Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) is one of the greats from my youth. Understanding the solar system was well established by the time I went to school, so it was hardly pioneering science anymore. But understanding the history of how people like Copernicus and Galileo took their investigations away from the flat earth centric zealots of the…
Five Hundred year old Stained Glass in Gloucestershire
Stained Glass. One of the great media in the history of English painting, albeit much of the glass was actually foreign. The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries produced some of the most important glass in our national collection but much of it was destroyed in the various wars and iconoclasts since. The Great Cathedrals provide the…
Value or Devalue
Ed Sheehan is a truly great superstar. As a singer songwriter there is no match in recent years. So I was interested in his recent sale which raised £400,000 to support children and young people with disabilities and life-limiting illnesses. A brilliant and thoroughly worthwhile achievement. The Ed Sheehan: Made in Suffolk Legacy Auction contained…
November Painting of the Month – Remembrance
Remembrance Sunday is such an important event in our calendar. Not for its reference to war but to remember and honour human sacrifice. Even with our troubled present we are fortunate in Europe for those who paid the highest price for our freedom and Liberty. The Imperial War Museum has a wonderful collection of art…
Vermeer in Dresden in 2021
The Semper Gallery in Dresden has announced a super exhibition for 2021. Open from 19th March until 27th June, the exhibition will be displaying twelve Vermeer paintings in its recently refurbished galleries. In addition will be works by other Dutch greats such as Pieter de Hooch and Gerald Dou. Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) is one of…
Pershore’s Crusader Tomb
Medieval tomb carvings. This time twelve months ago we were enjoying the autumn term studying the tombs of the Doges and other notables in the wonderful churches of Venice. It seems appropriate for me to celebrate the anniversary with a look at an interesting English carving. Pershore Abbey has a rich history and is home…
The Printed Line – Worcester
The Printed line exhibition was one of the casualties of the earlier lockdown in Inverness. I read the information and thought that would have been a really good visit. Imagine my pleasure then on returning home To see it was exhibiting at Worcester. Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is not normally one of my…
Mary Quant – Dundee
Mary Quant, the iconic fashion designer, is the subject of my new header image and marks a move away from my normal views of paintings, sculpture and architecture. This area of display is moving very much into the world of art and its appreciation, and marks a new direction for me. The Sixties was a…
October Painting of the Month
Renoir’s Dance at the Moulin de la Galette is one of those chocolate box paintings that is sometimes easy to ignore. This masterpiece of French Impressionism, however, is my choice for October and a little reminder of the fun of large gatherings enjoying flirting and dancing. George’s Rivière, Renoir’s friend and biographer, claimed the painting…
Victoria and Albert – Dundee
Dundee was our last visit in Scotland before heading South. The Design Museum on the waterfront was our destination. Having visited the Similar regeneration culture centres at Bilbao and Wakefield in recent years this looked a good opportunity for a comparison – more later. The Victoria and Albert’s Scottish outpost is based in a gorgeous…
