Not my taste but still worthwhile (CityLit 100 western Paintings)

Last week we were again at V&A looking at many (I suppose) alternatives to painting.

Some were good - like the Intarsia Panel credited to Fra Raffaele da Brescia  - this is an example of Trick of the eye/Trompe-l'œil.

Although the reliefs were very much beyond my taste (perhaps they inspired Jeff Koons?) there are plenty of things to note there.

Here are 3 works that I don't like!

The Annunciation by Giovanni della Robbia

Altarpiece the assumption of the virgin

The Ferruci Altarpiece

Klimt Schiele at RA

Now at the RA

So as well as 100 years since the end of the First World War it's a 100 years since the death of Austrian artists Klimt (at 56) and Schiele (at just 28).

The RA is holding an exhibition of drawings of the two artists in Piccadilly and it's proving (from my visit anyway)  to be pretty well attended.

Klimt and Schiele were
both involved in Secession group.

The drawings further reveal Klimt as a fine draughtsman.

Klimt could draw 

I enjoyed looking at Klimt's work (paintings) previously but had not realised how sexually charged his work  (and Schiele's) was - the artists were known to each other (and both were involved with Secession group)  and it seems influenced each others work.

This was a poster from Klimt 

Schiele in particular was associated with the Expressionists' School - following the exhibition I took a look at the recent BBC documentary (Dangerous Desires) on Schiele - certainly his lifestyle and work still seems contemporary, much of the work is quite erotic and confrontational.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty versus Extremism

Chatham House - famed for its' rules.

This week I also went to Chatham House (my first time there) to see a Documentary project that a friend who I used to work with in France had edited. The programme was about ‘Extremism in former Soviet states’ and there were lots of academic people there to discuss it.


For some subjects TV is not always the best/easiest medium to use to present a phenomena and I feel that there are a multitude of elements involved in how and why people are 'radicalised'  - much is about the conditions that minorities struggle with and it seems often there's a link between a feeling of being marginalised or 'on the fringes'. 

Noah Tucker -Senior Editor

Little in the programme showed (save for the pictures) of how dramatic the change in fortunes for the area since the end of the Soviet rule.

After the session I was I must say I was surprised at how dominated the area was in fact by the Muslim faith although many in the documentary described themselves as moderate (many people living in the area drink alcohol for example)-

Here is quite a useful piece that does supply some history to a problem that is also apparent in Russia and it also helps us understand why a US funded broadcaster might choose to pay some attention to the issue (some US terrorists have roots in Uzbekistan)

Introducing the topic

More Saints at The National Gallery

Saint Sebastian 

This week we (CityLit Art students as part of a 100 paintings course) were looking again at ‘Saints’ – it’s been quite a theme so far .


 I liked the attached Donne Triptych by Hans Memling (around 1478) , the way the hinged sections were constructed made for interesting perspective (like on the floor) and showed artists great skills.

A Triptych by Memling.

 While I was not particularly happy with the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian - 1475 (by brothers Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo) – it is far too obviously symmetrical for my tastes and the viewing needs to be from lower and further away.


On the other hand I really did like ‘Christ crucified’ (also 1475) by Antonello da Massina -which is if anything even more symmetrical!

Add caption

It is quite interesting as the group begin to get to know each other, we’ve got 20 weeks together and I think it will be interesting to see how that goes– I find with people that I meet often my first judgements are not always 100% right–


It is a varied group (as you’d expect in London), all with their own stories, one person I was chatting with yesterday was a German woman who has lived in UK for about 25 years and has just taken, like  a UK citizenship test (at her expense)  -think away from the ‘Art’ Brexit will continue to be a theme.

Next appointment is a return to the V&A

Toasters and Nick talks about Picasso

I was listening to a rather fascinating BBC radio programme called  'The Sympathy of Things'  (there's a second part this week) and heard about a project undertaken by Thomas Thwaites to build a Toaster pretty much from scratch

Thomas's TED talk about it is insightful and  amusing (Thomas also had a project 'living as a goat') certainly gives some focus to the fortunate times we find ourselves in.

PICASSO

Nick Pearson knows his Picasso

The previous  Monday Nick Pearson at Orchard Café (OPEN Ealing) set himself the very ambitious target of covering Picasso's works in a single 2 hour lecture.


In fact reflecting on the artist my view is that he was an example of where the Artist is greater than his works - the following day I was at London's National Gallery and marvelling at Van Eyck's  The Arnolfini Portrait - I'm not sure I've seen or heard of anything by Picasso that (for me) rivals this.

The talk made me dig out a book Picasso's Picassos  I got it (I think) as a teenager it's about 50 years old!

A book from my collection

National Gallery -CityLit 100 paintings (Oil is struck)

Julia tells us more about the Arnolfini 

Well we (a mixed bunch of largely retired types on CityLit Art course )  had a week off for 'half term' but back moving through the years (and countries) as we find out more of the European Art story.

The good news is that we had less religiosity and more 'real life' with the added bonus of Oil paints.

Oil offers the artist the chance to create colour with far more flexibility than (egg) tempera  and in the north of Europe painting on wood was far more practical than the walls that were often the base of works in the south.

[Here is a video about oil painting in Venice]

Although European artists did not use oil extensively until the 15th Century recent discoveries in Afghanistan have uncovered work by 7th century  Buddhists who worked in oils.
(Oil is the base that pigments are suspended in)

We were again in the National Gallery and to me it seemed slightly less crowded than of late - apart from around 'The Arnolfini Portrait' by Jan Van Eyck.

I've looked at this painting a few times both with a 'guide' and by myself -it bares repeated analysis far more than many  paintings - and the narrative complements the skills that are showcased.

There are a number of videos that interrogate this work - Sister Wendy's is one of my favourites.

Another painting we took a look at was 'The Exhumation of Saint Hubert' by Rogier van der Weyden

 The Exhumation of Saint Hubert
by Rogier van der Weyden

This too was an oil painting but it does not have the  brilliance of Van Eyck's work.


The painting is about him being exhumed (dug out)  from the ground - Hubert was the Saint of Hunters - who became virtuous after losing his wife in childbirth and an encounter with a Deer.


[I have realised through the studies of Art that many Saints in many paintings where Christ is often featured may not reflect 'Historical Jesus' as the saints were alive at a later time - this is perhaps more about Catholicism than Christianity.]

POLITICS

Budget earlier in the week not a great deal to recommend it, little done to address  poor UK productivity - Phil Hammond (like his predecessor George Osborne)  did some fine work politically increasing the impression of a split at top of Labour between Corbyn and McDonald and implying all is well with UK PLC.

Well done to former Tory Sports Minister Tracy Crouch for showing some courage in resigning over delay in introducing a reduction to the maximum bet on those Fixed Stakes Machines found in Betting shops (apparently there are around 2 people a day in the UK taking their own lives  as a result of gambling addiction problems).