283 – Life and Thought inspired by Art and Poetry

Evelyn de Morgan, Life and Thought emerging from the Tomb, 1893. The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. I’ve written about Evelyn de Morgan before, and spoken about her fairly often as well as the result of at least two exhibitions, but also in connection to the ‘Pre-Raphaelite Sisters’ – the women associated in one way orContinue reading “283 – Life and Thought inspired by Art and Poetry”

282 – And when did you last see this painting?

William Frederick Yeames, And When Did You Last See Your Father? 1878. The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. This week, on Monday 7 September at 6pm, I will be continuing my occasional series of talks A Stroll around the Walker, getting to know my local museum of ‘Old Master’ paintings, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.Continue reading “282 – And when did you last see this painting?”

277 – How do you know that?

Francisco de Zurbarán, A Cup of Water and a Rose, about 1630. The National Gallery, London. Zurbarán at the National Gallery has been open for some time, but I’m only just getting round to talking about it this Monday, 15 June at 6pm. There are various reasons for that, not least of which was preparingContinue reading “277 – How do you know that?”

276 – Looking beyond

Matthias Grünewald, The Resurrection from The Isenheim Altarpiece, 1512-16. Musée Unterlinden, Colmar. This Monday, 1 June, at 6pm, I will give a talk about Mathis Gothart Nithart, who is better known to us as Matthias Grünewald. This isn’t related to an exhibition – more’s the pity – but to my visit to Colmar with ArtemisiaContinue reading “276 – Looking beyond”

275 – Then Mary gathered cherries

Workshop of Martin Schongauer, The Virgin and Child in a Garden, 1470s or early 1480s. The National Gallery, London. Martin Schongauer, who I will be talking about this Monday, 18 May at 6pm, is most renowned for his engravings, of which many have survived. As one of a family of goldsmiths, working metal would haveContinue reading “275 – Then Mary gathered cherries”

Happy Easter (again)!

Andrea Bonaiuti, The Resurrection, 1365-8. The Spanish Chapel, Santa Maria Novella, Florence. Happy Easter! That’s the main reason for this post, to be honest: to wish you a Happy Easter, if you celebrate, and, if you don’t, in the hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend, if you are UK based. There’s no talkContinue reading “Happy Easter (again)!”

259 – There are more things in Heaven and Earth…

Fra Angelico, The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs, about 1423-4. The National Gallery, London. So far I have discussed most of what can be seen in the glorious Fra Angelico exhibition/s in Florence, covering the first room in San Marco and most rooms in the Palazzo Strozzi. However, if you manage to getContinue reading “259 – There are more things in Heaven and Earth…”

258 – Who’s Who in Heaven?

Fra Angelico, The Virgin Mary with the Apostles and Other Saints, about 1423-4. The National Gallery, London. Greetings from Florence! I’m currently in the middle of introducing a second group to the delights of the first half of the 15th century, with a rich array of works related to the career of Guido di Pietro,Continue reading “258 – Who’s Who in Heaven?”

257 – Unite the Kingdom (of Heaven)

Fra Angelico, Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven, about 1423-24. The National Gallery, London. I have just returned from my first visit to the glorious exhibition Fra Angelico in Florence. Spread across two venues – Palazzo Strozzi and San Marco – it is the most comprehensive collection of works by this Dominican master thatContinue reading “257 – Unite the Kingdom (of Heaven)”

The Annunciation, again (again)

Veit Stoss, The Annunciation, 1517-18, St Lorenzkirche, Nuremberg. Another repost, as I’m on holiday in Shetland (although for obvious reasons I wrote this before I left home). As my talk, this Monday 4 August at 6pm, will be particularly concerned with Duccio’s Annunciation, I thought I’d look back to a far different version of the narrativeContinue reading “The Annunciation, again (again)”