Tag: painting

Kiefer / Van Gogh

Anselm Kiefer, Starry Night

In October we visited the Kiefer / Van Gogh exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Not previously familiar with more than Kiefer’s name, the work and its relationship to van Gogh was stunning. Entirely different, one can nevertheless feel how Kiefer has responded to van Gogh in every image.

“In 1963, aged 18, Anselm Kiefer received a travel bursary that allowed him to follow in Vincent van Gogh’s footsteps through the Netherlands Belgium, and France, first in Paris and ending up in Arles and the neighbouring village of Fourques in Provence. On his travels, which he termed an ‘initiation journey, Kiefer kept a daiary filled with notes and drawings.” ﹣from the exhibition guide.

Bibliophiles

New York Public Library – Stephen A Schwarzman Building

This is one of the ceilings in the main public library on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Remarkably for one who’s lived in NY for over 60 years, and whose birth was announced in the library’s employee newsletter, I’d never been inside before doing some research a week or so ago in the Division of Art, Prints and Photographs.

Lavender Koak

Charleston, Lewes
  1. Lavender Menace, 2025. Acrylic, cornflour and methyl cellulose on non-woven paper.
  2. Dreams of Letting Go, 2025. Pastel, graphite, and casein on natural rag paper in artist’s frame, 43 x 35 cm
  3. Dreams of Tender, 2025. Flashe, pastel, and graphite on natural rag paper in artists frame, 43 x 35 cm.
  4. Dreams of Sleep, 2025. Flashe, pastel, and graphite on natural rag paper in artists frame, 43 x 35 cm.

“‘The Window Set’ does not break down the threshold between the body and its environment, but rather makes visible the ambient poetics of their complex interdependence. In nature, the dream, and the domestic, Koak explores the ways in which identity extends beyond ourselves , and in doing so, envisions the revolutionary potential of self-knowledge and intimacy － transforming tenderness and vulnerability into outward resistance. Like Bell’s work before her, Koak’s work positions femininity and tenderness as the domain of radical connection. Here－ to borrow the words of Ursula K. LeGuin－ resistance cannot be bought, or stumbled upon. Instead, it is contained within us, yet ripples outwards － in landscapes, spirits, bodies and homes.”
－ Ella Slater, from the brochure accompanying Koak, The Window Set.

Can’t say I see it, whatever it means….

View from the Oval

The Oval, Kennington, London

I had the great good fortune and honour to be invited to spend the first day of the September Test match between Surrey and Durham at the Oval, Surrey’s stadium (Surrey won by 10 wickets in only 3 days, retaining their title for a third year). The day included a tour of the historic stadium, its museum and library, and a visit to the roof, with its splendid views of London (see panorama above). Throughout the stadium are artworks depicting famous players and moments from its history, including the group portrait below.

Wrestler

National Museum Cardiff, Wales

The painting above, with embedded video was from an exhibition about a local man who escaped the mines by becoming a flamboyant wrestler. I can’t find any trace of it on the museum’s web site.

We also saw an interesting exhibition called The Valleys, with work by over 60 artists including Tina Carr and Annemarie Schöne, photographer Robert Frank, Josef Herman,  photographer Bruce Davidson, and Ernest Zobole as well as introducing the work of collier artists and makers including Nicholas Evans, Harry Rodgers and Illtyd David.

© Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos/Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

Liminal Spaces

Upper Ground, London

In the last post, I discussed liminal spaces, a subject that we have been discussing in my Photography MFA class. Imagine my delight in finding the Limin restaurant! (Click either image below to see them both enlarged – you may have to click the post title first if you’re seeing this in an email).

KMSKA

Our final morning in Antwerp was spent at the KMSKA (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen), which underwent a massive refurbishment for many years. It’s a stunning museum and as you can see I continue to be interested in capturing the spaces, the geometry, the whiteness (and blackness), the symmetry and awe of this cathedral to the beauty of the capitalist art world. Please do click into the images below to see them all full-sized (you may need to click on the post title above first if you’re seeing this in email).

Cathedral of Our Lady

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal

Some touristy postcard snaps of this magnificent cathedral, famous for its Pieter Paul Rubens paintings. You can see his Descent from the Cross in the 5th picture above and next to it an homage by Sam Dillemans. The accompanying brochure explains that the very realism of the Rubens fails to perturb the contemporary viewer as it ought, where the brutal impasto of the homage succeeds (it’s difficult to write sensibly about art). Click any of the pictures to see them all big (you may have to click the post title, above, first if you’re seeing this in an email).