Last week we visited Kew Gardens. This was not our first visit but we concentrated on the Palm House this time as it will soon close for a major refurbishment. Decimus Burton and Richard Turner unveiled this astonishing iron‑and‑glass cathedral of the tropics in London in the 1840s. Even now, the great curving ribs overhead…
The Istanbul Modern
Istanbul is a city we have been meaning to visit for years and we finally arrived a few days ago. But what to write about. The architecture of the old city is amazing from the Byzantine Hagia Sofia to the seventeenth century Blue Mosque. But I have chosen the Museum of Modern Art a few…
Sandro Botticelli and The Birth of Venus
The Birth of Venus could be regarded as one of the most iconic paintings in Western Art, but is not without controversy. I have chosen it as my painting of the month for January for a number of reasons. Firstly it is also iconic for its representation of a new beginning; Venus appears from the sea at…
Happy Christmas from White Box Art
Not quite Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, but nevertheless my Christmas painting for this year. I have always wandered how things of great beauty can become so commercial and, dare I say tacky. And this poor beast has suffered this fate over the years. Sir Edward Landseer already had a reputation for painting and sculpture…
Happy Christmas from White Box Art
Not quite Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, but nevertheless my Christmas painting for this year. I have always wandered how things of great beauty can become so commercial and, dare I say tacky. And this poor beast has suffered this fate over the years. Sir Edward Landseer already had a reputation for painting and sculpture…