Piero della Francesco will always stand out in my memory of studying the History of Art at Oxford University. In the first module of the first term of the Certificate course we listened to the wonderful Mary Acton explaining how to look at paintings. She used a number of themes to illustrate her lectures: composition, space,…
Category: Painting of the Month
Piero della Francesca and the ‘art’ of Looking at Art.
Piero della Francesco will always stand out in my memory of studying the History of Art at Oxford University. In the first module of the first term of the Certificate course we listened to the wonderful Mary Acton explaining how to look at paintings. She used a number of themes to illustrate her lectures: composition, space,…
More on Richard Wilson, Italianate landscape influence and Mountainous Wales
Cader Idris is a very popular mountain, and an enjoyable Painting of the Month, judging by your feedback on Richard Wilson’s eighteenth century painting. It inspired me to do more reading and research on Wilson. As well as meeting Francesco Zuccarelli while in Venice, and being persuaded away from portraiture, it is clear that Claude…
The Welsh Landscape Artist, Richard Wilson – March Painting of the Month
St David’s Day, the 1st of March, is often accompanied by a spell of mild weather, as if if to lull us into believing Spring had arrived. There are nearly always some very cold nights to follow just to check our enthusiasm. But, it is a time of year when we start to notice the…
February Painting of the Month (3) is Renoir’s Dance in the City
Renoir painted three, almost life size, paintings of dance scenes early in 1883, for the art dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel. These paintings mark a change from the artists Impressionist leanings towards the more classical themes of David and Ingres. The third of these, which I have featured in my February “Painting of the Month” is Dance…
Renoir’s Dance in the Country is my second February Painting of the Month.
The Musée D’Orsay on the south bank of the Seine in Paris is home to my second painting of the month for February. Dance in the Country was also painted early in 1883. The artist claims the scene was inspired by his visit to Italy in 1881. It was during this visit that Renoir visited…
February Painting of the Month (1) is Renoir’s Dance at Bougival
Renoir’s Dance paintings of 1883. I thought, for February, I would have three “Paintings of the Month”. My inspiration is Pierre Auguste Renoir, an artist I regularly turn to and his ‘dance’ paintings. My first choice is Dance at Bougival. If there was a painting that evokes great memories for me this is it. Not…
More about the Bayeux Tapestry loan to the U.K.
The Bayeux Tapestry comes to the U.K. next year. In my last post, that you all enjoyed, judging by the feedback, I said the loan would be this year. It is actually planned for 2022. So sorry about that. I am not guilty of peddling Fake News, just happen to have made a mistake. Anyway…
The Bayeux Tapestry and the demise of King Harold in 1066
The Bayeux Tapestry is represented in my new header image. This wonderful example of Norman Romanesque art portrays the story of William of Normandy (The Conqueror) and the English Kings, Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwin. The scenes portray the intrigue of eleventh century politics culminating in Harolds demise at the Battle of Hastings in…
January Painting of the Month
Joseph Wright of Derby’s 1768 painting “An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump” Covid 19. We now appear to be doing the hard yards with the pandemic, rolling out the new vaccine. Science can be so exciting and yet so concerning. My January Painting of the Month emphasises this most brilliantly. Joseph Wright…
