‘The Floor’ – Looking down, we see that the floor is in the same condition as the walls – in a chronic state of decay, and in desperate need of repair. It is part of the setting of this religious drama, and, like the rest of the scenery, it is symbolic of the old orderContinue reading “An Advent Calendar – 7”
Category Archives: Flowers
104 – Don’t touch!
Fede Galizia, Noli mi tangere, 1616, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan. Great news this week, which I know some of you will have heard already. But just in case you haven’t, I’m glad to let you know that the National Gallery has managed to completely re-schedule the Artemisia Gentileschi exhibition. And not only that, but theyContinue reading “104 – Don’t touch!”
Day 98 – Out of Eden
Giovanni di Paolo, The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, 1445, Metropolitain Museum of Art, New York. I alluded yesterday (Picture Of The Day 97) to the medieval conception of the Universe, in relation to the tapestries across the top of the walls in the tower of The Lady of Shalott – so what betterContinue reading “Day 98 – Out of Eden”
Day 97 – The Mirror Crack’d
William Holman Hunt, The Lady of Shalott, 1886-1905, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford CT. Finally, after 97 days, I’ve found the perfect expression of the lockdown. I’m beginning to understand how this Lady feels. I suspect we’ve all been going through this for a while now – “I am half sick of shadows,” said the Lady of Shalott.Continue reading “Day 97 – The Mirror Crack’d”
Day 94 – Narcissus
Claude, Landscape with Narcissus and Echo, 1644, National Gallery, London. I last talked about Claude, one of the great innovators of landscape painting, when we were exploring the story of Psyche, and if you want to more about him, and why I think this artist who produced all his work in Italy was not really French,Continue reading “Day 94 – Narcissus”
Day 76 – Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck, The Annunciation, about 1434-6, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. It’s Picture Of The Day 76, and this is the first time I’ve talked about Jan van Eyck. I should be sacked! Well, that aside, my reason to include him today is that I’m talking about him online tomorrow, and the publicity materialContinue reading “Day 76 – Jan van Eyck”
Day 71 – The Immaculate Conception
Carlo Crivelli, The Immaculate Conception, 1492, National Gallery, London. Right. I warned you (Picture Of The Day 66). I have to talk about the Immaculate Conception, and anyone who has ever been anywhere with me knows I go on about this all the time, because, quite simply, it is the most misunderstood aspect of Catholic theology.Continue reading “Day 71 – The Immaculate Conception”
Day 48 – Colour and Design
Angelica Kauffman, Colour and Design, 1778-80, Royal Academy, London. We’re back with the rainbow, again, after yesterday – but seen from a different point of view today. It is now a week since the Royal Academy officially announced that they would be cancelling their exhibition of the works of Angelica Kauffman, which, of all the shows that haveContinue reading “Day 48 – Colour and Design”
Day 41 – Night and Sleep
Evelyn de Morgan, Night and Sleep, 1878, The De Morgan Foundation, Compton, Surrey. There is something I find indefinably exquisite about this painting, something remarkable about its combination of colours and forms, like the flavours and textures of a well cooked dish, a delight, and one that should not be savoured too quickly. To see whatContinue reading “Day 41 – Night and Sleep”
Day 29 – St Francis in the Desert
Giovanni Bellini, St Francis in the Desert, c. 1476-78, Frick Collection, New York. The sun is still shining outside my window, as it is in this fabulous painting. It captures that wonderful sense of release you get when you’ve been cooped up inside all day, and finally step out into the fresh air, take a deepContinue reading “Day 29 – St Francis in the Desert”
