HEPWORTH
‘There is an inside and outside to every form’, said Barbara Hepworth, ‘… a nut in its shell or a child in the womb’. Hepworth’s sculptures did not deal in such concrete forms - her work is organic, natural, abstract and unrecognisable - but they touch on something universal and infinite. Here, the misshaped form is cradled by the sphere, as if a child in their mother’s stomach, or the first revelation of a Russian doll. The inside of one bronze, patinaed form reveals the outside of another, creating a philosophical mobius strip of sculpture; one work must birth another, it cannot sit empty. Sphere with Inner Form blurs the lines Hepworth herself delineated between inside and outside - it becomes a dialogue between form and void, emptiness and our need to fill it.
BALTHUS
Paintings should be seen and not read about, so believed Balthus. He rejected many conventions of the art world throughout his career and only towards the very end of his long life did he begin to talk about his work in any traditional way. Yet Balthus’ work was talked about by others, both in adoration and controversy. Depicting the physical and psychological struggles of adolescence, Balthus paintings of young people are erotically charged, yet never explicit. The narrative scenes are disquieting and uncomfortable as he casts the viewer as a voyeur, yet in a classical, figurative style they are dreamlike and technically beautiful works. A loner and outsider, Balthus’ own reluctance to discuss his work increased their mythology and infamy. When the artist stays quiet, it is us who must consider the work most deeply.
BRAQUE
Under the strong light of Southern France, Georges Braque started a brief and important affair with Fauvism. He joined the movement late and left early, the whole relationship lasting less than a year and few works resulting from it. Within a year of this work, together with Picasso, Braque would lay the foundations of Cubism, bring sharp geometry and simultaneous perspective to a more subdued colour palette, but it was his time in southern France as temporary Fauvist that allowed this revolution to happen. Braque painted most of his Fauvist works in the fishing villages of La Ciotat and l’Estaque, favourites of Paul Cézanne. Under the shadow of Cézanne’s legacy, Braque drew the ordinary ahead of him and imbued it with magic. Cubism was, for Braque, purely an extension of the ideas Cézanne had started a half-century before, and Braque’s affair with Fauvism was, more than anything, an affair with the spirit of Cézanne who guided him to stranger, more powerful things.
Nicko Mroczkowski May 9, 2024
Ancient Greece was the cradle of Western civilisation. Art, agriculture, and commerce had progressed to the point of creating, apparently for the first time, a culture of intellectuals. Many of the things that we now call ‘institutions’ – democracy, the legal process, the education system – had their start in this period. It was even here that ‘Europe’ got its name…
1hr 32m
5.8.24
In this clip, Rick speaks with actor Chris Pine about reaching a flow state in art.
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Ale Nodarse May 7, 2024
Children’s drawings abound. They have few dates and fewer titles, but nonetheless they pile up. Assembled on fridges or tucked away in shoeboxes, they belong to a world of their own. It’s a world they, with few inhibitions, create –– and a world which is fragile. If such drawings survive, it’s most often because they have been saved by someone else. In other words, if drawings from your childhood survive, then you most likely have someone to thank…
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Thursday 9th May 2024
Today, Christians celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, a momentous event marking Jesus' ascent into heaven, occurring forty days after Easter Sunday and concluding his initial earthly journey. In the garden, we feel connected to the earth with the moon residing in the constellation of Taurus. This alignment makes it an opportune time to care for our root crops and prepare any remaining vegetable beds for planting. As spring unfolds, the garden demands more attention. Stay committed to nurturing your plants and pursuing the aspirations and goals you envisioned during the winter months.