Luxury and Excess

Details from a visit to the National Gallery last week - was great to be back.

Top to bottom:

Detail from Equestrian portrait of Charles I, 1637-8, Anthony van Dyke

Detail from Lord Stuart and his brother, Lord Bernard Stuart, c.1638, Anthony van Dyke

Detail from Still Life with Drinking-Horn, c.1653, Willem Kalf

Detail from Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket, 1643-9, Juan de Zurbarán

Broad Beans

Broad Bean season... Reminds me of a painting of peas by William Nicholson which my Dad introduced me to many years ago.

The Lustre Bowl with Green Peas, 1911

Lockdown Polaroid 5

19/4/2020

Carnations at Home

Bow, London

Still Life Saturday

Saturday in isolation - put together a quick still life to draw. Not entirely successful but a nice way to spend an afternoon!

Boots

Accidental still life on location a couple of weeks ago. Our model had Harrisons' limited edition Doc Martens painted with the work of a renaissance artist.

Yellow

While I didn't see any art while in Madrid recently - finding the perfect pair (or two) of espadrilles took precedent - I was reminded of a trip a couple of years ago to the Thysseen-Bornemisza where I loved this very un-Matisse still life

Yellow Flowers, Henri Matisse, 1902

Oil on Canvas

Mona

Many eyes on me as I work from home this afternoon - the best pair looking out from my Mona Lisa socks, a gift from a friend last year.

Andalusian Still Life

A blissful trip to Southern Spain where at times everything looked like it could be a painting

Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom in a Glass, 1932

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin

Taken from Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932, a brilliant (if horribly overcrowded) exhibition at the Royal Academy. So much to see, and in my case, learn. Petrov-Vodkin's ancestors were bandits, and according to local legend his surname derives from homemade vodka produced by his grandmother... what's not to love?

Ends 17th April

Blooms

A Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase, 1609-10

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder

Spanish Cherries

I spent a weekend up North visiting my brother recently, and while there took a trip to the Bowes Museum to see an exhibition of 17th Century Spanish paintings that he has just helped put on. 

Still life with flowers, artichokes and glassware

Juan van der Hamen y Leon, 1627

Really loved this Spanish still life on loan from the Prado in Madrid. Apparently what makes Spanish still life different from others, is that each element of the painting is set apart in it's own space. I particularly liked the translucent, glassy cherries.

Plasticine

I love looking through old magazines and keep them for years. I find that when they are brand new there's almost too much to take in, and I always skip stuff and later discover missed gems. One point in case is a still life shoot from Vogue last year which saw jewellery on, in, hanging and spilling from household objects made from plasticine by French artist and illustrator Alexandra Bruel.

 

See more of Alexandra's amazing work here.

Tie Cones

 

Such great still life styling in the Sunday Times Magazine - almost makes me want to wear a tie.