Cathy's Art Diary

Gem of an exhibition at Franses of tapestries owned by Henry VIII on loan from a private collection. It was stunning to see tapestries in such good condition and to realise how bright the colours were and the detail they showed. The level of scholarship was fascinating too with excellent descriptions explained where they hung, why they were commissioned and how they were recorded in the inventory of Henry’s possessions on his death. The foyer has some small works including a tapestry of leaves inspired by the New World which had hung in Lady Elizabeth’s Guardrobe and a table carpet possibly made by Maria of Austria. You see table carpets in so many Tudor portraits but I’d never seen on in real life before. The main room had three impressive large tapestries. My favourite was one of St Paul directing the burning of heretic books, part of a set commissioned from Pieter Coecke van Alest for Henry in 1538-9. The iconography was showing that there was a biblical precedent f...

Wonderful exhibition at the National Gallery of a new tapestry by Chris Ofili. The tapestry is a triptych called “The Caged Bird Song”. It is a colourful piece and shown in a large room where the others walls have been decorated with a grey mural by Ofili of temple dancers. It took 2 1\2 years to make and will have a permanent home in the Clothworkers’ Hall. It shows a couple sitting on a sea shore playing music with a cocktail pouring down towards them from the sky. On each side large figures hold back curtains to let you into the scene. The pastoral nature of it reminded me of Giorgione or Manet’s “Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe”. I loved the bright colours and the way the weavers have reproduced the effects of watercolour. It is shown with the sketches he made while working out the ideas and the original watercolour which was given to the weavers. There is also a good video about how it was made and describing the symbolism of it which is well worth seeing. Closes...