Flâneur of the Arts

Nigel Ip

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Category: Hayward Gallery

Don’t step into the light!

Aside from the London Eye which is relatively close by, the Hayward Gallery has been attracting quite a lot of attention to its Light Show exhibition…and there’s a very good reason why it’s named a light ‘show’ rather than ‘exhibition’.

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For #ValentinesDay I'd like to share with you this letter from Horatio Nelson to Emma Hamilton. Their relationship and affair pretty much spurred them to celebrity status. This letter dated 10 August 1804 combines news of the war with his delight upon hearing that their daughter Horatia was doing well, who was then just 3 years old. At the time of writing, Nelson was on active duty in the Mediterranean, during what would be known as the Trafalgar Campaign. Meanwhile, Emma was lonely and struggling to turn their Merton Place residence into a good home for Nelson. It was an increasingly complex time for her. They reunited briefly in 1805. #horationelson #emmahamilton #ladyhamilton #emmaladyhamilton #nationalmaritimemuseum #royalmuseumsgreenwich @royalmuseumsgreenwich #letter #loveletter

#LostTreasures #losttreasuresofstrawberryhill @strawbhillhouse #strawberryhill #art #mustsee #exhibition #horacewalpole

#LostTreasures @strawbhillhouse is a nerdy historian's dream to see original objects in situ. Dispersed in 1842, Horace Walpole's fabulous collection has been reunited in the Gothic Revivalist rooms of his 'castle (I am building) for my ancestors'. The building is really something, caught somewhere between a maze and a blown-up child's dollhouse. Walpole's extensive knowledge of early architectural styles is already clear upon gazing at his interiors which incorporate Gothic tracery, a reconstructed rood screen, and so much stained glass. Each room is so unmistakably unique; some are tiny closets (about the size of a rented bedroom), some are round and spacious, some are fireplaced rooms with a formerly lovely view of the Thames, and others are luxurious halls for welcoming guests. The library is a dream and currently exhibits an illuminated psalter of Venetian origin (thought to be by Giulio Clovio) alongside its box! The collection itself is surprisingly unorthodox at times. There are portraits by Lely, Kneller and Van Dyck, miniatures by Nicholas Hilliard, Peter and Isaac Oliver, and Hans Holbein the Younger, portraits by Northern and Italian schools, and antiquities and bronzes. But there are also works by female artists such as Lady Diana Beauclerk and his favourite cousin's daughter, the sculptor Anne Seymour Damer. He even owned (and wore) a pair of gauntlet gloves worn by James I. Drawings filled some of the smaller rooms, often copies by George Vertue or Walpole himself. Oh, and Cardinal Wolseley's red hat used to hang in the Holbein Chamber. An absolute must-see exhibition full of quirks and wonderment! Ends 24 Feb. #losttreasuresofstrawberryhill #horacewalpole #strawberryhill #art #exhibition #mustsee

#KlimtSchiele sounds like a modern cliché in art history, perhaps more than any other pairing. It's impossible to think of one without other. Someone will always ask 'who do you think is better?'. The @royalacademyarts exhibition of @albertinamuseum drawings somehow manages to avoid this pitting of two fundamentally different artists. Klimt approached painting with a decorative mind and a classical training. His sitters morph into ethereality and reveal themselves in murals and beneath layers of gold leaf. Schiele was a troubled artist who led a troubled life. His works reveal the cruelty of human life and the power of human sexuality. The exhibition is wonderfully curated. Each artist has dedicated sections exploring their creative processes. Almost immediately, the viewer can associate the artists' circumstances with their diverging approaches to the human figure. Both are spirited draughtsmen. Their lines are energetic and confident; Schiele does this always, but Klimt's drawings reveal two sides of him, meandering between an architectural mindset and a dream-like one. The sections on portraiture show just how different their social circles were. Klimt was surrounded by society's finest members; they almost seem unreal in his drawings. Schiele only had his family, close friends, and himself; the drawings are haunting and full of emotion. As for Schiele's erotic nudes, the exhibition strikes a good balance between his most graphic drawings and the much tamer ones. The viewer can actually appreciate the different levels of eroticism and playfulness in these often controversial works. Contrast these with Klimt's earlier designs for works that were criticised for being too sexual and you begin to grasp the age-old distinction between 'nude' and 'naked'. Art glorifies the nude; nakedness has no place within its sacred halls. This exhibition isn't a competition between two artists; it's a dialogue about humanity and the human form, showing society at its finest and at its worst. It forces us to consider the other side. #gustavklimt #egonschiele #royalacademyofarts #viennasecession #wienersezession #drawing #zeichnung #zeichnungen #albertina #albertinamuseum

Brisk visit to #ViolaMichelangelo to see some friends, i.e. Michelangelo. His 'presentation drawings' rarely have a reason to go on show, especially as a group. This poses the question of why they are included in this show (not that I'm complaining). The similarities between Bill Viola and Michelangelo are solely conceptual. They both worked with grand spiritual themes and large formats. There is an intensity of emotion and drama to their works. And they are both outstanding in their respective use of their medium. On paper, the intricacies might make them seem like a nice fit, as strange as it sounds. But when you place them side by side in person, it becomes difficult to acknowledge these similarities and the experience inevitably becomes one of competition and the strangeness of contemporary art. Michelangelo's drawings are easily superior, even when devoid of context. By comparison, Viola's work can come across as too difficult to understand - a lot of video art has this effect. Using Michelangelo as a soundboard doesn't help this problem. It would probably have worked better with a variety of Renaissance artists (Viola engages with them heavily). Clustering Michelangelo's drawings into three rooms and leaving Viola to speak alone in other rooms left me physically distanced and mentally disconnected regarding their links to eachother. But I guess that's a logistical issue (works on paper can't handle lights). I admire both artists extraordinarily, but the @royalacademyarts exhibition undermines Viola's astonishing work in its attempt to elevate him on the level of Michelangelo (he doesn't need it). It simply doesn't give him the space (ironically) to show him at his best. Having said that, this exhibition is like a 2-for-1 experience. You can see it as a Bill Viola mini-survey, and a rare opportunity to see Michelangelo drawings that keep art historians awake at night. But I wouldn't recommend attempting to understand how they fit together. An admirable concept with grateful loans. #billviola #videoinstallation #videoart #videoinstallationart #Michelangelo #michelangelobuonarroti #royalacademyofarts #presentationdrawings #disegnifiniti

A selection of my favourites at @connectartfair! Full review on my blog. Many thanks to @silkeexclamationpr for the tour and to the exhibitors for speaking to me about their stand! https://nigelip.com/2019/02/02/connect-art-fair-2019/ #connectartfair @panterandhall @picassodealer @hortonlondon @coombegallery @ottocento_ltd @francis_iles #pablopicasso #picasso #aimejulesdalou #dalou #jeanléongérome #henritoulouselautrec #albrechtdürer #dürer #alexanderkirillov #basiljonzen #sidneyhorneshepherd #georgiajenningsmoors #blogging #review #flaneurofthearts

All Hallows by the Tower, the oldest church in London. Established 675 AD! #allhallowsbythetower #allhallowsbythetowerchurch #oldestchurchinlondon #church #architecture #churcharchitecture #medievalist #secretmedievalist

The White Tower, from a window in the Bloody Tower. @historicroyalpalaces #toweroflondon #whitetower #london #historicroyalpalaces

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