Advent Calender - Day 10

This is an Adoration of the Magi painted by the artist Gentile di Fabriano, in his time he was an internationally renowned artist. This was comissioned for the Strozzi Family Chapel in Florence and is painted in Tempra on Wood with a large quantity of gold leaf. This painting is currently in the Uffizi.

To take a look at this incredible image in more detail, which I would thoroughly recommend go to and take a look at the intricate brocading on the costumes of the Magi: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Gentile_da_Fabriano_Adoration.jpg

Advent Calender - Day 9

Gerhardt Richter's Candle 1982. This is one of a series of images of candles, they are an example of what is described as photorealism. Whereby the artist has used the medium of oil in such a precise manner as to create a photographic effect. They almost seem to flicker before your very eyes and I thought it was an image particularlly appropriate for an advent calender!

For more of these enchanting paintings have a look at: http://www.gerhard-richter.com/art/paintings/photo_paintings/category.php?catID=6
Gerhardt Richter is quite possibly the most interesting, successful and influential living artist and the Tate Modern are currently running a major retrospective of his work. This runs until the 8th January, so if you are interested go before its gone! http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/gerhardrichter/default.shtm

The Maccabees and Andy Goldsworthy, an unlikely pairing!

The Maccabees have chosen a dramatic Andy Goldsworthy work for the front cover of their third album 'Given to the Wild', which will go on sale on the 9th January.

Andy Goldsworthy is an artist that the band say they admire and this is why they have selected his work for the front of their new album. Also the celebration of 'the wild' within his work seems appropriate for the title of the album.

The Maccabees new album 'Given to the Wild' 

Andy Goldsworthy is an incredible sculptor who creates works within the environment, forming part of the 'Land Art' movement, a movement which has it's roots in America.

This is one of the tracks from the albumn called Pelican which will be released on January 2nd, it has been set to a different picture of the same Andy Goldsworthy sculpture which will act as the Pelican single cover, I think that the pairing is a very effective one.

This is not the first time that the band have paried up with a British artist in fact their Wall of Arms album cover is the work of Boo Ritson. Who painted the band and then photographed the painting.

The Maccabees Wall of Arms album cover

Album Covers are a fasinating new type of art work, so next time you buy an albumn take a close look at the cover first you may find something interesting!

Advent Calender - Day 8

Van Gogh painting, 'Couple in a park with a fir tree' 1888.

A christmas tree in the making, just add tinsel.

Advent Calender - Day 7

Another day another advent post!



This Mulberry advert epitomises autumn and winter in my opinion. It is one of my favourite adverts this season.

If you fancy indulging in a bit of fantasy shopping, (with a christmassy feel) head to http://www.mulberry.com/?gclid=CP3OxYTI76wCFUVTfAodsyJYmg

Faking it!

Fascinating experiment carried out using brain scanning technology to gauge people's reaction to fake paintings!

People appear to get more aesthetic pleasure from the painting that they are told is real than when they are told the same painting is fake.

This suggests that the experience of viewing a work of art does not merely rely upon the appearance but upon the attending history of the image.

Check it out at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/education-16032234?SThisFB

This is just another way in which technology has been used to create a better understanding of Art and Art History.

Advent Calender - Day 6

This is a detail of Benozzo Gozzoli's Magnificent frescoed (wall-painting) chapel for the Medici Palace in Florence painted between 1459-62. It is one of the few parts of the Palace interior that is still in it's original state. The image shows a group of angels kneeling in worship. Their halos read different variations of 'We worship thee, we glorify thee'.

Advent Calender - Day 5

Rollover to reveal image!!



This is a wine Cooler made by the workshop of Flaminio Fontana, thought to have been made for Cosimo I de'Medici.
It is made of tin-glazed pottery otherwise known as Maiolica.

Imagine serving the wine on Christmas day out of this!!

Tatlin's Tower

Pop in to see the Large Model of The Monument, to the Third International otherwise known as Tatlin's Tower, in the courtyard of The Royal Academy of Arts. It is exhibited there as part of the Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935 exhibition.

This model represents a small scale example of a work of architecture envisaged by Vladimir Tatlin but never completed. It is an incredible work of fantasy expressing the avant-garde context in which it was created. It comprises an intertwined metal framework with three rotating geometric forms, the lowest one being a cube which would have been used for a variety of events and would have completed a single rotation over the period of a year.

This structure would probabaly have been for all intents and purposes unbuildable as well as totally impractical but the opportunity to see the model at least gives us a framework with which to imagine how incredible it would have looked! Especially when you consider that it would have been 400 metres tall making it over twice the height of the Gherkin in London!

As the Tower is in the courtyard of the Royal Academy it is open to the public for free and is worth having a nosy at.

Also bear in mind that the Degas Exhibition ends on the 11th, if you want to go and see this exhibition it might be worth booking as the show has been very popular!

For a review of the Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935 exhibition visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/oct/30/soviet-architecture-royal-academy-review?INTCMP=SRCH

Advent Calender - Day 4

Day 4!!



The Seasons 'Winter' By Jasper John
This is an etching and acquatint on paper. This is in the Tate Britain Prints and Drawings room.
I particularly love the little snowman outline in the image.