Visual Arts Reviews
Léon Spilliaert, Royal Academy review - a maudlin exploration of solitudeTuesday, 10 March 2020
What a spooky exhibition! Léon Spilliaert suffered from crippling insomnia and often spent the nocturnal hours in the conservatory of his parents’ house in Ostend drawing his haggard features (pictured below right: Self-portrait, 1907). Read more...
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Among the Trees, Hayward Gallery review - a mixture of euphoria and dismaySaturday, 07 March 2020
Paradise, according to German artist Thomas Struth, is to be found in the tropical rain forests of Yunnan Province, China. His gorgeous photograph Paradise 11 is the first thing I saw on entering the Hayward Gallery and, immediately it had a soothing effect on my frazzled urban psyche. Read more... |
Nicolaes Maes: Dutch Master of the Golden Age, National Gallery review – beautifully observed vignettesThursday, 05 March 2020
A young woman sits sewing (pictured below right: Young Woman Sewing,1655). She is totally immersed in her task, and our attention is similarly focused on her and every detail of her environment. The cool light pouring though the window illuminates her work and also gives us a clear view. Read more... |
Bill Brandt/Henry Moore, The Hepworth Wakefield review - a matter of perceptionTuesday, 03 March 2020
Bill Brandt’s photographs and Henry Moore’s studies of people sheltering underground during the Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941) offer glimpses of a world that is, thankfully, lost to us. Read more... |
David Hockney: Drawing from Life, National Portrait Gallery review - an anatomy of loveFriday, 28 February 2020
For David Hockney, drawing is born out of familiarity: his portraits both express and fulfil the urge to know someone deeply and well.
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Masculinities: Liberation through Photography, Barbican review – a must-see exhibitionMonday, 24 February 2020
The exhibition starts on the Barbican’s lift doors, which are emblazoned with photographs from the show. They include one of my all-time favourites: Herb Ritts’s Fred with Tyres 1984 (pictured below right), a fashion shoot of a young body builder posing as a garage mechanic, in greasy overalls. Despite his powerful muscles, he looks tired and petulant. Read more... |
Steve McQueen, Tate Modern review – films that stick in the mindFriday, 14 February 2020
The screen is filled with the head and shoulders of a man lying on his back; he could be dead in the morgue or lying on the analyst’s couch. He doesn’t move (it’s a still), but we hear his voice recounting the terrible story of the day he accidentally killed his brother. Read more... |
Radical Figures: Painting in the New Millennium, Whitechapel review - ten distinctive voicesTuesday, 11 February 2020
“From today, painting is dead.” These melodramatic words were uttered by French painter, Paul Delaroche on seeing a photograph for the first time. That was in 1840 and, since then, painting has been declared dead many times over, yet it refuses to give up the ghost. Read more... |
Darren Waterston: Filthy Lucre, V&A review - a timely look at the value of artSaturday, 08 February 2020
It looks as if vandals have ransacked Whistler's Peacock Room. The famous interior was commissioned in the 1870s by shipping magnate, Frederick Richard Leyland to show off his collection of fine porcelain. The specially designed shelves have been broken and their contents smashed; shards of pottery lie strewn across the floor. Read more... |
Imran Perretta, Chisenhale Gallery review - a deeply affecting filmTuesday, 04 February 2020
“I forgive you,” he said. “I forgive you… for the bombs.” Spoken by a young Muslim in measured tones that can’t hide his fear, these chilling words recall a random encounter with a stranger. Read more... |
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