Empathy
This week the National Gallery of Victoria announced its program for 2021. A highlight will be a major exhibition of 100 masterworks of French Impressionism in partnership with the Museum …
White Lies: Sculpture from Antiquity
Reflecting on the colours of ancient sculptures, Susanne Pearce discusses a memorable exhibition she saw in Berlin. Susanne writes: Amanda Dunsmore (Senior Curator, International Decorative Arts and Antiquities at the …
Picturing the landscape
Barrie Sheppard takes us on a tour of the landscape in the 19th century, seen through the eyes of two important English artists. Barrie writes: Seventeenth century landscape artist Claude …
‘the writing is on the wall’
The expression ‘the writing is on the wall’ reminds us of imminent danger or soon to be realised unfortunate inevitable consequences. Coming from the Aramaic ‘mene mene tekel upharsin’, it …
More ‘bloody’ ox stuff …
In China, the ‘ox’ is not just prominent as a working, mythological, zodiac or artistic animal, it also lends its name to a deep red colour of ceramic glaze – …
Ox(idate)
I wonder if it is fortuitous that this Chinese Year is the ‘Year of the Ox’. Commencing on 12 February, it was perfectly timed to coincide with the short stage …
Be my Valentine?
‘Will you be my valentine?’ – the question posed annually to potential romantic interests – is probably more fraught this year with Melbourne in stage 4 hard lockdown on Valentine’s …
Varnish Day
Barrie Sheppard continues his illuminating discussion of J M W Turner’s artistic practice. Barrie writes: Varnish day at London’s Royal Academy during the nineteenth century would be more aptly named …
AUSSIE
January 26 continues to provoke considerable discussion and debate in Australia about the significance of celebrating the British colonisation of the country and its impact on the indigenous population. In …
Womba(r)t
Of all our native animals, the one I feel the greatest affinity with is the ‘wombat’. This animal captured the attention of the early settlers and explorers through first contact …