From my garden

While I haven’t written much about it recently, I am still loving having a garden. Especially my roses.

Today I found the most beautiful purple rose my garden has yet gifted me.

purple rose

It made me smile.

Blog roundup

A little stroll around the interwebs …

• Part B, Melbourne Jewellery gathering, has their ‘ManJewellery’ work exhibiting online on CraftHaus [link]
• also on CraftHaus, I found a post seeking applications for an online exhibition of ‘Behind the Brooch’ [link] – I’ve often enjoyed the back of jewellery [see previous post] – deadline for application 1st August 2012
• I like the little container Elise Sheehan has made [link]
• Emma Grace is looking for ‘fixers’ for the Sustainability Living Festival (Melbourne) [link]
• through Jessica Morrison’s blog [link] I’ve found out about Schtick – I shall visit!
• striking new work from Katherine Bowman [link]
• Katie Jayne’s brooch back is too lovely to be hidden [link]
• Kim Victoria Warne shares some images of great new work [link]
• Lucy Hearn is exploring some new directions [link] – I like!
• through Mel Miller’s blog I’ve found an exhibition in Adelaide I hadn’t previously noticed but looks too good to miss [link]
• I continue to love reading Peaches + Keen blog [link]
• Zoe Brand will be moving on from Gaffa shortly … sad, but good too, in the right kind of way [link]

Happy reading.

‘Renaissance’ @ National Gallery of Australia, part 2

… continuing from yesterday’s post …. and the standout paintings:

4. ‘Madonna and Child with Saint Paul, Saint Agnes and the Cassotti donors‘ Andrea Previtali 1520 [gallery page]

sketch; image not to be reproduced without permission

5. ‘Portrait of a child of the house of Redetti‘ Goivan Moroni 1570 [gallery page]

sketch; image not to be reproduced without permission

exhibition media; click on image for original source

The picture above was my absolute favourite of the exhibition – the textiles are beautiful.

The more than 70 works are grouped into:

• Gothic to Renaissance
• Madonna & Child
• Altarpieces & Portraits
• High Renaissance
• Late Renaissance
• Northern Italy

There is a kind of cohesion to the exhibition actually … one you don’t usually find in a blockbuster. Perhaps the majority of the works were donated by the same collector, and as such have a kind of similar aesthetic or collection quality … I can’t put my finger on it, but it was more like visiting a private collection than a group of works from a vast public collection.

This period of art is certainly one that I appreciate, though I wouldn’t say that it lifts my heart in the way that the later German/Flemish art or Impressionism does. I think I prefer to imagine the intellectual development and scientific debate, and adore the drawing of this epoch.

That’s not to say I was disappointed, far from it. Though I wasn’t euphoric; my heart didn’t sing like it has done in the presence of incredible art that I connect with before. Though I am very glad I made the effort to go.

‘Renaissance‘ is at the National Gallery of Australia until 9th April 2012.

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Update (24th January): I meant to mention in the original writing of the above, that the NGA website for the exhibition has exceptionally good documentation and images of all of the works. Therefore, if you want to see the whole exhibition from the comfort of your computer, you can. Of course it’s not the same as seeing them in person: the colour, the scale, the relationship with other works in the room, the ambience … though if you’re not sure if you want to go or not, you may use the gallery listing to determine if your favourite artists is there…

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‘Renaissance’ @ National Gallery of Australia

It was a beautiful sunny day in Canberra when I visited to see ‘Renaissance‘ at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA).

Exhibition media: “These treasures are on loan from the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy. Borrowing from its marvellous collection is only possible because the Accademia is renovating its display spaces, and the museum is temporarily closed.”

I usually dread a visit to a blockbuster; however this visit was pleasant. The NGA has learnt from the many awful experiences of visitors to ‘Masterpieces from Paris‘ (at which I lined up for over three hours; see mention in this post), and offers timed tickets for this exhibition. As the flight from Melbourne is short, I chose the first session at 10am (though there is a guided session at 9am at a greater cost; I baulked at the additional cost, though think now it would have been worth it).

The NGA has a standard policy of no photography at all; and of course that extends to this exhibition. Therefore I did a little bit of sketching – again, I was the only one doing so and was looked at with some bewilderment by many of the other visitors.

The standout paintings for me were:

1. “Madonna & Child” Jacobella di Antonello 1480 [gallery page]
The colouring and richness of the fabric depiction shone from across the room and was clearly the most beautiful in this room.

2. “Saint Sebastian” Raphael 1501-2 [gallery page]
The textile is exquisite.

exhibition media; click on image for original source

3. ‘Portrait of Lucina Brembati‘ Lorenzo Lotto [gallery page]
Finally, I spotted some jewellery in the exhibition … of course though, the earlier groupings were mostly religious works and therefore bereft of such luxuries.

sketch; image not to be reproduced without permission

I have more to write, and images to share, and so I’ll continue tomorrow ….

‘Renaissance‘ is at the National Gallery of Australia until 9th April 2012.