightful exhibition at the Natural History Museum of the shortlisted entries in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. There were 100 images arranged in broad categories. The pictures were well displayed, back lit in a large format. Some of the works were amazing studies of patience with the photographers waiting weeks or months to get the shot they want. Each picture has a good commentary telling you about how and where it was taken. There were so many good images it’d hard to pick favourites. I’d include “The Alley Cat” by Nayan Khanolkor of a leopard in an enclosed alley looking right into the camera. Also the work used on the poster of a fox peeping over a wall called “Nosey Neighbour” by Sam Hobson. I liked the gruesome picture of the aftermath of a wildebeest stampede where the dead beasts are being eaten by hyenas and I smiled at “Puddle of Procreation” by Cyril Ruoso of randy frogs as my screen saver is a picture I took of happy frogs in a pond...

Fascinating exhibition at the Natural History Museum which addressed lots of questions about vision. How did it evolve? Do animals see as we do? Without an eye to see it does colour exist? What is the benefit of colour? In my rare philosophical moments I sometimes wonder if we all see colour in the same way or whether we just think we do because we give it words based on comparisons, but this show left me lots more musings! I loved the idea that at the dawn of life the world was monochrome as organisms didn’t have eyes so there was no point in colour. The first vision was just telling light from dark but as eyes evolved behaviour changed to complement this. If your predator could now see you, you had to move more or develop a trick to put them off eating you! I loved the section on seeing colour. Humans just see three colours but our brain integrates these and merges them using memory. Primitive creatures see and receive more colours but only because their brains can’t then...

Excellent exhibition at the Natural History Museum to mark the bi-centennial of Darwin’s birth. This exhibition took you through the process of how Darwin’s theory developed starting with his observations on board the Beagle, though the development of ideas once he was home, publication and the effects of that publication. Finally it took you through what the theory was and how modern scientific discoveries such as DNA have supported it. I found it magical to see the original of Darwin’s tree of life drawn in his own notebook. I also liked the way the start of the exhibition captured his youthful enthusiasm and showed you his observations rather than the conclusions. It blended his professional and personal life well and I liked the recreation of his study at Down House. However probably stars of are the live exhibits Charlie the iguana and the ornate horned frog. I wonder if either of them realise they are in an exhibition! Reviews Times

Wonderful exhibition of wildlife photographs at the Natural History Museum of the best photos in this annual competition. I always mean to go to this annual exhibition but often run out of time. This year are some stunning images in about 14 categories. They are beautifully displayed with back lighting which gives some of the pictures an almost 3D quality. The pictures show a number of things. Some are studies in patience with photographers having waited hours and in some cases months for the image they want of a rare animal. Others are studies in technique or texture. I like the fact you don’t need to have travelled thousands of miles or be intrepid to enter, many of the best images are local to where the photographer lives. My favourite shot was one of a close up of a rain drop on a leaf with another leaf reflected in the drop by Darren Leal. In the same category “In praise of plants” I also like a water lily photographed from below by Frederick Ehrenstrom. Reviews Evening Standard