The Easel

23rd May 2023

Centennial Celebration: Ellsworth Kelly’s Infinite Ideas

Samantha Friedman | MOMA | 17th May 2023

It was in postwar Paris that Kelly developed his style – simplified natural shapes painted in brilliant colours. At first, New York wasn’t swept away. After his first solo show he “felt embarrassed, I had to apologise for using bright colours”. Gradually though, these contemplative works – “pure” exercises in colour, line and shape – conquered all.  His works were not about nature, he said, but rather “fragmented perceptions of things … to get at the rapture of seeing”.

Supreme Court sides against Andy Warhol Foundation in copyright infringement case

Chloe Veltman | NPR | 18th May 2023

When is it fair to copy the work of another artist? In a much-anticipated decision, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the Warhol Foundation infringed copyright in their use of a Prince photograph. Some think the decision may limit the “fair use” exemptions to licensing requirements, thus restricting artists’ freedom. A dissenting Justice objected “it will stifle creativity of every sort. Creative progress unfolds through use and re-use. The Court has turned its back on how creativity works”.

Gwen John Connecting With London And Paris

Sara Faith | The Artlyst | 15th May 2023

A retrospective is forcing revisions to the standard Johns biography. Pigeonholed as Rodin’s lover and sister to the flamboyant Augustus John, she was clearly much more. She chose art and a socially active life in Paris over motherhood’. There, she found recognition and patronage. Interiors, perhaps with a solitary female figure, were a favourite subject, showing her mastery of mood, balance and transient light. She is now considered a more significant artist than brother Augustus.

An introduction to 19th-century China

Jessica Harrison-Hall | The British Museum | 28th February 2023

China’s epic history, spanning millennia, arguably surpasses all others. A London show of the last century of dynastic rule tells the story of a ruling elite brought undone by internal weakness, disaffected subjects and predatory foreigners. What remains are exquisite objects, “staggering” images and quotidian household effects that describe the wide span of life under the Manchu dynasty. A review of the show is here; other background essays are here.

The Curious Case of the Transcendental Painting Group

Max Pearl | The Nation | 22nd May 2023

Transcendental Painting Group briefly appeared in early 20th century US. Have they been wrongly ignored? Possibly. It seems they offended influential art critics with their “kooky” ideas. However, their work has a quality of “internal coherence” that is shared by all good art. They show that “art can be deep without being aloof … this is a “gold mine of very good—and very novel—paintings.”

16th May 2023

Mark Bradford has revived abstract art. His New York show is a knockout.

Sebastian Smee | The Washington Post

Bradford’s new show in New York prompts a kind of stock take. He is now famous, due to his abstract paintings. But are they paintings?  Using cheap materials, he “beats [them] into some form of beauty … by layering, sanding, gouging, scraping and tearing”. These are not so much paintings as vertical agglomerations and yet they “dramatically expand abstraction’s possibilities”. They allow him the freedom to “remain uncategorized … perhaps our era’s Jackson Pollock”.

Samuel Fosso wins the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023

Diane Smyth | British Journal of Photography | 11th May 2023

Cameroon-born Fosso has long been regarded as a leading figure in African photography. Even before Cindy Sherman was creating her alternate identities, Fosso was making self-portraits while dressed up as someone he had seen in a magazine. His objective wasn’t political but rather to “tell stories” and, through that, question what is meant by identity. This rather workmanlike review is the best of a limited bunch, somewhat surprising for a prize (and recipient) of such prestige.

Portraits of Dogs: London’s Wallace Collection explores canine character and charm

Amber Louise Bryce | Euronews | 29th March 2023

You are either a dog person, or you aren’t. The above writer extols a London show of dog portraits, claiming “there’s a human story behind every painted pooch”. In particular,  dogs have long appeared in portraits to impute admirable qualities to their masters. Another critic, not a dog lover, is having none of this, arguing that the show is a “sickly cocktail”. The 19th century animal artist Landseer is “awful, [his paintings] trite, nauseous …bring your aesthetic pooper-scooper”.

Problem picture

Michael Prodger | The Critic | 15th April 2023

A London show resurrects the controversy over Balthus. His paintings of adolescent girls, with underwear showing, are disturbing. and reflect, as one critic puts it, Balthus’ “depressive, prurient weirdness”.  An alternate view, as explained by New York’s Met, is that Balthus saw adolescents as “a source of raw spirit” and was exploring their “unself-conscious natural eroticism”. Oddly, the linked piece seemingly suggests that continuing high auction prices for Balthus’ works settles the debate.

The Link Between Creativity and Mental Illness

Elaine Woo | Getty | 11th May 2023

As far back as Socrates there has been speculation that mental illness is associated with artistic creativity. Is it true?  The masterpieces van Gogh produced while living in a psychiatric hospital reflect “lucidity of the highest order”. Mental illness may have “embellished his creativity … but it doesn’t explain his brilliance as an artist”.  Whether a link exists or not, artists work “should be judged as art and not merely the results of art therapy”.

From Morandi to Balla, Magnelli and Severini: why did still-life painting flourish in early 20th-century Italy?

Staff | Christie’s | 12th May 2023

Still life painting is often associated with formalism because visual qualities predominate over narrative. The genre was especially popular in the Dutch renaissance. Perhaps sparked by Cezanne, it was again prominent in 20th century Italian art and Morandi was its undoubted star. Although prepared as an auction guide, this piece neatly summarises a seldom featured area of Italian art.

Older links
Newer links