Walking the City of London

Category: Art Page 1 of 25

Evelyn De Morgan at the Guildhall Art Gallery.

I’m ashamed to say the the name Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919) was new to me but I have since discovered that she was one of the most remarkable artists of her generation. She has been described as ‘a pioneering artist whose richly coloured paintings reflect themes of feminism, spirituality, and a passionate rejection of war and materialism. Admired by Oscar Wilde and fellow artist William Holman Hunt, her work remains as powerful as ever’.

The Guildhall Art Gallery is presenting ‘Evelyn De Morgan: The Modern Painter in Victorian London’ to celebrate the work of this extraordinary artist who flew in the face of convention.

There follows a description of a few of the beautiful works on display. The signage is excellent so no point in me adding to it.

Some personal items …

A very early painting …

‘Study from life’ – An early work (c.1873) made whilst Evelyn was a student at the Slade school …

Due to the social conventions of the time, Evelyn and other women artists had difficulty accessing male models. This led her to use female models for male figures.

The Grey Sisters (1880-1881) …

Cadmus and Harmonia (1877) …

Death of the Dragon (1914-1918) was painted towards the end of the war as a final apocalyptic confrontation between good and evil …

The radiant angel is shown descending to defeat the dragons and protect the figures at the front of the painting who are shown in a moment of desperation. Although the scene seems bleak, it represents a hopeful vision for the end of war.

The Poor Man who Saved the City (1901) …

Our Lady of Peace (1907) …

The Storm Spirits (1900) …

Earthbound (1897) …

In a desolate place, an aged king covets his hoard of gold, oblivious to the Angel of Death approaching and a freed spirit rising into the sky in the distance.

The Hourglass (1904-1905) …

The seated figure, richly attired in an opulent setting, gazes on the hourglass sands running out, at her feet is a book entitled ‘Mors Janua Vitae ‘ – Death is the Doorway to Everlasting Life. Unheeded outside the open doorway stands the figure of Life Immortal, piping in the sunlight. The model was Jane Morris, widoew of William Morris.

It’s a fabulous exhibition, and the above is just a small example of the works on display. There is also a lavishly illustrated guide which tells the fascinating story of Evelyn’s life. Entry is free or ‘pay what you wish’.

PS: Couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Lord Mayor’s ‘Roller’ outside the Guildhall …

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Things that cheered me up!

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that these are not very happy times but, being an optimist by nature, I have been looking for things to cheer me up. Here are some of them (organised totally at random).

This year the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch commemorates the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. If you are able, do pop along to the Guildhall and view the super garden that has been created there to recognise the occasion …

I think it is sweet that people still leave small tokens on this memorial to William Blake in Bunhill Burial Ground, even though his grave is now marked out elsewhere …

His actual burial place (photographed shortly after a marker was placed there) …

A couple of my attempts to photograph both the new Moon and the planet Venus (the slightly smudged light in the sky on the right) …

A better picture from early January …

Our Orchid Christmas present from 2023 has flowered again …

High point of the week, the arrival of a fresh set of cards from brilliant local artist Jill Green …

Check out her website for lots of other handcrafted goods, including lovely leather items : www.shopjill.com

I visited the Threadneedle Hotel for the first time and encountered this magnificent glass dome …

I’m going to visit again and write more about its history (and the cocktail bar looks tempting) …

Another splendid dome at 10 Trinity Square …

Read more about it, and the building it is in, here.

A time-travelling office worker from the 1970s would look at this picture and wonder why everyone in the office seemed to be watching TV …

The power and attraction of sporting competition. Advertising board outside a bar/restaurant in Madeira in Febrauary …

Funchal Botanical Gardens …

I found this ice cream cone really scary …

Portuguese knick-knacks …

City church weathervanes glimpsed from a distance.

St Giles Cripplegate …

The St Lawrence Jewry gridiron weathervane …

St Lawrence was martyred in San Lorenzo on 10 August 258 AD in a particularly gruesome fashion, being roasted to death on a gridiron. At one point, the legend tells us, he remarked ‘you can turn me over now, this side is done’. Appropriately, he is the patron saint of cooks, chefs and comedians.

The Minotaur at dusk with the Roman/Medieval wall in the background …

A cormorant glides past Mrs Coot sitting on her nest …

Mr Coot is pottering about nearby at the top of the picture.

Aquatic themed corridor in Tonbridge Grammar School …

A favourite ghost sign at Finchley Road Underground Station …

The Bryant family produced three generations of chimney sweeps and the family history is, according to one researcher, a tale of ‘intrigue, betrayal and bigamy’. You can find their research on Instagram. Another person was curious enough to trace the family history using various databases such as Ancestry UK. You can read what they discovered here. A visit to Finchley Road Station will never be the same again!

The London Jewish ‘Mural’ on Finchley Road …

Spooky charity shop models …

48-inch waist, I reckon …

Six’, the musical, at the Vaudeville Theatre, put us in a great frame of mind. And they allow pictures to be taken of the finale …

I’ll finish the blog with a laugh from one of the best political cartonists …

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Noah Davis at the Barbican (plus Spring is on its way).

A review in The Guardian describes Davis (1983-2015) as a great painter, a pioneer of free culture in black working-class Los Angeles and a terrible loss to contemporary art. He died of cancer at the age of 32, leaving a young family, a wildly unconventional gallery and several hundred strange and immemorial paintings.

Motivated by the desire to ‘represent the people around me’, Davis painted figures diving into pools, sleeping, dancing, and looking at art in scenes that can be both realistic and dreamlike, joyful and melancholic. Davis drew from anonymous photography, personal archives, film, art history and his imagination to create a ravishing body of work. Often enigmatic, his paintings reveal a deep feeling for humanity and the emotional textures of the everyday.

The Barbican Exhibition runs until Sunday 11 May …

Here is a small selection from the work on display.

Some more images from my visit.

I kept bumping into this very stylish couple …

A lovely exhibition – I really enjoyed my visit.

After the frankly depressing weather of recent weeks, I have been desperately searching for signs of the coming Spring. I thankfully found them at Bunhill and around the Barbican Estate …

That little walkabout cheered me up a lot.

And I really love this modest initiative on Moor Lane …

On a sombre note, I think it’s appropriate to mention that this year is the 50th anniversary of the terrible Moorgate train crash. Forty three people lost their lives and there are two memorials, one in Finsbury Square …

… and the other on the station wall …

The cause of the disaster remains a mystery.

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

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