The Easel | Art journalism

12th November 2024

The drawings the Shakers got from God

Jackson Arn | The New Yorker | 7th October 2024

The Shakers led famously unadorned, disciplined lives. Their simple, elegant furniture is celebrated while their art – notably drawings – deserve greater attention. Made exclusively by women and inspired by spiritual visions, drawings were gifted to other communities. They were not intended for display, pride and ownership both being sinful. Contrasting with their severe lives, these drawings are “ravishing” and brimming with colour – somewhat akin to the godless outside world. If you have paywall problems, another review is here.

The Great Mughals review – dazzling decorous delights waft you to paradise

Jonathan Jones | The Guardian | 6th November 2024

The Mughals were a contradiction. They were violent, engaging in palace coups at home and military conquest abroad. Yet their courts were religiously tolerant and intellectually open, incorporating Central Asian, Persian and European influences. Immensely wealthy at their peak (about 1560 – 1660) their ravishing palaces were full of art, books and precious objects. Their floral patterning was widely influential. Their gardens were to die for. Which, eventually, they did. Images and background are here.

Britain decorative arts London Mughal empire painting sculpture Taj Mahal

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