It’s been seventy years since there was a solo exhibition of FCB Cadell’s work in a public gallery, the last being a retrospective held at the National Gallery of Scotland in 1942 – which makes the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s current exhibition of Cadell’s work fairly special.
Along with GL Hunter, JD Fergusson and SJ Peploe, Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell was one of the Scottish Colourists, whose work appeared in the 1920s and 30s. Despite their work having limited recognition in the period between the Second World War and the 1980s, they are now recognised as some of the most important figures in the history and development of Scottish art, building on the work of their more well-known predecessors, The Glasgow Boys. Training in France, they were influenced by Cezanne, Matisse and Monet, and integrated the strength and vibrancy of colour evident in those artists’ work into their own.
At the age of 16 Cadell left Scotland for France, where he studied at the Academie Julian in Paris, during which time he was especially influenced by the work of Matisse. Upon his return to Scotland he settled in Edinburgh’s New Town, the interiors of which, along with the Isle of Iona became one of his favourite subjects. He’s also particularly well known for painting the ladies of high society, often depicted in those vivid New Town interiors, wearing hats – his works The Orange Blind and Portrait of a Lady in Black are perhaps two of the best examples of this.
The vibrancy of colour in his work extended to his life; Cadell himself was known as the “gay Colourist” and had a reputation in Edinburgh society circles as a dandy. He served in the First World War, after which time he found it more and more difficult to sell his work due to the difficulties of the economic climate. However, it was also during this period that he spent most time on Iona, visiting for entire summers with fellow colourist SJ Peploe, and where it could be said he felt most at home.
In the summer of 2009 two pieces dating from his post-WW1 period – The Red Plate and Tulips – emerged from private collections. The Red Plate was given by the artist to his sister and had remained in the family, and Tulips had been bought by Cadell’s dealer, in whose family the piece had also remained.
There are 80 pictures in the exhibition, which cover the span of his career and include well-known favourites (including The Orange Blind) as well as early drawings. This exhibition is part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s Scottish Colourists series, with the works of Peploe being exhibited in the autumn of 2012, and that Fergusson in the autumn of 2013.
There’s been an incredible level of interest in the Royal Academy’s current exhibition David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture, and not without good reason. It’s the first exhibition of a series of major new landscape works from the Yorkshire artist, who was first approached by the Academy about the exhibition three or four years ago.
David Hockney RA, Wheat Field near Fridaythorpe, August 2005
Although there is some older work in the show, those pieces of most interest will most likely be those works which have been created for the exhibition – large-scale pieces designed with the galleries of the Academy in mind. These multi-canvas works depict the landscape of East Yorkshire is his inimitable style, reproducing lanes and woodlands in vivid colour. However, there will also be on display a selection of the work that Hockney has produced on his iPad, as well as a series of films created with 18 cameras and displayed on multiple screens.
Although the exhibition covers a period of 50 years, Hockney is quite clear that the show is not a retrospective – the bulk of the work is new and in interview he holds some mild disdain for the “safety” of the retrospective. He also acknowledges the relationship of the space to the work – not least because of the scale of works such as Winter Timber, which uses 15 canvasses and is over 6 metres wide.
Born in 1937 in Bradford, Hockney studied at Bradford School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, periods of study which were separated by a period working as a hospital orderly – a position he took up for his National Service as a conscientious objector. Having travelled extensively, he has throughout his prolific career been inspired by the Yorkshire landscape, returning to it time and time again at various points throughout his life. Vibrancy, colour and technological experimentation are hallmarks of his style, and some of his most interesting work has been produced with the help of new technologies that at first glance might seem out of step with his interest in the Old Masters; however in some ways it is his investigation of their techniques which has inspired him in this matter.
Hockney’s work with technology has included sending work through a fax machine, using laser-printed images, and creating work which changed dramatically depending on computer-controlled lighting. His interest in techniques used by the Old Masters to achieve accuracy in scale led to his discovery of their use of mirrors and lenses, and in 2001 he published a book on the subject.
Source: http://art-landscape.blogspot.com/
More information can be found on the Royal Academy’s website here: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/hockney/ – please note that demand for tickets has been extremely high, and signing up for dedicated email alerts or following on social media is recommended – more information here: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/hockney/tickets/
The exhibition runs until April 8 at the Royal Academy of Arts, Picadilly, London. Entry is £14 / £13 disabled & over-60s / £9 NUS or ISIC / £4 Income Support & 12-18yrs / £3 8-11yrs / Under sevens free.
Finishing off a space in a hurry? Party, function or important meeting coming up? If so, you’ll need Art2Arts’ 48 hour delivery service. Specific to artworks in this category only, if you order by 3pm you’ll get your art piece within 48 hours (weekends excluded), with free delivery. Here are a few of my faves that could be with you in just two days.
Oregon Coast by Silvie Tupa
Silvie Tupa’s Oregon Coast is based on a simple yet strong three-part composition, and creates a sense mood with dark watercolours. If you need to make an impact in a hurry , this is a good piece to choose.
Sealife by Caroline Ashwood
I love the metallic swirls in Caroline Ashwood’s Sealife. Caroline works relying on her instinctive sense of composition, form, and colour, and describes her style as “visceral and spontaneous”.
Alice by Estelle Rocca-Serra
Whimsical and colourful, Estelle Rocca-Serra’s Alice comes with a gold painted ornate frame, and is part of Estelle’s Hats, etc. goes Burlesque series. Estelle’s paintings are are held in private collections including Los Angeles, Monaco, Milan, Paris and London, and are part of the permanent art collection of St Georges Hospital in London.
“The Dutch have a saying, roughly translated, ‘death or the gladioli’, meaning all or nothing. It is thought that this phrase was being chanted in the arena in Roman times by the frantic spectators on the stands who were watching the gladiators fight each other to the death in a thrilling sword fight. After a heroic fight the victor was buried in gladioli by the cheering crowds. The name is derived from the Latin word ‘gladius’ meaning sword, after the sword-like shape of the flower. The gladiolus has become a sign of strength and victory; a flower earned after a great achievement.”
Laura is based in Teignmouth, South Devon. Her cat Chadwick, supervises her work to ensure highest quality
Need a specific art piece for your home or corporate interior? Art2Arts online gallery’s Made to Order section features pieces that the artist can customise to your requirements. The initial idea and inspiration are already there – you just let them know details like sizing and colour scheme. Like all art pieces on Art2Arts, Made to Order works feature:
Free UK Delivery
Free 14-Day Returns
100% Original Artwork
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Here are a few of my favourite pieces from Made to Order:
Pink Allium Hearts by Kaye Lake
Allium Hearts Duet by Kaye Lake
Kaye Lake’s Pink Allium Hearts and Allium Hearts Duet feature big, bold garlic flowers, with heart-shaped tendrils. Kaye’s works are painted on to box canvas and varnished, so you can hang them on the wall straightaway, with no framing required.
Unwilling Model by Steve Bonds
Nosey Parker by Steve Bonds
A bit of an indulgent choice this time as I’m such a cat lady – Steve Bonds’ pieces are ideal for pared-down, contemporary spaces, and of course cat lovers. Best of all, you can choose a colour scheme to suit your interior. A former graffiti artist, Steve Bonds brings this bold, graphic style to his works on canvas.
Acid Rainbow by CA Jasper
CA Jasper’s Acid Rainbow presents the perfect fusion of colour and texture. A flexible artistic style to suit many types of contemporary interiors.
Ocean City by Anni Rice
Anni Rice’s Ocean City Triptych will add a touch of bold colour to any neutral space. I love the strong texture and use of metallics. Anni’s paintings are based on a love of nature, and their texture is so pronounced that she asks ‘are these paintings or sculptures?’
This is a rare interview from 1986 with artists Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat. We see a very introverted Andy Warhol – he was known for being elusive and for protecting his carefully constructed public image.
Following the sad case of the Barbara Hepworth that was stolen from Dulwich Park and taken to a scrapyard in December, I’m looking at some of the more interesting art thefts that have occurred over the decades. 1910s
Perhaps the most notorious art theft in recent history was a simple ploy involving the ultimate in iconic artworks. On August 21, 1911, Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia stuck the Mona Lisa under his coat and simply walked out of the main door with the painting in tow. It took police two years to catch him (he tried to sell the piece at an Italian museum), and it turned out that his motivation had simply been to return the painting to its (and his) Italian homeland.
1930s
The Ghent Altarpiece (wings closed) 1432 Oil on wood, 350 x 223 cm Cathedral of St Bavo, Ghent
Let’s take a look at Jan Van Eyck’s remarkable Ghent Alterpice, a painting that has seen more action than a nun at a wimple convention. The exact details of its theft in 1934 remain shrouded in mystery. It’s been subject to thirteen different crimes over 600 years, and coveted by such famous names as Napoleon, Hitler, and Göring. The Nazis wanted it to be the centerpiece of Hitler’s planned “Supermuseum” at Linz.
In April 1934, two of the alterpeice’s panels were stolen from St. Bavo Cathedral in Ghent. The Cathedral received a ransom letter, and one of the panels was returned a month after the theft. The 2nd missing panel (the panel of just judges) has been missing ever since, and its whereabouts and the motive for the theft remain one of Europe’s biggest art mysteries. There are even rumours that members of the cathedral were involved in the theft and ransom. A replacement copy of the missing panel sits in its place.
1940s
With worldwide unrest, war and disorder, the 1940s saw a lot of art theft. The Nazis plundered tens of thousands of artworks with various motives, including for display in their gallery of “Degenerate Art” and the planned “Supermusem”. So man works were stolen that the Jeu de Paume Art Museum in occipied Paris was used as a central storage and sorting depot for stolen artworks from museums and private art collections throughout France, before they were distributed to various persons and places in Germany. The Nazis also confiscated several thousand artworks from Jewish owners, and after the war, via various channels, many ended up in the hands of respectable collectors and institutions.
The 1950s saw a remarkable lack of big art heists, while from the 1960s onward the trend picked up again.
We’ll begin in 1961, when Kempton Button, a retired bus driver claiming a small pension, stole Goya’s The Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery. He was so disgusted that the US government had forked out $392,000 to keep it in the National and out of the hands of a US oil tycoon, that he stole the piece in protest. His condition for returning the portrait was that the sale price be spent on television licenses for poor people. Sadly he didin’t get his wish, and eventually gave himself up, incurring a three-month prison sentence.
1970s
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was the site of the largest art theft in Canadian history on September 4, 1972, when armed intruders took with figurines, jewellery and 18 paintings worth a total of $2 million. The paintings included works by Gainsborough and Delacroix, along with a rare Rembrandt landscape. Amazingly, these great pieces have never been found. In 2003, the Globe and Mail newspaper estimated that the Rembrandt alone would be worth $1 million in contemporary currency.
1980s
Impression: The Sunrise by Monet
Source: http://www.monetalia.com/paintings/monet-impression-sunrise.aspx
On 28 October 1985, during daylight hours, five masked and armed gunmen entered the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris and stole nine paintings from the gallery’s collection. Among them were Impression, Sunrise (Impression, Soleil Levant) by Claude Monet, a pivotal painting which was arguably a springboard for the impressionist movement as a whole. Also stolen were further paintings by Monet, along with works by Renoir and Berthe Morisot, valued at at total of $12 million.The paintings were later recovered in Corsica in 1990.
1990s
The Scream by Edvard Munch
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Scream.jpg
1994 saw the theft of another painting with pop-culture icon status – that is Edvard Munch’s The Scream. On August 22, during daylight hours, masked gunmen stole two paintings from the Munch Museum in Oslo : Scream and Munch’s Madonna. On April 8, 2005, Norwegian police arrested a suspect in connection with the theft, but the paintings were still at large, and the rumour was that the thieves es had burned them to destroy the evidence. In early 2006, three men were convicted of the theft and sentenced to between four and eight years in prison. The paintings were recovered, in a somewhat water-damaged condition.
2000s
Reclining Figure by Henry Moore
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/may/17/henry-moore-sculpture-theft-reclining-figure
Near-universal surveillance, tracking technology and records searchable at the click of a mouse haven’t deterred some of the greatest art thieves. In fact, many of the most audacious thefts have occurred only in the last decade.
On December 15, 2005, thieves took Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure 1969–70, from the Henry Moore foundation at Perry Green. Unlike the small matter of slipping a painting under a coat, pinching this piece involved some serious forward planning, and the perpetrators are believed to have lifted the 3.6 m long, 2 m high by 2 m wide, 2.1-tonne statue onto the back of a Mercedes lorry using a crane. Tragically, the sculpture was sold for scrap for around £1500 and melted down. Intact, it had been worth £3m
While it hardly feels cold enough to be January, or any winter month for that matter, the calendar assures us that it is indeed the first month of the year, and that can only mean January sales. Beat the high-street and shop for original art at our online gallery, from the comfort of your armchair. Here are my five faves from the splendiferous Art2Arts January sale.
Snow White by Carmen Tyrell
Though we’ve no snow this year, Carmen Tyrell’s expressive painting perfectly captures the freshness of a snow white flower. Reduced to only £50, the painting is a steal, and Carmen also takes commissions in various genres, from portrait to landscape.
Monochrome Roses by Lita Narayan
Do you sense a theme emerging here? This time the flowers are monochrome rather than white, on a chunky, ready-to-hang canvas they’ll make the perfect addition to any sleek, modern interior. Monochrome Roses is by Lita Narayan.
St Ives, South of the Harbour, by Juian Rowe
Anyone who’s visted St Ives is likely to carry a secret nostalgia for its crisp quality of light that has inspired artists for centuries. Living and working in Cornwall himself, Julian Rowe is inspired by the landscapes and seascapes around him. St Ives, South of the Harbour brings you a little piece of this unique place on the planet.
Exmoor Ponies by Kathryn Dalziel
Another painting with a Westcountry feel, Kathryn Dalziel’s lovely drawing of Exmoor ponies is a sure crowd-pleaser. Kathryn knows all about drawing horses and ponies, having been resident artist at the Spanish School of Riding in Vienna.
Tapestry by Rachel McCullock
Here at Art2Arts, we know all about art and heart puns, and I can’t really pass up an opportunity to insert a few more. You can wear your art on your sleeve with this painting – Rachel McCullock’s Tapestry would make an art-felt gift to a loved one. (Sorry)
Love or hate Picasso’s work, he achieved something remarkable as a figurehead of a movement which completely changed the nature of modern art. The Tate Britain’s exhibition will focus on this particular aspect of his legacy – that is, his influence on Western art as a whole, and the vast changes in societal structure and modes of living that informed such a paradigm shift in visual representation. To demonstrate a little of Picasso’s impact, the exhibition will include works by some of his biggest-name UK artist admirers, including Duncan Grant, Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Graham Sutherland and David Hockney.
Tate Britain is open every day, 10.00-18.00
Last admission to special exhibitions at 17.15
£14 (£12.20 concessions)
Free for Tate Members
Book online with Tate or call 020 7887 8888.
Another great who you’ll either love or hate, Damien Hirst, like Picasso, became known as a representative of a movement which took the fine art world by storm. Along with Tracy Emin, he is regarded as the figurehead and epitome of the Young British Artist movement, which challenged the established art work back in the late 80s and early ’90s. Fast forward just a few years, and the YBAs had been assimilated and became a firm and highly-lucrative fixture of the established art world.
Exhibition Hours
Sunday to Thursday, 10.00–18.00. Friday and Saturday, 10.00–22.00. Last admission into exhibitions 17.15 (Friday and Saturday 21.15).
£14 (£12.20 concessions)
Free for Tate Members
Book online with Tate or call 020 7887 8888.
While best known for his swimming pools and portraiture, it’s really no secret that the prolific David Hockney has created notable works in just about every representational genre. The RA’s A Bigger Picture focuses on his landscape works, with depictions spanning a 50 year period.
‘I’ve always wanted to create drama in my pictures, which is why I paint people. It’s people who have brought drama to pictures from the beginning. The simplest human gestures tell stories.’
– Lucian Freud
Portraits were Lucian Freud’s defining genre, and this exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery concentrates on specific periods of work which demonstrate his stylistic development and technical virtuosity. The exhibition will feature over 100 works from international galleries and private collections, and represents a chance to see works never before on public display.
Known best for his painting The Scream, which has transferred over from fine art into popular culture to become a universally ubiquitous and recognised poster piece, Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter working from around 1880-1942. The Modern Eye shows Munch as a 20th Century Artist, representing the details of everyday, modern life within the times he lived and worked.
Exhibition Hours
Sunday to Thursday, 10.00–18.00. Friday and Saturday, 10.00–22.00. Last admission into exhibitions 17.15 (Friday and Saturday 21.15).
£14 (£12.20 concessions)
Free for Tate Members
Book online with Tate or call 020 7887 8888.
Outside of the main London galleries, there are plenty of exciting and big name exhibitions going on in the rest of the UK. One such show, at the Tate Liverpool, focuses on J.M.W Turner (1775-1851), Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Cy Twombly (1928-2011), exploring similarities in their styles, approaches and inspirations. It’s a chance to see some iconic pieces such as Monet’s Waterlilies and Turner’s romantic landscapes and seascapes.
17 October – 23 June
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10.00–17.50
Closed Mondays (except Bank Holiday Mondays).
24 June – 16 October
Open Monday – Sunday, 10.00–17.50
Closed on Good Friday and 24–26 December
£12.20 (£9 concessions)
Free for Tate Members
Book online with Tate or call 0151 702 7400.
