Poetry, stories and strange odds and ends from the desk of a writer
Maria Bicknell by John Constable, 1816. Oil on canvas. Tate, London, UK Maria Bicknell1816RomanticismOil on canvasTate Britain, London, UK Painted three months before their marriage, Constable kept this portrait of his fiancée with him. It is said to be a remarkable likeness of Maria and the fine detail to Maria’s face contrasts with the loose … Continue reading Maria Bicknell by John Constable
The Assumption of the Virgin by Titian The Assumption of the Virgin1516-18Renaissance, MannerismOil on boardBasilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy On a cloud surrounded by putti, Mary forms the focal point of the composition of this depiction of the ascension of the Virgin into heaven. Her eyes gaze upward to the god … Continue reading The Assumption of the Virgin by Titian
The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog by Thomas Eakins The Artist's Wife and His Setter Dog1884-89RealismOil on canvasCollection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA Eakin’s wife, Susan, is posed in a blue dress sitting in a chair staring out at the viewer with a red -haired dog lying ta … Continue reading The Artist’s Wife and His Setter Dog by Thomas Eakins
Niagara by George Inness Niagara1889NaturalismOil on canvasSmithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., USA A bold work symbolising a stylistic departure for Inness. Niagara is a return to the themes of the great American landscapists, but unlike Frederic Church’s mesmeric hypernaturalism of the Niagara Falls, Inness expresses the power and noise of the falls through expressive … Continue reading Niagara by George Inness
Lackawanna Valley by George Inness Lackawanna Valley1855TonalismOil on canvasThe National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA One of Inness’s earliest works, Lackawanna Valley was produced when he was still a struggling young artist for the first president of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad. He was paid $75 for the composition of a mixture of … Continue reading Lackawanna Valley by George Inness
Second Binding1964Conceptual Art, Feminist ArtCheesecloth stuffed with rags and newspaper, dye, and aluminium foil on canvasJewish Museum, New York, USA An early sculptural work composed of a mass of wrapped, bulbous, stuffed forms dyed black, orange, red, brown and yellow, Second Binding, appears organic and fleshy. One of several sculptural creations created by Ukeles while … Continue reading Second Binding by Mierle Laderman Ukeles
Self Portrait1936PortraitureGraphite on paperCollection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA Self Portrait depicts Tanning looks out at the viewer in a reflective pose in a to the Surrealist drawing that shows her technical skills and attention to detail. An isolated study of the eye is an interesting aspect of the … Continue reading Self Portrait by Dorothea Tanning
Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes by El Greco Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes1597-99MannerismOil on canvasThe National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA A depiction of Mary and the infant Christ seated on clouds in heaven, Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes is a large-scale … Continue reading Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes by El Greco
Homage to Cézanne1900Post-ImpressionismOil on canvasMusée d'Orsay, Paris, France Set in the shop of Ambroise Vallard, an art dealer, a group of artists and painters discuss a seminal work by Cézanne, Still Life with a Fruit-Dish (1850). The painting is intended as a tribute to Cézanne, an artist from an older generation to the painter. Denis … Continue reading Homage to Cézanne by Maurice Denis
Peasants Dancing by Natalia Goncharova Peasants Dancing1910 - 11Neo-PrimitiveOil on canvasNational Gallery of Art, Sydney Australia Peasants Dancing depicts two men and women dancing a Khorovod on the green earth with a backdrop of a dark blue sky. The painting is one of The Vintage composition in Nine Parts depicting the grape harvest. The series … Continue reading Peasants Dancing by Natalia Goncharova
https://youtu.be/0VEHsUlJiBw Rest Energy1980Performance ArtBow and arrow At only four minutes and ten seconds long, Rest Energy is so highly intense that reveals the fragility of the line between life and death. Facing each other, Ulay aims an arrow on a tensioned bow just inches from Abramovic’s heart. Small microphones placed on their chests make their … Continue reading Rest Energy by Marina Abramovic
La Toilette1884-86ImpressionismPastel on paperPushkin Museum, Moscow, Russia Somewhat typical of Degas’ myriad of nudes, and typical of the stylistics that made his body of work controversial, La Toilette demonstrates Degas’ tendency to capture the figure from behind, revealing only a fragment of the figure suggesting the whole. The placement of the subject in shallow space … Continue reading La Toilette by Edgar Degas
Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Guangzhou Opera House2003-10StarchitectureGuangzhou, China Hadid’s first project in China, the Guangzhou Opera House was a result of her success in a design competition. A 1800-seat theatre, 400-seat multifunctional hall, rehearsal rooms, and an entrance hall are contained in the structure of folded glass and polished granite. Hadid likened the … Continue reading Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid
Pére Ubu by Dora Maar Père Ubu1936SurrealismGelatin silver printMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA One of the most iconic photographs of the Surrealist movement, Père Ubu attained fame after its inclusion at the London International Surrealist Exhibition. It is a somewhat bizarre and disquieting figure taking up the entire plane of the picture. An … Continue reading Père Ubu by Dora Maar
Hole by Robert Indiana Hole1960Neo-DadaGesso, oil, wood, and iron wheels on woodPrivate Collection A free-standing sculpture, ‘Hole’ is composed of a wooden rectangular column almost four feet in height; a wooden rod protrudes from ear the base and iron wheels are at both the right and left face of the column. Two arrows, one red … Continue reading Hole by Robert Indiana
Odyssey by Cai Guo-Qiang Odyssey2010Conceptual ArtGunpowder on paper, mounted on wood as 42 panel screensTing Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA At 3 metres high and 50 metres long, Odyssey stretches across four walls of a room. Cai drew inspiration from the classical Chinese … Continue reading Odyssey by Cai Guo-Qiang
Forest of Fontainebleau by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot Forest of Fontainebleau1846NeoclassicismOil on canvasMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA Corot’s tranquil depiction of the Forest of Fontainebleau is complete with bovine inhabitants and a cowherd in the distance as he leads the herd to water. At first glance the painting appears to have been composed on location, but … Continue reading Forest of Fontainebleau by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Nude Descending A Staircase by Marcel Duchamp Nude Descending A Staircase1912SurrealismOil on canvasPhiladelphia Museum of Art: Collection of Louise and Walter Arenberg, USA The painting met with an unfavourable response at the Salon des Indépendants, dominated by Cubist avant-garde who objected to its Futurist leanings. However, it enjoyed a succes de scandale at the Armory … Continue reading Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp
Noyer Indifférent by Yves Tanguy Noyer Indifférent1929SurrealismOil on canvasPrivately owned The provenance of Noyer Indifférent exemplifies the reciprocal play between Surrealism and psychoanalysis. Freud’s protégé, Carl Jung, an important influence on the Surrealists, purchased the work in 1929, when Tanguy was barely known. Jung described the painting as an archetypal sign of the heavens connecting … Continue reading Noyer Indifférent by Yves Tanguy
Disputation of the Holy Sacrament by Raphael Disputation of the Holy Sacrament1510High RenaissanceFrescoApostolic Palace, Vatican City This fresco in the Apostolic Palace is one of four paintings in the room which separately portray philosophy, poetry, theology, and law. The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament represents theology and depicts the occupants of a Catholic Church with … Continue reading Disputation of the Holy Sacrament by Raphael
Maquette for the Advertisement of the Red October Bisquittes1923Advertising DesignGouache on paperThe Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA Rodchenko abandoned painting in 1921, and also many of the traditional attitudes of an artist as a social commentator, He put his talents and skills to the service of the Russian industry and the nascent revolution. … Continue reading Maquette for the Advertisement of the Red October Bisquittes by Aleksander Rodchenko
Notre Dame Cathedral1909Post-ImpressionismOil on cardMusée de l'Orangerie, Paris, France By 25 Utrillo was experimenting with complex motifs and the influence of Impressionism, in particular Monet’s cathedrals, is evident in this painting. An unfinished piece, Utrillo vaguely describes the complex architecture of Notre Dame. Instead the details are obscured as he describes the effect of light … Continue reading Notre Dame Cathedral by Maurice Utrillo
Expulsion from the Garden of Eden by Thomas Cole Expulsion from the Garden of Eden1827 - 28Romanticism, The Sublime in ArtOil on canvasCollection of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Depicting the moment god expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, Cole doesn’t focus on the naked humanity of the couple, dwarfing … Continue reading Expulsion from the Garden of Eden by Thomas Cole
Choir Vault at Santa Maria della Steccata, Parma by Parmigianino Choir Vault at Santa Maria della Steccata, Parma1535-39MannerismTempera on frescoChurch of Santa Maria della Steccata, Parma, Italy Evidence of Parmigianino’s feverish practice by this time of his life, this detail from Steccata showing the wise virgins. A major commission, Parmigianino saw the opportunity to challenge … Continue reading Choir Vault at Santa Maria della Steccata, Parma by Parmigianino
La Joconde aux Cles by Fernand Léger La Joconde aux Cles (Mona Lisa with Keys)1930SurrealismOil on canvasMusée National Fernand Léger, Biot, France One of Lèger’s most experimental canvases, La Jaconde aux Cles is one of the few in which the influence of Surrealism is revealed. Without support, the depicted objects float in space as in … Continue reading La Joconde aux Cles (Mona Lisa with Keys) by Fernand Léger
Manhattan by Josef Albers Manhattan1963BauhausFormicaCurrently in storage and unable to be seen by the public. Created for the lobby of the Pan AM (now MetLife) Building in 1963, the mural, Manhattan, was at the request of the building’s architect, Walter Grapius. Thousands of people passed by the work during the daily commute to Grand Central … Continue reading Manhattan by Josef Albers
Devil Fish by Alexander Calder Devil Fish1937Kinetic ArtSheet metal, bolts and paintCalder Foundation, New York, USA In contrast to his many mobiles, Calder created many stabiles, constructed of interacting shaped planes of bolted sheet metal, predominantly in a single colour. Calder’s first larger-scale stabile, Devil Fish is formed of combinations of curved biomorphic shapes creating … Continue reading Devil Fish by Alexander Calder
La Fornarina1520RenaissanceOil on WoodGalleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome, Italy One of the best-known paintings by Raphael was not commissioned. La Fornarina is a sister portrait of La Donna Velata and portrays the artist’s great love, Margherita Luti. The half-length nude looks out at the viewer in her undone dress whilst concealing the lower part of … Continue reading La Fornarina by Raphael
John Constable by Ramsay Richard Reinagle, 1799. Oil on canvas. The National Portrait Gallery, London, UK Artist: John ConstableBorn: 11 June 1776, Suffolk, EnglandNationality: EnglishMovement: Romanticism, The Sublime in Art, Landscape Painters, British ArtDied: 31 March 1837, London, England Constable, along with JMW Turner, revolutionized landscape painting of the 19th century. His paintings had a … Continue reading Landscape is my Mistress
Charred Journal Firewritten V by Morris Louis Charred Journal: Firewritten V1951Abstract ExpressionismMagna on canvasThe Jewish Museum, New York, USA Charred Journal: Firewritten V is painted in a traditional Abstract Expressionist style with gestural brushwork and all-over composition influenced by Jackson Pollock’s action painting style. Although it is only two feet wide the work achieves a … Continue reading Charred Journal: Firewritten V by Morris Louis
Hispanic Wedding Dress Display, Newark, New Jersey by George Segal Hispanic Wedding Dress Display, Newark, New Jersey1993Pop ArtGelatin silver printCollection of Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA The impact of photography and photojournalism was evident in Segal’s sculptures and near the end of his career he became more active as a photographer. His … Continue reading Hispanic Wedding Dress Display, Newark, New Jersey by George Segal
Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation by Ilya Repin Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation1903RealismOil on canvasRussian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia A monumental canvas portraying Tzar Nicholas II with his advisory body, composed of top … Continue reading Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation by Ilya Repin
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Thomas Gainsborough Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire1785PortraitureOil on canvasDevonshire Collection, Chatsworth, England The fifth Duchess of Devonshire gazes out of the frame straight at the viewer, captivating the eye with her tantalizing smile. The curls of her cascades down her shoulders and back matching the white silken frills of her gown. … Continue reading Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Thomas Gainsborough
Berlioz House by Maurice Utrillo Berlioz House1914CubismOil on plywoodMusée de l'Orangerie, Paris, France A Montmartre landmark, Berlioz House was situated on the corner of rue du Mont-Cenis and rue Saint-Vincent. Between 1834 and 1837 it was the home of the composer Hector Berlioz and his wife. The Cubist painter Georges Braque established his studio in … Continue reading Berlioz House by Maurice Utrillo
Ken Moody and Robert Sherman by Robert Mapplethorpe Ken Moody and Robert Sherman1984Modern PhotographyGelatin silver printThe Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA Mapplethorpes’s portrait depicts two of his friends, Ken Moody (a black man) and Robert Sherman (a white man). Both men face directly to the left of the frame and the directional … Continue reading Ken Moody and Robert Sherman by Robert Mapplethorpe
Gallery Connections 1991-6 by Angus Fairhurst 1966-2008 Gallery Connections1991-6Young British Artists, Installation Art, Performance Art, Conceptual ArtMetal, wood, glass, Walkman, amplifier, speakers, headphones, cables and audioTate Galleries, UK Largely a performative piece engineered by Fairhurst and involving unaware participants to generate its content, Gallery Connections involved two telephones rewired by the artist who would dial … Continue reading Gallery Connections by Angus Fairhurst
American Collectors (Fred and Marcia Weisman) by David Hockney American Collectors (Fred and Marcia Weisman)1968Pop Art, British Pop Art, School of London, Nouveau Réalisme, British ArtAcrylic on CanvasArt Institute of Chicago, USA Some of Hockney’s moat masterful compositions are his portraits from the late 1960s, offering almost cinematic insights into the culture and mood of … Continue reading American Collectors (Fred and Marcia Weisman) by David Hockney
The Apotheosis of Homer by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres The Apotheosis of Homer1827Neo-ClassicismOil on canvasMusée du Louvre, Paris, France Ingres was commissioned to decorate a ceiling in the Louvre to coincide with the opening of the Musée Charles X. The intention was to demonstrate the cultural superiority of France and reinforce the legitimacy of its monarch. Critical … Continue reading The Apotheosis of Homer by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Eugène Atget by Berenice Abbott Eugène Atget1927Straight PhotographyPhoto-Gelatin silver printCollection of International Center of Photography, New York, New York, USA Eugène Atget stares out at the camera with a bemused expression in this portrait. The personal interaction between Abbott and Atget is the actual subject of the photograph art. Since Abbott is the only artist … Continue reading Eugène Atget by Berenice Abbott
Footprints of History by Cai Guo-Qiang Footprints of History2008Installation Art, Conceptual Art, Earth Art, Performance Art, PostmodernismFireworks for 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony An ephemeral art project ‘Footprints of History’ was a visual sculptural design for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony. Composed of 29 firework starbursts resembling giant footprints crossing over the Beijing skyline, … Continue reading Footprints of History by Cai Guo-Qiang
Bend Sinister by Kenneth Noland Bend Sinister1964Colour Field Painting, Post-Painterly Abstraction, Washington Colour SchoolAcrylic on CanvasHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., USA In Chevron paintings , such as ‘Bend Sinister’, Noland puts the composition off-centre against neutral backgrounds. Noland’s titles are difficult to decipher, however ‘Bend Sinister’ alludes to the structure of the painting … Continue reading Bend Sinister by Kenneth Noland
Jean Cocteau, Paris1927PortraitureGelatin silver printCollection of The New York Public Library, New York, New York, USA Abbott portrays the French Surrealist artist, poet, filmmaker, and writer, Jean Cocteau, posed sitting in bed with a blank expression, mirroring the expression of the paper mâché doll head he cradles. Cocteau and doll are craped in a white … Continue reading Jean Cocteau, Paris by Berenice Abbott
Ex-Nihilo1958Colour Field Painting, Post-Painterly Abstraction, Washington Colour SchoolMagna on canvasPrivate collection The late 1950s marked a major turning point in Noland’s career and in ‘Ex Nihilo’ Noland began painting simplified forms and carefully balancing selected colours to create something out of nothing. Noland had yet to find his signature style and unlike his later renditions … Continue reading Ex-Nihilo by Kenneth Noland
Seasons of Life: Summer2015PostmodernismGunpowder on canvasCollection of the artist This large work is a depiction of a couple entwined in sexual intimacy whilst surrounded by colourful flowers representing the blossoming of summer with a vibrant use of red, blue and yellow evoking the emotions of blissfulness, happiness and vitality. The painting is one of four … Continue reading Seasons of Life: Summer by Cai Guo-Qiang
Non-Objective Painting No 80 (Black on Black)1918ConstructivismOil on canvasThe Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA Powerfully influenced by Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism, particular works such as Black Square (1915), in which the components of the painting are reduced to a single black square echoing the shape of the canvas. Rodchenko rejected the spiritualism of … Continue reading Non-Objective Painting No 80 (Black on Black) by Aleksander Rodchenko
Wrestlers1899Realism, Early American ModernismOil on canvasCollection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, USA Two youths locked in a wrestling hold are the focal point of this painting. In the left background, a wrestler uses a rowing machine, and on the right another young athlete is standing next to a suited coach, … Continue reading Wrestlers by Thomas Eakins
Cabaret Voltaire by Marcel Janco Cabaret Voltaire1916DadaAcrylic on canvasUnknown A crowded canvas portrays the chaotic action, sound, and fury of a night at the Cabaret Voltaire. A jumble of performers, spectators, and inanimate objects fill the space so it is overcrowded and almost bursting. The artist makes little distinction between the performers and the audience, … Continue reading Cabaret Voltaire by Marcel Janco
Man at a Table1961Pop ArtPlaster, Wood and GlassCollection Museum Abteiberg, Monchengladbach, Germany The first of Segal’s sculptures using, what was to become his signature medium, bandages dipped in plaster. ‘Man at a Table’ is a life-sized figure based on the body of the artist. Segal wrapped parts of his body in bandages and made casts … Continue reading Man at a Table by George Segal
A Wall for Apricots by Anne Truitt A Wall for Apricots1968Washington Colour School, Minimalism, Abstract ExpressionismAcrylic on woodBaltimore Museum of Art, Maryland, USA A tall, elegant tower containing three bands of vivid colour stacked one on top the other, A Wall for Apricots is a deceitfully simple piece that with closer inspection reveals a delicate … Continue reading A Wall for Apricots by Anne Truitt
I Saw Three Cities1944SurrealismOil on canvasPrinceton University Art Museum, New Jersey, USA A desolate, geometric landscape dominated by a tail, cloaked guardian in the foreground. The human figure is composed of a central pole and swirling drapery. Fluid and animated drapery gives a feeling of movement and wind blowing through the fabric made figure contrasting … Continue reading I Saw Three Cities by Kay Sage
