Adventure into Creativity
Figure Totem Beast: Sculpture in Britain in the 1950s is the name of a current exhibition at Tate Britain. It is noteworthy because the sculptures were made in the time after the Second World War where a growing optimism of a more humane society was contrasted with the fears of nuclear development in the Cold War. These opposing elements are explored through pieces in isolation, with couples or in groups. The pieces are dynamic and full of energy. Continue reading “Groundbreaking Sculpture”
Looking at the origins of Kettle’s Yard in 1957, it is hard to imagine the legacy it has become. Although Jim Ede would have preferred a stately home, he was offered 4 tiny condemned slum dwellings from the president of the Cambridge Preservation Society.
The actual origins predate this. On first appearance it was his meeting Ben and Winifred Nicholson in about 1924 while he was an assistant at the Tate Gallery. In fact, it was a visit to the Louvre at 13 years of age and access to the Free Library at the Fitzwilliam at 15 where his love of early Italian painting began and started him on his collector’s journey. Continue reading “The Legacy of Kettle’s Yard”
The first Damien Hirst piece, Sensation, is encountred while driving to the carpark. From the car it look looks like something from an amusement park or fun fair. Looking like brightly coloured plastic. On closer inspection, it appears to be a magnification of a section of skin complete with hairs. Continue reading “Spots, Spots and Still More Spots …”
I went to the Fermoy Gallery in King’s Lynn to see Alison Dunhill’s exhibition ‘Plaster, Parquet and Pillars’ with great anticipation. My first impression was, “I love it!”
In this beautiful space with natural light coming in from above, the predominantly small scale work was excellently curated. Each piece is an island of discovery. An element of play is present. Continue reading “The Magical World of Alison Dunhill”
108 steps is what it took me to walk the length of A Line in Norfolk by Richard Long. Walking the line is reminiscent of Long’s ground breaking work of 1967, A Line Made by Walking. Now, 50 years later, I was walking a line parallel to a work made specifically for this exhibition. A measured line made of local Norfolk Carrstone connecting the house entrance to Full Moon Circle, a piece created in 2003 for the Houghton Sculpture Garden. Continue reading “108 Steps …”
