The Easel

6th October 2026

Cloud Spotting with John Constable and Alfred Stieglitz

Ed Voves | Art Eyewitness | 25th September 2026

In 1821 Constable did something unusual – he made studies of the sunset, with the land below treated as a secondary feature. He made many such “skying” works and thought the sky in a landscape painting was “the standard of scale and the chief organ of sentiment”.  Photography promised an ability to capture the sky with even greater immediacy, but the technology took a long time to meet that challenge. Only with Stieglitz’s cloud studies in the 1920’s did photography start to capture “the ethereal realm above our heads”.

29th September 2026

Arthur Jafa, King of Pop

Stephanie Wambugu | Hyperallergic | 25th September 2026

Jafa’s diverse art, such as the video Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death (2016) has had a significant cultural impact. A large survey show illustrates the themes of his work, notably the beauty of Black culture and the persistence of racial violence against Black communities. But does it give a clearer vision of this important American artist? He has an intuitive grasp of “memes” but not all of his works are clear. “It’s a charming, playful, and rich homage, but does anyone get it? 

Pope.L’s pleasing refusal to be interpreted

Zachary Fne | The New Yorker | 10th August 2026

Pope.L’s performances included crawling along Manhattan streets and sitting for days on a raised toilet eating the Wall Street Journal. Were such deeds deranged or a lucid advocacy for those in his family who were homeless? His drawings are equally elliptical. This writer disagrees with critics who want to group his graphics and performances as a coherent whole. “Pope.L couldn’t care less about crafting an image or a brand. His work thrives on the incoherence of his own restless curiosity.”

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