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Happy 250th Birthday of Joseph Mallord William Turner!
Born in 1775, Turner transformed the landscape genre with his pioneering use of light, color, and atmosphere, earning him the title “Painter of Light.” His dramatic seascapes, luminous skies, and emotive scenes bridged the gap between Romanticism and modern abstraction, inspiring generations of artists.
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Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Early Italian Painting from Giotto to Ghiberti
Oscillating between the majesty of the Greco-Byzantine tradition and the modernity predicted by Giotto, Early Italian Painting addresses the first important aesthetic movement that would lead to the Renaissance, the Italian Primitives. Trying new mediums and techniques, these revolutionary artists no longer painted frescos on walls, but created the first mobile paintings on wooden panels.
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Turner – the painter of light – is the best-loved English Romantic artist
At fifteen, Turner was already exhibiting View of Lambeth. He soon acquired the reputation of an immensely clever watercolourist. A disciple of Girtin and Cozens, he showed in his choice and presentation of theme a picturesque imagination which seemed to mark him out for a brilliant career as an illustrator.
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Canaletto – Typical strong contrast between light and shadow
Canaletto began his career as a theatrical scene painter, like his father, in the Baroque tradition. Influenced by Giovanni Panini, he is specialised in vedute (views) of Venice, his birth place. Strong contrast between light and shadow is typical of this artist. Furthermore, if some of those views are purely topographical, others include festivals or ceremonial subjects.
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Jenny Saville Bares All
Jenny Saville is one brave woman. Her work fearlessly portrays bodies that, to put it gently, are not considered classically beautiful. Others have used the language obese and deformed. But hey, semantics. A mother of two children, Saville has stripped down for her own drawings that depict naked mothers and their children. Other massive scale paintings show overweight or transgender (or overweight and transgender) bodies, existing in the space between the gender binary. Saville has gained global acclaim for the light and curious gaze she has cast on these previously side-swept, discarded bodies. For those eager to see where her aesthetic is heading next, Saville is currently showcasing original drawings on…
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The Venetian (Beach) School
Before Arnold Schwarzenegger made it to Sacramento, or even to Hollywood, he could be found lifting weights at Muscle Beach in Venice. Very much like its Italian namesake, Venice Beach in Los Angeles is home to the artistic and the creative. But unlike the artists from the original Venice, those of the Los Angeles beach town paint beyond the canvas, and onto the streets. Amongst the street art found along the walls is Homage to Starry Night. The large mural replicating Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, occasionally the ‘tagged’ over, is found on the side of an apartment building, behind a ‘No Parking’ street sign. The treatment and placement…
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Erase the line between Genius and Insanity!
Being labelled a genius puts one precariously close to being pigeonholed as insane. Where insanity is recognised as the repetition of the same action over and over, is genius not finally achieving some far-fetched goal, whether it is in science, maths, or art? History is littered with larger than life talents that we still learn about in our studies and discuss with our peers: Einstein, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, etc. Artists made sketches and drafts of the way the human body works, whether in physical labour or dancing, to better portray the human condition in their paintings. Michelangelo and Degas are not only famous for the Sistine Chapel and Impressionism respectively,…
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Olympia in Venice
Remember the first time you went away from home for an extended period of time? Your mother made sure you packed warm socks and clean pants, even if it was going to be 40 degrees Celsius in your final destination. She called and wrote you often, making sure you were eating your vegetables and brushing your teeth. She loved and worried about you. I imagine this is what the Musée d’Orsay is going through at the moment, having sent one of its most precious babies off to Italy for the summer.
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Getting to Know Glart
Here’s a fun fact for you: Glass has been around since around about 3000 BC (in the Bronze Age), and glassblowing was created in Syria, in the 1st century BC. You may be wondering what that has to do with the price of fish – well, let me explain. Glass is immensely important in our society. And, the fact that it was developed so early on in our history means that it has been incredibly important for our ancestors’ society, and their ancestors’ society… for thousands of years. Again, you may be asking what the point of this is. Well, fine you got me, I guess there isn’t a point…
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