A collection of reviews and thoughts on recent art exhibitions I’ve attended
Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/rediscover-sensing-spaces-exhibition “To hear a sound is to see a space” From a young age I’ve always been frightened of caves. The thought of entering a large, dark and rocky space terrifies me. Although I’ve questioned and criticised these rather odd feelings, I’ve come to terms that these odd feelings are actually something to embrace. The Royal Academy’s exhibition ‘Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined’ epitomises this idea. It intends to morph the familiar spaces we know into something abstract in order for us to feel and engage with our senses so that we, as viewers, create the art. A cave, for me, is one of these abstract forms of architecture displayed in this exhibition as it evokes an unusual response within me. It’s intention is to evoke feeling…
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The Pre-Raphaelite Sisters at the National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition on the Pre-Raphaelite Sisters pushes the focus that has for decades been dominated by the men of the brotherhood and of the movement to the more obvious and pressing matter of the story behind the sitter: the women. What many have overlooked and failed to see is that although much success has come as a result of the men’s work , it was a result of their connections and relations to the strong women in their lives that made their work as renowned as they are now. The Pre Raphaelites, formed in 1848, were a…
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Lucian Freud – The self portraits exhibition in the Royal Academy of Arts
Lucian Freud – The self portraits exhibition in the Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition dates : 27 October 2019- 26 January 2020 Lucian Freud can be seen as one of the foremost 20th century portraitists who is known for his figurative style that evolved through his years of practice . He is the grandson of the infamous psychologist Sigmund Freud . While he is not directly influenced by his grandfather , Lucian’s work can be seen to cut back behind people psychologically and create a discomforting examination of of the relationship…
Keep readingWhile you’re here you might want to read my recent Art Focus posts:
Mark Wallinger Checkmate! Analysis
Checkmate! SITE: 10000000000000000 Wallinger’s SITE: 10000000000000000 consists of thousands of differently shaped stones placed individually on the black and white squares (65,536 in specific). These are placed on an extended chessboard that extends to the main floor area of the room in which they’re exhibited. Though the artwork is quite self-explanatory in its appearance being rocks placed on a large chessboard, it is not very clear what the artwork is directly intending to communicate to the viewer. There is no explicit meaning that is being spoon-fed to the viewer. However, the absurdity of the artwork leaves room to question and…
Philippe Soussan Analysis: Are we decieved by reality?
Shirt and Chair: Soussan is able to bend our perception of reality. He does this by deceiving the viewer with materials. Although the viewer may know what they are looking at at the first glimpse, they are proven wrong by the collaboration between ready-made objects and paper photographs/drawings. He replaces familiarity with a sense of distortion. His work remains simplistic and minimalistic in its entirety, but the work, on a further look, has a rather odd quality that inflicts self-doubt in the viewer. Whilst looking at a variety of Soussan’s work, the viewer becomes familiarised with the idea that he…
My notes from Christopher Bucklow’s Essay – ‘The Lens Within the Heart: Bacon’s Memory Theatre’
Francis Bacon’s work challenged everything I initially knew about art. Art to many is dominated by the creations of the ‘masters’ and is thought to be strictly a fine art practice of achieving beauty and perfection used for economic benefit. However, when examined closely, art is a manifestation of our entire existence- a manifestation of our individual human experience (both independently and collectively), a time-travelling vessel of history and ideas, but fundamentally a window into the psyche of an individual – the artist. The book ‘Bacon and the mind: Art, Neuroscience and Psychology’ opens the discussion for a psychological analysis…
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