Born in Florence in 1386, Donatello was, and remains to be, celebrated as one of the most skilled sculptors of the Renaissance. Studying under the likes of Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, he developed a style influenced heavily by the Classical language of architecture but not restricted to this. He used materials ranging from wood to bronze… Continue reading What makes Donatello’s sculptures so compelling?
The historic painting of a woman leading French revolutionaries is this week to reveal its true colours after restorers cleansed it from decades of varnish and grime. The public will be able to admire Eugene Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People’ in its full glory at the Louvre museum from Thursday Delacroix painted the artwork to… Continue reading The painting “La Liberte guidant le peuple” is back at the Louvre after six months of restoration work
William Blake’s Universe, the new (free) exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, is a celebration of work by the Romantic artist, writer and visionary. Famous now but little known in his lifetime, Blake (1757-1827) has been given star billing by Tate Britain recently. But at the Fitzwilliam, he is made to share the spotlight… Continue reading William Blake exhibition: making a European out of the poet and artist who never left England
People tend to rejoice in the disclosure of a secret. Or, at the very least, media outlets have come to realize that news of “mysteries solved” and “hidden treasures revealed” generate traffic and clicks. So I’m never surprised when I see AI-assisted revelations about famous masters’ works of art go viral. Over the past year alone articles have… Continue reading How AI is hijacking art history
Caroline Westerhout, born in Weert in 1970, asks ‘Why are we all pretending to be normal when we could be insanely interesting instead?’ in her Instagram biography – an entirely appropriate reference to both Atlas, and the spirit that courses throughout her art. Westerhout’s artistic practice primarily features unique and non-traditional portraits that are simultaneously… Continue reading Caroline Westerhout: an interview
The colour orange has a complex, sometimes even confusing, history that can often be overlooked. Its presence in humanity’s artistic record is believed to first appear in the ruins of Ancient Egyptian tombs. Tomb walls were often covered with images of gods and historical figures in which a mix of yellow, orange and brown were… Continue reading The history of orange
If you have ever uttered phrases such as “I lack creativity” or “I just can’t draw”, it’s time to uncover a truth: Creativity is not an innate talent bestowed upon a select few. It is subjective. Less than half of people on average (39 percent in 2012 and 41 percent in 2016) would describe themselves… Continue reading Producing art as a non-creative: 8 ways
Where does Simon Garden live? The prosaic answer is Bristol, but the more accurate response might be that, most of the time, he lives in his creative imagination You don’t get many vast fan shaped trees or conical wooded hills around that city. But you do get them on the canvases in Simon Garden’s new… Continue reading Simon Garden at the Catto gallery
The colour red has had a wide variety of meanings and purposes throughout human history. The earliest use of red in the archaeological record comes from cave paintings drawn over thirty thousand years ago. Early humans used a naturally occurring pigment made of a mix of iron oxide and clay, now known as red ochre,… Continue reading The history of red
Inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. In the case of Rachel Deacon, her artistic career was sent in a completely different direction by…a home extension. When the construction was complete and the builders had left, Rachel was left with a huge blank wall. It was crying out for a big canvas, a statement abstract… Continue reading Rachel Deacon at the Catto Gallery
