MOMA in Melbourne

A wonderful treat - a visit to the NGV Victoria to see the winter blockbuster, masterpieces from MoMA . It was a terrific selection of works, representing a range of styles.

The first treat, an iconic film by the Lumiere brothers of the Serpentine Dance performed bu Loie Fuller-  the colours and the shapes of this dance presaging the development of performance art and the notion of  drawing as a physical space related activity. To be greeted with this as one of the first pieces in the show was a good beginning

Then The Bathers by Andre` Derain 1907

Jumping forward to Diane Arbus, another favourite

And another hero Robert Rauschenber - with his use of collages to make political points in the work Currents (1970)

Then the joy of seeing the Bechers' Winding Towers

And joy oh joy, an Anselm Kiefer To the unknown painter

And the Jenny Holzer - another heroine

Laurie Simmons Walking House... I kind of like the images of the visitors in the reflection of the photo that I took of the photo..

And of course few people could resist having their photos taken against El Anatsui's seering comment on the cruelty of the transatlantic slave trade, Bleeding Takari 11

All in all it was a well balanced artistic banquet of wonderful delicacies and surprises

Alla prima style

Flower paintings completed in the alla prima style- my preferred method of painting. Done in workshops with Graham Drendel who gave invaluable advice and feedback.

Invitation to Artist Night at the Centre of Italian Studies Carlton

This is a great opportunity to come to our wonderful Italian School in Melbourne on Friday 15th June and see the artistic talents of the students. As well as art there will be music and wine tasting!

Still Life

At last I  completed the still life that I started ages ago.  It is 70cm by 50cm. 

Virtual tour of Jordan

Here is an excellent link to a series of virtual tours of Jordan.
I looked at it prior to the trip, and have just looked at again, and can really recommend it for people interested in this beautiful country

https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/jordan/

Shirin Neshat exhibition in Qatar

A very powerful work by Shirin Neshat called "Our House is on Fire" at the Modern Art Museum in Qatar. Through portraits of those who lost their loved ones in the Egyptian 2011 revolution she shows the anguish of familes dealing with loss and the personal sacrifices made in the struggle for change.

Laundromat by Ai Wei Wei

One of the reasons for visiting Doha, Qatar was to see an exhibition by Ai Wei Wei.  Called Laundromat, it was an installation of items of clothing left behind  by refugees in a temporary camp during their attempts to enter Europe. On the walls were photos taken by the artist when he visited the camp. On the floor a print out of a newsfeed about the plight of refugees all over the world. A video recording the story of the camp at Idomemi. It was overwhelming due to the poignancy of the images and the feeling of being immersed in the story.