Van Gogh : Poets & Lovers Exhibition at the National Gallery

As part of their 200 year anniversary celebrations and to mark that it’s 100 years since they purchased Van Gogh’s Sunflowers’ and ‘Van Gogh’s Chair’, the National Gallery are currently holding their first major exhibition devoted entirely to Van Gogh.

This spectacular exhibition covers works created by Van Gogh over a two year period, 1888-90, whilst he was living in the South of France. During this time, Van Gogh developed his use of bold and intense colours and rich textural technique to communicate emotion. By focusing on the people and places he encountered, he explored the expressive and poetic possibilities of his simple subject matter, whilst often referencing literary and artistic sources.

In room after room of overwhelming colour, 61 stunning works of art are on display, many of which have been lent by private collectors and museums as far afield as the U.S.A, Japan, The Netherlands, Germany and Greece. Labels state only the title, date and owner of each artwork, so that reactions to the paintings and drawings, as well as the thoughts and feelings induced, are instinctive and one’s own rather than that of the curators or directly related to Van Gogh’s troubled life.

Van Gogh’s art is given the space to speak for itself in this unmissable exhibition.

Here's a selection of the photos that I took of my favourite works of art in the exhibition.

Banksy's Girl with a Pierced Eardrum

It was exciting to discover this brilliant Banksy on Spike Island in Bristol at the weekend... The Girl with the Pearl (aka alarm) Earring is even placed in her own Vermeer-shaped room, so clever!

'Angelica Kauffman' at the Royal Academy

One of only two women among the 34 artists who founded the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768, Angelica Kauffman is the subject of this elegant and selective exhibition. Born in Switzerland in 1741, Kauffman was trained as an artist by her father, the painter Joseph Johann Kauffman, because as a woman she couldn’t formally enrol at an art academy. They travelled through Italy together and it was in Rome that she formed her classical style and in Florence that she was accepted as a member of the prestigious art academy, one of only a handful of women to be admitted at that point.

Kauffman painted many celebrated self-portraits, several of which are included in the exhibition and serve to exemplify her talent, whether with paint brushes and a palette close by, a stylus and drawing board in hand, or with a bust of the Goddess of Wisdom Minerva. In 1766 she moved to London, fresh from painting the German art historian and antiquarian Winkelmann, pen in hand, and went on to achieve considerable success painting portraits of actors, including the famous playwright and actor David Garrick with his lively gaze turned towards the viewer, socialites, aristocrats and the monarchy. Kauffman was very close to Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the RA, and her portrait of him is gentle and full of affection.

Commissioned to create a set of ceiling paintings to adorn the Royal Academy’s Council Room at the New Somerset House, Kauffman placed women at the centre of her four oval panels ‘The Elements of Art’. In one, an allegorical figure of Design leans forward to draw the Belvedere Torso and, in another, Composition is leaning on the base of a column upon which is a chess board, deep in thought with a compass in hand. Depicting herself between the arts of music and painting, Kauffman takes us back to the turning point in her life when she chose to devote herself entirely to painting, despite her considerable talent as a musician and singer.

Returning to Rome in 1781 with her second husband the artist Zucchi, Kauffman continued her successful career working for international patrons. When she died in 1807 a grand funeral was held in Rome and she was laid to rest in the Pantheon next to Raphael.

March Trip to Florence

Florence Part Two Trip - March 2024

Here is a small selection of pictures of my favourite paintings, sculptures, architecture and places from those that we visited during the recent Florence Part Two Trip.

Amongst the wealth of painting, sculpture and architecture that we studied, we experienced the calming atmosphere created by the harmonious symmetry of Brunelleschi’s pure Renaissance architecture and the precise geometry and order of Alberti’s architectural designs. We soaked up the emotion expressed by Donatello in his early Renaissance sculptures and were overwhelmed by the intense focus on humanity in the work of his great successor Michelangelo. Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci’s revolutionary paintings were found to be both breathtakingly beautiful and of supreme craftsmanship and Bronzino’s sophisticated, pristine and courtly style of Mannerism will prove to be especially memorable.

One of the beauties of Italy is the unparalleled opportunity to appreciate works of art in the context and atmosphere for which they were intended and we visited as many works of art as possible in situ. These included stunning and complex fresco cycles by Gozzoli, Uccello and Ghirlandaio as well as altarpieces by Lippi, Pontormo, Bronzino and Masaccio, all still in the places for which they were created.

Florence museums house some of the most significant art collections in existence and we felt extremely privileged to be surrounded by the largest collection of Raphael masterpieces in the world, together with a great many of Titian’s sensitive insightful portraits and mythological paintings. We also sought out female artists where possible, including the powerful emotionally charged pictures created by Artemisia Gentilieschi and the superbly detailed work of Plautilla Nelli.

Of course, our cultural study tour was gastronomic as well as artistic and we sampled the delights of Italian cuisine in many truly wonderful local restaurants!

A Gallery Talks Part One Trip is planned from 11th until 15th October 2024.

'Vermeer' Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam 2023

I was lucky enough to visit the breathtaking 'Vermeer' exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, in March. Bringing together 28 of Vermeer's paintings, three-quarters of his 37 surviving works, the superb simplicity of the displays showcase the pictures brilliantly, often alone in one room, or in spotlights of pairs or small groups. Basic labels, detailing only the title and where the picture belongs, are placed next to the paintings, with wall texts reserved for other parts of the rooms, encouraging the visitor to really look at and contemplate the paintings uninterrupted by searching for information.

I took a photo of each painting included in the exhibition, which I'm sharing in order to give a sense of the mesmerising beauty of Vermeer's tranquil yet mysterious world, whether it be in his domestic interiors, outdoor scenes, or religious and mythological subjects.

The precision with which Vermeer observed the fall of light and its effects in his paintings is absolutely exquisite and the talent and skill he possessed with which to realise these qualities in painting quite phenomenal. I especially admire his use of white highlights on fabrics, faces, windows and walls and the way in which and spaces open and close in the peaceful scenes of Vermeer's pictures.

As the Director of the Rijksmuseum says "Vermeer's paintings make an indelible impression. The intimate restraint of his work makes time stand still for a moment in a world that is moving at such a relentless pace."

March Trip to Florence

The Gallery Talks Florence (Part 1) March ’23 Trip was thoroughly enjoyable and a good time was had by all in the group! We immersed ourselves in the beautiful art and architecture of this wonderful city and sampled the delights of Tuscan cuisine in carefully selected local Florentine restaurants.

The cradle of the Renaissance, Florence nurtured a succession of great artists, including Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. Our cultural study tour gave us the opportunity to experience first hand stunning masterpieces by all of these and more incredible and revolutionary painters, sculptors and architects.

Our visits included the Duomo and the city’s most visible landmark, Brunelleschi’s dome, the Baptistery, Florence’s most important early building, and the superb Opera del Duomo museum, where the artworks include Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. We spent a day in the Uffizi admiring Italy’s largest collection of significant paintings, especially famous for its collection of Botticelli’s, as well as studying Renaissance sculpture at the Bargello and the Academia, where of course we admired Michelangelo’s David! Brunelleschi’s tranquil Santo Spirito church, including Michelangelo’s Crucifix, and Michelozzo’s San Marco Monastery, decorated with Fra Angelico frescoes, provided contemplative time. An afternoon at the church Santa Croce included a moving talk on Donatello by a Franciscan monk and the experience of the beautiful and peaceful Brunelleschi cloisters and Pazzi Chapel.

Florence, which retains a remarkable concentration of Medieval and Renaissance artworks and buildings, was home to so many artists who changed the course of Western art and thus provides the perfect opportunity to study the foundations of our civilisation through its art.

A Gallery Talks Florence Part Two Trip is taking place this April, with a Florence Part Three Trip in October 2023. A further Florence Part Two Trip is planned for early spring 2024. Please send a message if you’d like further details about future Florence Trips.

Gallery Talks - Florence Trips 2023

  • Florence Part One: 3rd - 7th March

  • Florence Part Two: 21st - 24th April

  • Florence Part Three: 6th - 10th October

Would you like to join the group for any of these Gallery Talks Florence Trips?

If so, please contact me and I'll reply with further details, including flight and hotel recommendations.

These four day cultural study tours include detailed morning and afternoon tours of the treasure trove of art in the churches and museums of this wonderful city, which still retains an astoundingly dense concentration of great works of art. All entrance tickets are pre-booked with timed entry and reservations for lunch and dinner are made for the group each day and evening.

The varied itineraries for the three trips include visiting the Uffizi, Academia, Duomo, Bargello, Santa Croce, Santa Spirito, the Brancacci, Medici and Magi Chapels and a Day Trip to Siena. Visit Trips to Florence for more information on each itinerary.

October Trip to Florence

This month’s Florence Part 2 Trip was a great success! A wonderful time was had by all in the group as we soaked up the Florentine atmosphere in beautiful autumn sunshine.

We absorbed ourselves in the art and architecture of this gem of a city, the cradle of Renaissance culture. Visits included the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, Michelangelo's David at the Academia, Palazzo Vecchio, the Medici and Magi Chapels, Basilica Santa Maria Novella, Casa Buonarotti and Badia Fiorentina.

An absolute highlight was a private tour of the Sacristy in the Duomo, an area of the cathedral which is closed to the public.

Plans are underway for Gallery Talks Florence Trips in March, April and October 2023!

Please contact me if you'd be interested in joining one of these trips.

New Dulwich Picture Gallery Series

I am delighted to introduce a new series of Gallery Talks at the Dulwich Picture Gallery to take place on one Thursday morning per month. This course consists of six talks, as listed here.

The dates for the first two talks of this course are:

  • Thursday 10th November
    DPG01 Italian Renaissance, Baroque & Rococo
    (Raphael, Piero di Cosimo, Vasari, Veronese, Canaletto)
  • Thursday 8th December
    DPG02 Dutch & Flemish Masters
    (Rembrandt, Cuyp, Dou, Bol, Teniers, Rubens, Van Dyck)

We will meet each morning at 10.30am and spend until 12.30pm in the galleries. On the calendar page of my website this group is 'Group 7' with Chardin’s Schoolmistress as the icon.

Dulwich Picture Gallery houses one of the finest smaller collections of Old Master paintings in the world. A kaleidoscope of European art, it is filled with household names and hidden gems by Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Flemish and British artists. Highlights of the collection include Murillo’s 'The Flower Girl’, Canaletto’s 'Old Walton Bridge’ and Rembrandt's 'A Girl at a Window'.

There is an entrance fee of £16.50 and it’s free for Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery and Art Fund members.

If you would like to join the group for this tour, please contact me and I will send you further details.

The fee for each Gallery Talk tour is £30 and includes a set of notes sent out by email afterwards.

Tour of the Sainsbury Wing

Tuesday 20th September, 10.30am - 12.30pm

The Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery will be closing at the end of 2022 for two years. Therefore, I will be giving a tour on Tuesday 20th September to see some of the paintings before they are moved to other locations. We will study iconic paintings currently housed in the Sainsbury Wing by great masters of Medieval and Early Renaissance art, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Piero della Francesca, Bellini and Jan Van Eyck.

Please contact me if you are interested in attending this Gallery Talk and I will send you further details.

24th May - WWII and Abstraction at Tate Britain

Places are available for the Gallery Talk on Modern British Art at Tate Britain on Tuesday 24th May, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. The theme of the talk will be World War II and Abstraction, including artists such as Francis Bacon, Paul Nash and Patrick Heron.

Please contact me if you would like to join the group that morning and I will send you further details.

The War Artists Committee commissioned artists to record aspects of the war, for example, Paul Nash, whose imaginative powers produced extraordinary, memorable, visionary landscapes. Francis Bacon became one of the major figures of post-war art, his anguished vision of man taking the form of disturbing bestial images, powerful equivalents for feelings. Patrick Heron's exploration of colour and light in his refreshing abstract paintings took inspiration from the flowers in his Cornish garden and the light of the southwest coast.

We will also be looking at 'The Procession', Hew Locke's visually breathtaking and powerfully thought-provoking installation in the Duveen galleries.

I look forward to guiding you through the wonderful art treasures in the beautiful surroundings of Tate Britain.

1st April - Dutch Masters Talk at the National Gallery

Places are available for the Gallery Talk on Dutch Masters (including Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hals) on Friday 1st April, from 10.30am until 12.30pm at the National Gallery. Please contact me if you’d like to join the group that morning, and I’ll send you further details.

The collection of Dutch artists of the 17th century at the National Gallery is truly stunning with masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, de Hooch and Hals. With an entre room dedicated to Rembrandt including iconic works by him such as two of his Self-Portraits, 'A Woman Bathing in a Stream' and 'Belshazzar's Feast' together with Vermeer's 'A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal' and 'A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal', we'll be spoilt for choice!

Artists of the Dutch Golden Age created stunning masterpieces, typically specialising in specific subject matter, whether history, biblical, portraits, still-life or genre. Vermeer perfected a unique style, producing interior scenes of elegant domesticity and composed serenity. Rembrandt’s work embraced virtually every type of subject and focused on penetrating realism and deep emotion. His self-portraits were painted with direct honesty and intense personal scrutiny; his private life was inseparable from the character of his art.

15th March - Bloomsbury and Modernism at Tate Britain

Places are available in the group group for my talk on Bloomsbury and Modernism - including artists Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Jacob Epstein, Stanley Spencer and David Bomberg - on Tuesday 15th March, from 10.30am until 12.30pm at Tate Britain.

Please contact me if you would like to join the group and I will send you further details.

The complete list of upcoming Gallery Talks series is available on the Calendar and this group is listed as 'Group 7' with Chardin's Schoolmistress as the icon.

I very much look forward to guiding you through the wonderful art treasures in Tate Britain.

8th Feb - Impressionism at Tate Britain

Places are available on a Gallery Talk on Impressionism - Singer Sargent, Whistler and Sickert - on Tuesday 8th Febuary, from 10.30am until 12.30pm at Tate Britain.

Please contact me if you are interested in this talk and I will send you further details.

In the beautiful surroundings of Tate Britain, I'll talk to you about some of the fascinating works of art created in Britain by Impressionists, focusing on artists such as John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, James Tissot and Philip Wilson Steer.

The French Impressionist revolution in art was introduced into Britain by James McNeill Whistler, his daringly individual art focusing on expression through purely visual and aesthetic means. The next generation of British artists, such as John Singer Sargent, Walter Richard Sickert and Philip Wilson Steer, took up the practice of Impressionism, painting everyday subject matter, completing pictures out of doors and rendering natural light effects with luminous, bright colours. Independent and highly individual artists, for example Augustus and Gwen John, developed personal, sensitively observed realism in their portraits.

The complete list of upcoming Gallery Talks series is available on the Calendar and this group is listed as 'Group 7' with Chardin's Schoolmistress as the icon.

I very much look forward to guiding you through the wonderful art treasures in Tate Britain.

25th Jan - Surrealism and Cubism at Tate Modern

There will be a Gallery Talk on Surrealism and Cubism (artists such as Picasso, Braque, Morandi, Magritte and Moore) on Tuesday 25th January, from 10.30am until 12.30pm at Tate Modern. If you are interested in this talk, please contact me and I’ll send you further details.

From the birth of Modern Art, artists have vigorously explored the figure and still life settings, in their studio. The Cubists, led by Picasso and Braque, represented reality through fragmenting images with overlapping viewpoints. Artists continually explored and reinvented the mundane, this particularly climaxed with Morandi’s obsessive exploration of tableware. Whilst Modigliani and Picasso incorporated the study of African masks into the faces of their figures, the Surrealists attempted to tap into the unconscious through the analysis of dreams in order to both understand humanity and undermine authority.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the representation of women is constantly in flux and alters in parallel with the developments in women rights. This is evident in the female figures position as object in Morandi, Degas and Dali’s works, to subject and artist in Bourgeois and Tanning’s works.

20th Jan - Italian Renaissance Art Talk at the National Gallery

Places are available for my Gallery Talk on Italian Renaissance artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, del Piombo and Bronzino this Thursday 20th January, from 10.30am until 12.30pm at the National Gallery. If you’d like to join the group that morning, please contact me and I’ll send you further details.

The Renaissance art collection at the National Gallery is one of the finest in the world and I look forward to guiding you through a selection of the masterpieces by these great Italian artists to give a richer understanding of them and the techniques they employed in the creation of their beautiful works of art. My aim is to bring the art to life by sharing my enthusiasm for art and telling the stories of particular paintings, considering aspects of the lives of the artists and by placing the works of art into their historical and social context.

Renaissance Florence and Rome witnessed an outpouring of all the visual arts, with artists responding to enthusiastic patrons, including the popes. Raphael and Michelangelo, heroes of the High Renaissance, simultaneously created pioneering art of monumental grandeur and technical sophistication. The study of nature, the human body and ancient sculpture was fundamental to achieving a union of classical ideals and Christian divinity. Subject matter broadened to embrace portraiture and allegories and paintings began to be given as diplomatic gifts.

In giving my Gallery Talks, I hope to enhance your appreciation of the wealth of art here on our doorstep in London.

13th Jan - French Impressionism Talk at the National Gallery

Places are available for my Gallery Talk on French Impressionism (including artists Renoir, Degas and Seurat) this Thursday 13th January, from 10.30am until 12.30pm at the National Gallery. If you’d like to join the group that morning, please contact me and I’ll send you further details.

French Impressionist artist Degas was at the forefront of artistic innovation in 19th century Paris and, with his perceptive vision and fascination with new pictorial possibilities, he documented contemporary life, such as cafés, ballet dancers and women at their toilette. Renoir combined cutting-edge theory and techniques to capture luminous atmospheric effects in paint and fleeting moments in time. Seurat developed a highly original style of painting based on scientific treatises in colour together with his powers of observation. Impressionist techniques opened up new possibilities in representation for early 20th century artists. The Impressionism collection at the National Gallery is superb and provides a wonderful opportunity to study a wide range of each of these famous artists’ stunning paintings.

23rd or 30th Nov - Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian Art at Tate Britain

Places are available for my Gallery Talk on Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian art at Tate Britain on Tuesday 23rd November or Tuesday 30th November, from 10.30am until 12.30pm. Please contact me if you would like to join the group on either morning and I’ll send you further details.

This talk will focus on the stunning collection of Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian art at Tate Britain, including artists such as Rossetti, Millais, Burne-Jones and Singer Sargent.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, met in 1848 at the Royal Academy Schools and took their name from a desire to emulate painters before Raphael. Their work is characterised by serious, often moral, subject matter, highly elaborate symbolism, sharply defined forms, meticulous attention to detail and outdoor study of nature.

Artists working in the 19th century often used their paintings to address social, political and topical issues, such as the role of women in society and class decisions and typically painted in a highly realistic style.

19th Nov - National Gallery Talk on Italian Baroque

Would you like to find out more about the wonderful masterpieces of Italian Baroque art at the National Gallery?
If so, you are welcome to join a group on Friday 19th November at 10.30am at the National Gallery for my Gallery Talk on artists such as Caravaggio, Carracci, Reni and Gentileschi.

Please contact me if you would like to join the group that morning and I will send you further details.

The magnificent Italian Baroque paintings are displayed in the sumptous surroundings of the newly refurbished Julia and Hans Rausing Room with its ornate painted frieze and lunettes and dark red wall cloth reinstating the original 19th century colour scheme.

The Baroque style which emerged in Rome at the turn of the 17th century represented a new direction in the arts, as the Catholic Church put pressure on artists to seek the most convincing realism possible in its campaign to counter the Protestant Reformation. Dynamic compositions, virtuoso brushwork, dazzling skill, dramatic lighting and vivid use of colour were employed to express emotional intensity in paintings for private and public worship. Caravaggio’s religious works were painted in true Counter-Reformation spirit, but the unprecedented realism and drama of his paintings caused rejection by many and his rebellious spirit lay outside the conventions of society. The ideal landscape tradition began, with artists developing a classical style of naturalism.

4th Nov - National Gallery Talk on Italian Renaissance

Would you like to find out more about the stunning Italian Renaissance masterpieces in the National Gallery?
If so, you are welcome to join a Gallery Talks group on Thursday 4th November at 10.30am at the National Gallery, for my talk on artists including Botticelli, Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci.

Please contact me if you would like to join the group that morning and I will send you further details.

The collection of Renaissance art in the National Gallery is one of the finest in the world and I look forward to guiding you through some of the beautiful works of art displayed in the serene atmosphere of the Sainsbury Wing.

Renaissance art achieved its fullest flowering in Italy, where the remains of classical sculpture and architecture could be studied and newly-rich city states, such as Florence, provided generous and innovative patrons. Subject matter was expanded to include classical mythology, artists studied the human body and the techniques of naturalism, perspective and oil paint were mastered. Leonardo da Vinci was largely responsible for establishing the idea of the artist as a creative intellectual and not simply a skilled craftsman.