Category: Art

Step Inside

I went to Wormwood Scrubs (above) on Saturday to see an exhibition of art by offenders laid on by the Koestler Trust. Here is what I bought.

Long Walks

I don’t have anything by Richard Long (above) but he often comes to mind. First because I was given a large well-illustrated catalogue for his exhibition at Tate Britain in 2009. Secondly, because I went to and was greatly impressed by the exhibition and thirdly because he works in a way unlike any other artist… Continue reading Long Walks

Sudak Remembered

Henry Sanford said that although he’d never been to Sudak, he visited Koktibel which is nearby in 2005. His great, great grandfather was the Russian seascape painter, Ivan Aivazovsky, who lived in Theodossia (now Feodosia). Russian readers will be familiar with Aivazovsky (1817-1900). He was more highly regarded internationally in his own lifetime than his British… Continue reading Sudak Remembered

Venetian Souvenirs

Poor, poor Venice; the footfall of overweight tourists is making it sink ever lower in the lagoon and the Adriatic is rising, not problems that will be solved here.

Norman Conquest

Whatever the UK electorate decides about staying in or leaving the EU, many of us in the British Isles feel a sense of identity with the Normans. Our genes, our language, our architecture, our laws can to a large extent be traced back to Norman roots.

A Shell House and Some Up-Dates

Barmeath has a shell house built in the woods in the 19th century as a destination for walks and picnics, I was surprised to come upon a 20th century one in the centre of London.

The Faultless Painter

An old friend told me this week that he is taking an evening course at the Slade School of Fine Art but The Faultless Painter doesn’t refer to him. It is the title of a poem by Robert Browning about the Renaissance artist, Andrea del Sarto.

My Four Green Fields

This is by Hilda van Stockum, a Dutch writer of childrens books and an artist. She spent part of her life in Ireland where she met Evie Hone and painted this portrait, probably at Marley, in Rathfarnham, where Evie had a house and studio.

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Categorised as Art, Family

Tom, Tom and Harry

Andrew Ritchie’s encounter with Princess Anne, related in a comment on Man in Taxi, leads me to speculate whether he met any other members of the Royal Family.