The reviewers on The Arts Desk have selected vastly differing exhibitions from the world of visual arts this week, including 17th and 18th century portraits, Abstract Expressionism and 100-year-old photography from the Antartic.
Aiming to capture the extremes of visual art, a double bill of exhibitions was devoted to contemporary artist George Condo. There is evidently a great deal of calm behind both his hysterical paintings and his child-like scribbled drawings. Visitors should not be put off by the surface ugliness of the works as there was plenty to admire here.
One of the most prestigious London galleries is the National Portrait Gallery but it not necessarily deliver the best show of the week. There were some delightful paintings on show however from the likes of Joshua Reynolds, Simon Verelst and John Hoppner, but although 'The First Actresses: Nell Gwynne to Sarah Siddons' technically had all the right ingredients for a wonderful, captivating show, it failed to really come alive and overall the show seemed only to skim the surface of its subjects.
Ending so tragically for one and in a narrow escape for the other were the great Antarctic expeditions of Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton. To mark the anniversary, the Queen's Gallery is currently showing extraordinary photographs brought back from these expeditions by Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley. The prints show new perspectives and details that could not necessarily be gleaned from reproductions.
Ponting's images found a new drama, with their focus on the unfair battle between the men and their overwhelming surroundings. Feeling uncannily immediate and tangible, his pictures of Scott and his men are particularly striking. The pictures by Hurley survived against all the odds and he was able to record the sight of Shackleton's ship being gradually crushed by ice floes.
Aiming to capture the extremes of visual art, a double bill of exhibitions was devoted to contemporary artist George Condo. There is evidently a great deal of calm behind both his hysterical paintings and his child-like scribbled drawings. Visitors should not be put off by the surface ugliness of the works as there was plenty to admire here.
One of the most prestigious London galleries is the National Portrait Gallery but it not necessarily deliver the best show of the week. There were some delightful paintings on show however from the likes of Joshua Reynolds, Simon Verelst and John Hoppner, but although 'The First Actresses: Nell Gwynne to Sarah Siddons' technically had all the right ingredients for a wonderful, captivating show, it failed to really come alive and overall the show seemed only to skim the surface of its subjects.
Ending so tragically for one and in a narrow escape for the other were the great Antarctic expeditions of Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton. To mark the anniversary, the Queen's Gallery is currently showing extraordinary photographs brought back from these expeditions by Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley. The prints show new perspectives and details that could not necessarily be gleaned from reproductions.
Ponting's images found a new drama, with their focus on the unfair battle between the men and their overwhelming surroundings. Feeling uncannily immediate and tangible, his pictures of Scott and his men are particularly striking. The pictures by Hurley survived against all the odds and he was able to record the sight of Shackleton's ship being gradually crushed by ice floes.
About the Author:
Steve Alexander has been writing about the world of visual arts in London. Visit theartsdesk.com for visual art reviews and much more.
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