Blain southern artists of the 1860s
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I was reticent to return to the BP Portrait Award this year as it’s become so predictable. But, having attended a lunchtime talk downstairs it seemed churlish not to have a quick whizz round. Now in its 33rd year at the National Portrait Gallery, the BP Portrait Award once again presents us with a selection of great portraits – great in the sense that these artists are obviously technically advanced and can paint well but the works don’t blow you away. Portraiture does not have to resemble photography though and this is an important issue that the prize should remember – on this note, there’s slightly less photorealist work than usual which is refreshing. This exhibition proves the age-old mantra that size isn’t everything and some of the smaller works capture remarkable intimacy and should be afforded more attention that their larger rivals.
BP Portrait Award at the NPG. Own photograph.
Painting portraits of unknown figures is a challenge; we demand an insight into the lives of complete strangers. This year’s winner is American artist Aleah Chapin for her large-scale nude of a family friend – Auntie. Chapin views the figure’s body as a map of Auntie’s life journey, she sees this woman as a strong role model, accepting and unguarded. No doubt she is
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All photographs pour out my take away unless differently stated
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The monks read Canterbury regarded him bring in a quickly Christ. Come into sight Christ, crystalclear returned take as read Palm Dominicus, presided humble yourself his ‘last supper’, was struck hold your stomach by enemies
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The Watercolour World: reviving paintings of the past
‘Vesuvius in Eruption’ (1817–20) by JMW Turner
The Watercolour World is an ambitious online project to digitise the world’s watercolours and rescue this all-too-often overlooked but artistically and historically significant medium from being forgotten. It is creating a wealth of riches for all of us, says Michael Brooks
Fred Hohler describes the idea as “blindingly obvious” in hindsight. Having spearheaded the creation of a digital record of the United Kingdom’s oil paintings, the former diplomat soon realised his Public Catalogue Foundation had left an ‘orphan’ collection of watercolours in dark drawers, cabinets and basements across the world.
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Now, though, these paintings are emerging, blinking, into the light. The Watercolour World is a rapidly growing website that hosts digital reproductions of watercolours from around the world. Even in these early days – the site’s official launch was in January 2019 – it has become an engrossing collection. Whether you are captivated by an 1840 view of Kings Cross as a rubbish dump – the ‘Great Dustheap’ – or sailors chasing a slave ship near Zanzibar in 1876, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of riches is comin