The Irish Potato Famine, an exhibition at the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, Dublin
Of course one knows that the Irish potato famine was an ignoble period of British history, but how dreadful it was for the people of Ireland is shown in its full light in this well curated exhibition, which we came across rather by accident.
There were several particularly shocking aspects of the event that I had not been fully aware of, like to what an extent the Irish land workers relied on potatoes as their only source of food. A grown adult male would consume 14 lb of potatoes each day and little else. So when the potato crop failed, people had no other source of nutrition. The potato crop failed in 1845, but then again in 1846 and 1847, due to an air-borne imported fungus. So by the end of that three year period over 1 million people had died and another 2 million had emigrated from the country.
The Irish farming community worked primarily for English absentee landlords. Their response to the failure of the crops was not to provide support to their workers but, in many cases, to evict them from the land as it was no longer providing them with a profit. Some money was raised from charitable sources to alleviate the famine but it was inadequate and, most shockingly, there was strong opposition in Parliament to spending enough money to provide adequate relief. The only means of survival for millions of Irish was the workhouse or emigration; in both cases many people then died of disease.
A nicely informative exhibition, with an associated book of the same name by Gerard McCarthy. 5*
The Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
The artworks here are impressive — such a pleasure to visit a gallery with fine work that is clearly popular but with visitor numbers at a very manageable level, in comparison with London.
The displayed works cover every historical period and include well-known works by Caravaggio, Vermeer, Picasso etc. We concentrated on looking at the Irish collection initially, but some of this was mediocre. However, within the 20th-century section, there was some fine work by Irish painters. A pleasure to see these well curated displays in such a fine building. 5*
Citra Sasmita: Into Eternal Land at The Curve, the Barbican, London
This is one of the strangest exhibitions I have ever seen, largely because of the size of the extremely detailed work, with multiple pieces all depicting very similar images. The artist uses a 15th century Indonesian painting technique with fine inks on skin that was exclusively practised by men. She adopts it to re-invent some of the traditional mythologies normally associated with the technique to depict powerful women in what she refers to as a post-patriarchal world.
The message doesn’t jump out of the work, but the technique is astonishing. 4*
Noah Davis at the Barbican Gallery, London
Primarily based in Los Angeles, Noah Davis created a body of figurative paintings that explores a range of Black life. His paintings mainly show figures diving into pools, sleeping, dancing, and looking at art. Some of the depictions are realistic; some more abstract. Much of his work comes from interpretation of photos, snapshot really, taken throughout his short life.
Much of his career was dedicated to making art accessible to the working class Black community in LA that he grew up in. In 2012, Davis co-founded The Underground Museum to give free access to world-class art for the people of Arlington Heights, LA. I didn’t easily relate to it, but was good to know a bit about him and his work. 3*
Pueblo del Rio
Picture for my Dad
The architect, 2009. Oil and wax on canvas
Siena: the Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 at the National Gallery, London
The exhibition showcases primarily the work of four artists of the time: Duccio, Simone Martini and the brothers Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Their breakthrough from previous work was their interest in depicting people’s movement and emotions.
I had somehow been expecting, from a position of ignorance, that the subject matter was novel. However, there was little deviation from the standard subject of madonna and child, albeit beautifully executed in glowing colours. Some altarpieces that had been divided for centuries were brought together for the first time here.
In addition there were displays of rugs and silks that showed other aspects of Siena’s extraordinary creativity at the time. Although influential throughout Europe, this period came to a premature end with the arrival of the Black Death. 4*
Duccio's Maestá for Siena Cathedral, 1308
Textile fragment with small leaves from the cope of Pope Benedict XI, late 13th century
Pietro Lorenzetti; cut-out crucifix,
1315-20
Philip Wilson Steer at the Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead
This exhibition of a number of Steer’s works from the Williamson’ own collection set out to show him as a pioneer of impressionism in Britain during the late nineteenth century. He was influenced by the likes of Degas and Manet with his loose approach to painting and depictions of scenes that were seen as indecent for the time. Later in his career, Steer turned to the English landscape painters, such as Constable and Turner, for influence.
Some of his contemporaries were exhibited alongside by comparison and they added interest to what was not a particularly inspiring exhibition. 3*
Wooded Glade, Knaresborough, 1900.
Oil on canvas
Head of a Girl in Profile, 1889. Oil on canvas
Subterranean Elevator by Di Mainstone at the Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead
This exhibition was developed with a team of inter-disciplinary specialists. The installation invites ‘intrepid’ visitors to explore the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind. You can enter a dark, elevator-shaped sand pit, where you can stand, sit, or 'nestle'. The screen behind you then shows mesmerising graphics that are based on concepts of neural pathways and reflect aspects of the climate emergency.
The imagery is visible without going into the sand pit; so I didn’t have to be very intrepid. The technology of it all is very impressive even if the concept is perplexing, 4*
A visit to Glasgow: Kelvingrove Gallery and The Burrell Collection
The Burrell Collection at Pollok House is huge: a collection of, painting, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, antiquities of all sorts from all over the world. William Burrell was an inheritor of a family cargo shipping company. He made his fortune largely by selling his ships during World War I at a vast profit. He acquired over 9000 works of art, which he bequeathed on his death to the City of Glasgow. A dedicated building to house the collection was opened in 1983.
It’s difficult to concentrate on a specific period in the Burrell, as the huge number of exhibits are arranged by topic rather than chronologically, and there are so many. However, It’s always good to see the collections of Scottish art, in particular the Scottish Colourists, who were influential at the beginning of the 20th century. Their work and those of similar artists are found in both galleries. 4*
