The Easel

8th August 2017

Matisse in the Studio review: Inside Matisse’s mind

Matthew Collings | The Evening Standard | 1st August 2017

Matisse, like Picasso and others, found inspiration from his studio – his world within a world. “[My] state of soul”, he said, “is created by the objects that surround me”. However he did not simply reproduce the interior of his studio on the Cote d’Azur. “He was a great ruthless violator of normal appearances. [This show gives] a really good lesson in what makes a Matisse a Matisse.” More images are here

Body talk: YBA Sarah Lucas meets modern master Auguste Rodin

Charlotte Jansen | Wallpaper | 18th July 2017

Sarah Lucas’s ingenuity in using everyday objects has been compared to Picasso. Her work often exposes gender stereotypes in traditional art. A San Francisco gallery is exhibiting her alongside its Rodin collection. Says the curator “I wanted to introduce a contemporary female perspective that was equally profound [as Rodin] in how it challenges conventions of representation – especially in relation to the female body.”

Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection, The Met, New York

Carolyn McDowall | basketry | 4th July 2017

Bamboo’s great virtue is strength with flexibility. Its cultural significance in Japan is expressed in many ways, one of which is basketry. Since the 19th century basketry has evolved from decorative art to a fully developed art form. As one critic notes “In a show like this, baskets can start to look like one of the world’s most complete, resonant art mediums.” An interesting time lapse video is here and more images here.

Philippe de Montebello on How the Metropolitan Museum of Art Can Reclaim Its Glory

Andrew Goldstein | artnet news | 1st August 2017

De Montebello mulls over ructions at his former institution and advocates that it – and perhaps other museums – follow a non-populist role for museums. As director “I concern myself with the very long term. It’s a fiction that everyone loves contemporary art …the contemporary art world is a very small world. Something is trending? Museums shouldn’t be trending! They should set trends.”

Bonhams to Auction Collection of Andrew Grima Jewels

Brecken Branstrator | National Jeweler | 27th July 2017

Post-war jewellers in London focused on loading up their pieces with precious stones – a case of more is more. Grima instead drew inspiration for his creations from art and sculpture. He promptly became a favoured jeweler of the rich and famous and his pieces are still avidly collected. He was, according to one collector “the great impressionist of jewellers.” More images are here.

Agnes Martin Finds the Light That Gets Lost

Larissa Pham | The Paris Review | 2nd August 2017

An elegant appreciation of Agnes Martin and her grid paintings. “It’s not hard to imagine her with a brush or a pencil in hand, moving across her rectangular grid with quiet intention—indeed, that’s likely why she identified not with minimalism but with abstract expressionism. [This painting] is blue. Not the blue of the sky … but a rich, lapis-lazuli blue, a marbled blue with a tone of violet in it. This is a material blue, a touchable blue.”

1st August 2017

Explore the Genius of Design Legend Ettore Sottsass

Alina Cohen | Galerie | 26th July 2017

When Sottsass designed the Olivetti “Valentine” typewriter he wanted it to appeal at an emotional level. Later in his protean career he founded the influential (but short-lived) Memphis design collective. Their first show created uproar with shrill colors, Pop designs and wacky ideas. And it stole the limelight, leading Sottsass to grumble about the group “it’s just like candy. Too much can make you sick.” Images are here.

Soul Of A Nation: Art In The Age Of Black Power @ Tate Modern

Simon | astrofella | 21st July 2017

Real progress on civil rights posed a question for black American artists – what role should art play? Expressing outrage and celebrating black heroes were, not surprisingly, high on the list but so too was finding an empowered black voice. So what most catches the eye after 50 years? “How stupid, wicked and evil racism is. What extraordinary beauty Coltrane – and many of the Black artists on display here – made from it.”

“I think in images” A review of Bill Viola: Electronic Renaissance

Martin Holman | The Florentine | 30th March 2017

A near drowning as a child is often used to explain the contemplative character of Bill Viola’s acclaimed video art. Art history and philosophy are more obvious influences. His “supreme” images “not so much relate a narrative as immerse his audiences in bodily experiences. [For his large scale installations] the viewer has no option but to look for meaning beyond any retelling of everyday events.”

Fernand Léger and the Rise of the Man-Machine

Joseph Nechvatal | Hyperallergic | 23rd July 2017

Anxiety about technological change isn’t new – it was also around in the early 1900’s. Leger was an optimist, believing that infinitely adaptable machines could bring harmony to society. His own role would be to communicate this with art accessible to the public. “I prefer Léger’s work … when it hums away in the space between the mechanic and the organic. This is when Léger functions as a mythic oracle of our times.”

Discovering the Brilliance of Hélio Oiticica

Peter Schjeldahl | The New Yorker | 31st July 2017

With Brazil under military rule, Oiticica decamped to New York. The career-defining installation pieces he produced were designed to transform the viewer “from a spectator into an active participant.” They are strange, influenced by the 1970’s drug scene plus the culture of Rio’s favelas. His work “anticipates subsequent generations of installation artists, none of whom can beat it for immersive and bracing cogency.”

Hello, Dollar The Greatest American Object in Art History

Felix Salmon | Art Agency | 6th July 2017

Benchmarking art today against a famous 1990’s exhibition, what has changed? Money, of course. With a few exceptions “of the 78 most expensive paintings of all time, all of the pre-1945 works are European, and all of the post-1945 works are American.’ Art critics were influential in 1993 but “the crucial role of ratification has been almost entirely outsourced to the market—the most expensive artists are entirely critic-proof.”

Henry James, a Pooh-Bah Who Painted with Words

Holland Cotter | The New York Times | 6th July 2017

Henry James aspired to be a painter but had to settle for being the most famous novelist of his age. Art, and the art world, remained central to his life and were a source of ideas for his novels. It was another way to express atmosphere, to probe the opaque psychological currents of life. And he said as much:  “The analogy between the art of the painter and the art of the novelist is … complete.” An excellent video (4 min) is here.

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