The penultimate room in this exhibition at the National Gallery focusses on Zurbarán‘s still lives (as well as those of his son), showing how they were also used as references within other paintings. This small painting is from the National Gallery’s own collection. It could have been an individual piece or a section of a […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
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As a working contemporary artist I visit many exhibitions and shows, but sometimes it is the things I see that are part of daily life that capture my interest. My one-minute blog of interesting things reflects the fact that although we are increasingly time-poor, there is creativity all around us. Email me at info@carolinebanks.co.uk with your name and email to receive a weekly post that only takes 1 minute to read.
Zurbarán at the National Gallery: the richness of detail.
I first heard the saying “every detail is not a detail” decades ago from luxury brand Hermès and it has been one of my mottoes ever since. It came to mind when looking at Zurbarán in the current exhibition at the National Gallery. One of the wonderful things about seeing original art is that you […]
Zurbarán at the National Gallery
Who? people said to me when I mentioned this show at the National Gallery. A 17th century Spanish artist, Francisco de Zurbarán worked during the Counter-Reformation. His patrons were religious orders intent on reinforcing the power and influence of the Catholic church throughout the Spanish Empire. I don’t know if he was very religious but […]
Our Fragile Space. Photography by Max Alexander.
This show of photographs by Max Alexander took place during the recent Artemis space expedition in the courtyard of Burlington House, home of the Royal Astonomical Society The first two photos here are of satellite trajectories giving an indication of the amount of space traffic above our heads. We are putting an increasing number or […]
Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy, London
Michaelina Wautier was a successful artist during her lifetime (1614 – 1689) but subsequently unknown until very recently. This exhibition at the Royal Academy is the celebration of a talent that deserves to be better known to the public. Previously ignored due to male art historians unable to conceive that a woman could paint to […]
Samurai at the British Museum
The British Museum‘s Samurai exhibiton was understandably hugely popular. We’re all familiar with images of samurai armour but one of the things I appreciated about the show was learning about other aspects of this warrior class. I wanted to share here a small part of the show: the spear cover standards used to identify different […]
Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations at Whitechapel Gallery, London
This retrospective at Whitechapel Gallery covers five decades of Veronica Ryan‘s career, from the 1980s to 2026 including new works specially commissioned for the show. I’ve focussed here on her use of seed pods and fruit as the theme runs throughout her career (see the drawing above from 1983). They represent growth and possibility, decay […]
Icheon ceramics at the Korean Cultural centre
This was my first visit to the Korean Cultural Centre and long overdue, given my appreciation of Korean ceramics (and films). I was passing close by (it’s on Northumberland Avenue, just off Trafalgar Square) so popped in to see what was on. This is what I found: Icheon and Beyond: The Space Within Form. Laozi’s […]
Samuel Laurence Cunnane: Blue Road at the HENI Project Space, Hayward Gallery, London.
The HENI project space is just to the right when you enter the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank. I’d only ever seen a security guard standing there and had no idea that it was a third (and free) space till I stepped inside. I found The Blue Road, an exhibition of photographs by Samuel […]
Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life at Hayward Gallery
Threads of Life by Chiharu Shiota is another exhibition at the Hayward Gallery using textiles, this time thread and is a definite crowd pleaser – very Instagrammable. The first installation, Threads of Life, is an amorphous red web with 20,000 suspended keys and a pair of open wooden doors in the centre, beckoning you to […]