The Easel

7th June 2015

Art Review: Lee Miller and Picasso, Edinburgh

Duncan Macmillan | The Scotsman | 30th May 2015

Lee Miller had many lives. She was a cover girl for Vogue, discovered a talent for photography from working with Man Ray and, together with future husband Roger Penrose, became close friends with Picasso. An exhibition in Edinburgh of her photos illuminates life around Picasso before and after the Second World War. The subtext seems to be that while their friendships survived the war unscathed, perhaps their pre-war optimism did not.

Georg Baselitz: artists should steer clear of politicians

Sameer Rahim | Prospect | 29th May 2015

Baselitz grew up in Hitler’s Berlin and then East Germany and established a strong reputation for articulating the battle-scarred German zeitgeist. As a leading German expressionist his career is dotted with prestigious solo exhibitions. However, one critic has described him as a “sturdy German fountain of overwrought mediocrity”. His work is currently on show at Glyndebourne and in New York.

Bernini: He Had the Touch

Ingrid Rowland | New York Review of Books | 4th June 2015

For 17th century popes, Bernini was the go-to guy for busts and sculptures. Besides being affable and highly religious he worked tirelessly and could be relied on to finish a commission. Inspired by Caravaggio’s natural style, he took Baroque sculpture to its zenith. Looking at a terra cotta model, Pope Innocent reportedly said “the only way to resist executing one of his works is not to see them”.

Does Colour Even Exist?

Malcolm Harris | New Republic | 21st May 2015

Not exactly about art, but so closely related. Aristotle’s idea that objects have colour lasted until Galileo. Disputes still abound but scientists are inclined to think, according to this book review, that Galileo is more correct. Colour exists only in our brains and not as a physical attribute. The debates end up in philosophy – “Color is not an object of sight but a way of seeing things”. Sounds quite arty.

“The sky has entered our senses”: Paintings by Etel Adnan

Margaret Graham | Artcritical | 8th May 2015

Lebanon-born Adnan went via the Sorbonne and Harvard to an academic career teaching and writing in the US. Art is thus her second act but the accolades are now coming thick and fast. As the Australian artist Emily Kngwarreye showed, being in your 80’s needn’t stop you having an impact on the art world. Now 90, Adnan is currently showing in New York and Paris. Further background is here.

See the Top Ten Booths at Photo London 2015

Lorena Muñoz-Alonso | artnet news | 21st May 2015

Less a review than a news bulletin. Paris has the highly regarded Paris Photo and now London is in on the act. The fair had sufficient size and quality to be declared a success but reviews are scarce. The linked piece details some significant exhibitions. Just so you know it happened.

Yoko Onon and MoMA: Together as Last

Blake Gopnik | New York Times | 6th May 2015

Yoko Ono the conceptual artist has long been overshadowed by her other persona, the wife of John Lennon. This seems unfair – no less a writer than Will Gompertz acknowledges her provocative Cut Piece video as superb. Having her own show at MoMA is a positive change. Gopnik’s essay also puts Beatles’ baggage in the back seat

Julian Barnes: “art doesn’t just capture the thrill of life… sometimes it is that thrill”

Julian Barnes | The Guardian | 2nd May 2015

While obviously written as a promo for Barnes’ new book, this essay is still a gem. Barnes shares his personal experience of looking at art and his love of modernism. Puzzlingly, Barnes, a major literary figure and art critic, seems to hope for unanimity: “Braque thought the ideal state would be reached when we said nothing at all in front of a painting. But we are very far from reaching that state.”

Why Elaine de Kooning Sacrificed Her Own Amazing Career for Her More-Famous Husband’s

Wendy Moonan | Smithsonian.com | 8th May 2015

Unequal success between the partners of a marriage is a challenge. Elaine de Kooning was a highly talented artist. Her unique abstract expressionist style earned her an invitation to paint JFK’s portrait in 1963. However, the de Kooning marriage was turbulent, perhaps because she was the dimmer of two bright stars. Her personal assessment – “’I don’t paint in his shadow, I paint in his light.'”

Prada Foundation collections refresh view of antiquities

Sebastian Smee | Boston Globe | 23rd May 2015

A Venice exhibition of ancient sculptures explores a decidedly contemporary issue – copying.  Most ancient sculptures are Roman copies of Greek originals. Further, the Greek ‘originals’ themselves may commonly have been brightly painted serial replicas. The reviewer’s punchline – “…they may have looked more like Jeff Koons’s gaudy production-line confections than we may feel comfortable admitting.”

Stroke of genius: Peter Doig’s eerie art whisks the mind to enchanted places

Johnathon Jones | The Guardian | 16th May 2015

With a highly regarded exhibition running in Venice and his work claiming record prices at auction last week, Peter Doig’s reputation grows ever more illustrious. This essay gives some background to the British//Trinidadian artist and the symbolism of canoes. He is “the painter of the global age, a traveller without a destination, between cultures, between jobs, looking for paradise and finding a prison on the horizon.”

Velazquez at the Grand Palais, Paris

Jackie Wullschlager | ft.com | 27th March 2015

The Impressionists are credited with ‘rediscovering’ Velazquez. Picasso, Dali and Bacon have all painted homages. Many regard him as Europe’s greatest painter because of the way he (together with Caravaggio) took painting beyond idealised Catholic propriety. A blockbuster show in Paris covers his entire career. Images that complement this review are here. Image: Wikipedia

Rijksmuseum Revisited: The Dutch National Museum One Year On

James Taylor-Foster | Archdaily | 14th April 2015

This week the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was awarded European Museum of the Year. Remarkably, the renovation recognized by this award not only took a decade but also went against the international preference for bigger spaces, more glass and more steel. According to this review, done on the anniversary of its re-opening, the museum embodies the “Dutchness of Dutchness”.

A Twist On Whistler In Washington

George Pendle | Intelligent Life | 14th May 2015

A 19th century riff on money and art. A London industrialist is called away on business and leaves James McNeill Whistler in charge of renovating his dining room. The result is magnificent – and exorbitant. An unseemly spat ensues. The room is now a ‘must see’ at the Freer Gallery, Washington. To aid preservation, the curtains are pulled back just once per month.

Francis Bacon & the Masters, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, review: ‘compelling’

Alastair Sooke | The Telegraph | 24th April 2015

One pairing in this exhibition has a Michelangelo sculpture placed next to the Bacon painting that it inspired. Were he alive, Bacon might rightly regard this curatorial approach as terrifying. (Two such ‘head on head’ pairings can be seen here.) Everyone seems to agree that the show is interesting but most reviewers do struggle to keep their eyes off the masterpieces.

PERFORMANCE: Chris Burden and the limits of art

Peter Schjeldahl | The New Yorker | 15th May 2007

Opinion remains divided about Chris Burden, who died last week. He defined art as “a free spot in society, where you can do anything” and his performances included having himself shot in the arm and, another time, being nailed to a Volkswagen. He was also a video artist and a sculptor. Some obituaries seem undecided: none are as thoughtful as the older recommended piece. Images of his work are here

MONIR SHAHROUDY FARMANFARMAIAN Infinite Possibility. Mirror Works and Drawings 1974 – 2014

Yasaman Alipour | The Brooklyn Rail | 6th May 2015

Islam’s fascination with mathematics resulted in geometric motifs being prevalent in its architecture and decorative arts. Blending these traditions with Western oriented modernism has produced the unique artistic style of this artist – and an extended exile after the Iranian revolution. At 91, the Guggenheim is giving her her first US retrospective

When Calder Met Calatrava: Multum in Parvo

Neda K | Widewalls | 5th April 2015

Calder studied engineering but it was only when he visited Mondrian’s studio in Paris that he started thinking about moving sculptures. (Marcel Duchamp later supplied the name ‘mobiles’.) A big retrospective of his work is coming up late this year in London which perhaps has prompted this commercial gallery show. The linked article offers limited text (a fuller discussion is here) but plenty of images of his enchanting pieces.

Summer of Sean Scully

Julie Baumgardner | Cultured | 10th May 2015

Sean Scully is a star attraction at Venice, but the reviews are skimpy – perhaps because there is so much to look at. To get a handle on this artist you cannot go past Robert Hughes’ comment: “Scully’s surfaces fairly breathe deliberation and earnestness. Their light and colour relate to the Old Masters: in particular to Velazquez’s silvery greys… Their gravitas is real.”

David Hockney: ‘Just because I’m cheeky doesn’t mean I am not serious’

Simon Hattenstone | The Guardian | 9th May 2015

Even at 77, Hockney is prolific. In London for the opening of his new show, he gave an interesting and candid interview, contemplating himself and his work. Hockney comes across as thoroughly English, even after living in Los Angeles for long periods of time. “He lights a fag and dunks a biscuit. It’s funny, I say, despite that gloomy demeanor you are a force of nature.”

Grand Symphonic Paintings: James Adley, 1931 to 2015

William Tucker | Art Critical | 7th May 2015

James Adley was not a big name in the art world. When he died last month, this affectionate obituary was written by his more famous friend, the sculptor William Tucker. It describes the shockwave generated by abstract expressionism when it arrived in 1950’s Britain. More, it captures the life of an artist who was not a celebrity, as viewed through the eyes of one who is.

Selections from Dennis Hopper’s Trove of Drugstore Camera Photos

Sara Cravatts | American Photo | 10th May 2015

Some people long to be a film star. Dennis Hopper, who was one, longed to be recognised as a photographer. During the 1960’s he lived in small town New Mexico, where most of these photos were taken. His daughter associates that time with him searching for something. He was between marriages and his career was quiet– after the stardom of Easy Rider, but before Apocalypse Now – in which he was a photojournalist

Say Good-bye Forever to Picasso’s Women of Algiers, Disappearing Tonight for $140 Million

Jerry Saltz | Vulture | 11th May 2015

A cry from the heart of an art lover. An incomparable Picasso is likely to be sold tonight for a huge sum and then disappear forever into a billionaire’s collection. But is this really its final hurrah? The auction manager strikes a pragmatic note: “…she said, in a tone that was distinctly silly boy, “A lot of it will be back here next season.”” (Ed. this painting did sell – for $179m)

New Whitney Museum’s First Show, “America is Hard to See”

Holland Cotter | The New York Times | 23rd April 2015

Art columns are awash with reviews of the relocated Whitney Museum of Modern Art, and its first show. All agree that the Renzo Piano building is a winner. The local reviewer (Cotter) approves of the show – “a carefully judged musing on an institutional past”. A West Coast reviewer is more stand-offish: “You open a museum with the art you have, not the art you wish to have.”

 

 

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