London buses. There used to be an expression along the lines of “you wait ages for a red bus and then two come along together. I feel a little like that with “stick man” art. Having enjoyed the A R Penck show at The Ashmolean, my next trip was to Tate Liverpool for Keith Haring….
A R Penck – Oxford
The Ashmolean in Oxford occasionally holds free small exhibitions, which are always worth a visit. On my recent visit (The Forest Fire) I caught up with A R Penck. The exhibition ‘I Think in Pictures’ is the first UK show of this distinctive, energetic artist for nearly thirty years. A R Penck is, of course,…
More on The Forest Fire
More on the The Forest Fire, my Painting of the Month, by Piero di Cosimo in The Ashmolean, Oxford Much has been written of this Renaissance masterpiece. The gallery notes attributes the theme to a reading of De Rerum Natura (on Nature), an epic first century poem by the Roman, Lucretius. The theme of the…
Piero di Cosimo – The Forest Fire
The gift or discovery of fire has fascinated all manner of prehistory, mythological and cultural investigation from the cave dwellers to Disney (Baloo the bear). And it is the subject of my Painting of the Month for August. The Ashmolean has a great collection of artefacts including some iconic Renaissance panel paintings. The Forest Fire…
Lanzarote – César Manrique
César Manrique, more than anyone else, is responsible for the low rise, consistently welcoming, settlements on Lanzarote. His influence as architect & politician is felt across the island; the low rise white plastered houses with green or blue window furniture are the norm. Born in Arricife in 1919, he studied architecture and art in New…
Oxfordshire Artweeks 2019
I have updated the Oxfordshire Artweeks 2019 page. That completes that exhibition and time to start thinking ahead for 2020.
White Box – New Format
The White Box Art Channel has a new format. Hopefully navigation should be easier and the posts more direct, with opportunity to read more as you wish. Let me know?
Barbican – Lee Krasner
The Barbican Art Gallery in East London, I always think, is a difficult place to find, with all the other events taking place at the Arts Centre. And when inside I always find it odd that you start the tour at a point half way round the gallery. That having been said the exhibitions are…
The Manneporte (Etretat) – Monet
Etretat on the Normandy coast features in my Painting of the Month for July. Monet painted this cliff eighteen times on various visits to the seaside resort. This one, the closest, was either painted in an illusionistic way or he braved a very rough sea in a dinghy to get this close. Monet shows us…
Cluny Abbey – Cathy Oakes
Cluny Abbey reminds me that I have not said or written much about romanesque art for a while, which is a shame. It was one of my favourite areas of historical architecture. I believe, also, that it was the monasteries and the romanesque building and sculptural programme which allowed Europeans to take the first tentative…
