The Easel

5th June 2018

Architecture in Japan: A storied history built firmly on wooden foundations

Sachiko Tamashige | The Japan Times | 3rd June 2018

Modern Japanese architecture has international allure. It draws on ancient traditions of wooden buildings and ideas about the fluidity of internal spaces. Less obvious but not less important is ‘wabi-sabi’ – the Japanese concept of beauty. More than Greek ideals of beauty, wabi extolls restraint, simplicity – “nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect”. More images are here.

Celebrating the Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale

Linzi Davies | Yorkshire Reporter | 3rd April 2018

Chippendale is the most magical name in fine furniture. The tercentenary of Thomas Chippendale’s birth is being celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic. His pieces stand out for their beauty and outstanding craftsmanship. Mies Van Der Rohe apparently said “a chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous”.

Summit in Senegal

Siddhartha Mitter | Artforum | 29th May 2018

Peering through the jargon it seems that Dak’Art, Africa’s largest biennale, was a success. African art is growing in appeal to Western collectors but local galleries, museums and writers are emerging only slowly. The market’s “nerve center” is in distant London. Without more supportive infrastructure, says the Dak’Art curator, African art “will continue to be invisible”.

Willow talk: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and friends

Samuel Reilly | 1843 | 31st May 2018

Glasgow was once famous not just for shipbuilding but for art. There were many notables but Charles Rennie MacIntosh was the star. He influenced the development of Art Nouveau, not least by exhibiting in that other cultural hotspot of the day, Vienna. Within a decade things moved on and people started looking to Paris. More images of MacIntosh’s work are here.

The Friends of the Bargello

Editorial | The Burlington Magazine | 1st June 2018

In 2016 the woeful administration of Italy’s national museums was tackled with sweeping reforms. There are now signs of progress. With a new national government in office, are the reforms at risk? Perhaps not – museums’ lack of interest in visitors, including a failure to even have working websites, has not been forgotten. Meanwhile, opposition to the reforms persists.

Russian’s Da Vinci Windfall Undercut U.S. Probe of Art Dealer

Christian Berthelsen | Bloomberg | 29th May 2018

Russian billionaire Dimitry Rybolovlev wanted masterpieces. Swiss dealer Yves Bouvier obliged, helping him acquire dozens of pieces including Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi. Rybolovlev is now suing Bouvier, having belatedly learned of his huge price markups. The “woe-is-me” case is faltering because of the windfall Rybolovlev himself got from on-selling the Leonardo. Caveat emptor!

29th May 2018

Before photography, the silhouette helped leave an impression

Philip Kennicott | The Washington Post | 21st May 2018

Until photography arrived around 1850, the silhouette was ubiquitous. “Like so many cultural habits of early America, the making and collecting of silhouettes was often wild and strange and slightly surreal.” Often dismissed as simplistic folk art, this art form now provides a window into the great social issues of the day – not least of which was slavery. Images are here.

Edward Burtynsky: ‘The technical revolution has turned us into a virus’

Nick Glass | CNN Style | 19th May 2018

Burtynsky’s star continues to rise, most recently with a nod from Photo London. Like the German photographer Andreas Gursky, Burtynsky uses aerial photography to show a large-scale view of parts of the planet. In his case, he has turned his “painterly eye” to areas of environmental despoliation. Ironically “in Burtynsky’s vision, the apocalypse has its sublime moments.”

Is it really a Leonardo?

Noah Charney | Aeon | 23rd May 2018

Experts have recently verified that a sketch found in France is by Leonardo da Vinci. To non-experts such connoisseurship can seem a bit like discerning “the vibe” of a work. “For all the technical gadgetry available, art-world decisions still rest largely on the subjective conclusions of individual, ultimately fallible, specialists. Forensics merely help matters along.”

Are Auction Guarantees the New Private Sales? Yes, for Art Sellers Who Don’t Want to Get Ripped Off

Felix Salmon | artnet news | 24th May 2018

For art market buffs. Auctions are a great way to sell expensive art but have a drawback – price uncertainty. Arrangements similar to underwriting help manage this risk. The added complexity is such that it “defeats the purpose of hiring an auction house in the first place. In a sense, then, the real purpose of going to auction is increasingly just rip-off insurance.”

The Days of Duveen

S N Behrman | The New Yorker | 27th May 2018

From the New Yorker archives, a gorgeous essay on Joseph Duveen, the legendary art dealer. Of a year long campaign to sell some busts to John D Rockefeller: “In all love affairs, there comes a moment when desire demands possession. For Rockefeller, this occurred on the day before the option expired … he informed Duveen that he was buying the busts at a million and a half.”

Versailles for Sore Eyes

James Gardiner | The Weekly Standard | 25th May 2018

Versailles, thinks the writer, is “not nearly as good as it looks”. Louise XIV wanted a grand palace that displayed the power of his realm. Alas, attention to detail was not his forte and the architecture is uneven. Nevertheless, the interiors are fab (in places) and the gardens an inspiration to town planners everywhere. Multiple images are here and video (3 min) here.

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