Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25, Museo Borghese, Rome. It’s got to that stage… I was wondering what to blog about this week as an introduction to my new lecture series, Sculpture: Form, Function, Material and Memory and I realised that a great choice would be Bernini’s astonishing Apollo and Daphne. Indeed, I was rather surprisedContinue reading “Back to the Chase”
Category Archives: Ovid
Day 1, Two Years On…
Another re-post – but why? Well, simply to celebrate the fact that this, my very first blog, was posted two years ago today. The day before I had been rescued from London, where my Borough alone had an unnerving 22 cases of Covid. We really had no idea what was coming. Three days later lockdownContinue reading “Day 1, Two Years On…”
101 – Spinning a Yarn
Diego Velázquez, ‘Las Hilanderas’, 1655-60, The Prado, Madrid. Had Picture Of The Day not ended on a Saturday, then this would have been POTD 100 – for reasons which should eventually become clear. But I couldn’t shift Scrovegni Saturday, now, could I? And had I got my skates on during the Velázquez lecture (thank you to all thoseContinue reading “101 – Spinning a Yarn”
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 79 – Pygmalion
François Boucher, Pygmalion and Galatea, 1767, The Hermitage, St Petersburg. The day before yesterday I was talking about a self portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola seeming to come alive (Picture Of The Day 77), and referred to the myth of Pygmalion – so what better than to explore that idea a little further today. The origins ofContinue reading “Day 79 – Pygmalion”
Day 77 – Sofonisba Anguissola
Sofonisba Anguissola, Bernardino Campi painting Sofonisba Anguissola, late 1550s, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena. Who could not love this artist given her name? Quite apart from her talent, of course. I will come back to her very soon to explore her life and her work in more depth. But for now, I want to look at a paintingContinue reading “Day 77 – Sofonisba Anguissola”
Day 56 – Apollo and Daphne
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25, Museo Borghese, Rome. This truly is one of the marvels of marble carving – nothing can rival the delicacy of the leaves rustling in the breeze, the firmness of the roots thrusting into the ground, or the varied textures of tree and tresses – nor is there anything to matchContinue reading “Day 56 – Apollo and Daphne”
Day 2 – Pan and Syrinx
Day 2 – Boucher, Pan and Syrinx, 1759, National Gallery, London. Originally posted on 20 March 2020 Day 2, and my thoughts turned to pandemics – don’t ask me why. The term comes from the Greek words ‘pan’ and ‘demos’, meaning ‘all’ and ‘people’. This, in turn, made me think of Pan, the Greek godContinue reading “Day 2 – Pan and Syrinx”
Day 1 – The Rape of Europa
Day 1 – Titian, The Rape of Europa, 1562, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. Originally posted on 19 March, 2020 In these extraordinary times, I’m going to attempt to write about a painting every day – but where to start? Having made a pilgrimage on foot to the National Gallery on Tuesday to catch theContinue reading “Day 1 – The Rape of Europa”
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