The Easel

10th July 2018

Patron saint of lipstick and lavender feminism

The focus of a London show – on Frida Kahlo’s belongings – is regrettable, says a reviewer. Let’s focus on her art. No, says Germaine Greer, the show has it right. Kahlo conducted her life as a performance. “To consider Kahlo as a painter only is to confuse one part of the performance for the whole. Her devotion to this process was extraordinary. The performance was her reality.”

Did brands’ faith in artists die with Campari’s posters?

Advertising is rarely considered art, unless you have in mind Campari. The company gave artists great freedom to create visual interpretations of the brand. Their bold advertising campaigns reflected current art trends and changed the way we look at advertising. No longer. “Commercial work now so often moves away from ‘inspiration’ towards ‘information’” More images are here.

Rare self portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi enters the collection

Baroque paintings don’t often make headlines. This one, by Artemesia Gentileschi, a contemporary of Caravaggio, is different. For London’s National Gallery it is just the 20th painting by a woman in their 2300 work European collection. Enthuses one writer, “This is one of the most important purchases the National Gallery has ever made.”

3rd July 2018

The Burrell Collection’s European tapestries trace the history of an art form

One source suggests medieval tapestries were proof of a “delicate palate”. Really? In Europe’s stone palaces and churches tapestries were a great way to display wealth, advertise one’s piety, and keep the place warm. What was once a mainstream area of art is now tiny, albeit with some resurgence. A video showing the art form at its most spectacular is here.

The presence and absence of Lee Miller

The re-evaluation of Lee Miller continues. Art history remembers her as a model to Man Ray. However, the posthumous discovery of her photographic work makes clear that she was much more. Her early work explored surrealism, followed by photojournalism in WWII and, after that, fashion photography.  She reportedly said, “I looked like an angel, but I was a fiend inside”.