Bits and pieces (an occasional series): November 2020
Look what we’ve found for you!
For Thieves, Scholars, and Dilettanti alumni and current students, this review may be of interest (nb we’ve not read the book yet, so caveat emptor, but the timing of our seeing this review in terms of a recent session in the ongoing course was too good to ignore): https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-scholars-who-solved-the-riddles-in-the-sands# (with apologies for the paywall. But it seems that one can sign up for a free item).
For past and present students of various medieval art and architecture courses, voila coverage of a nice example of something we’ve often looked at: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/nov/01/a-selfie-set-in-stone-hidden-portrait-by-cheeky-mason-found-in-spain-900-years-on
Artemisia Gentileschi, 'Self Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura)', about 1638-9. Royal Collection Trust / HM The Queen (RCIN 405551). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019
Many of you will have met Artemisia Gentileschi in previous courses (and hopefully more of you will in future courses!). You may have noticed that she’s been getting quite a bit of attention in the mainstream – not least as a result of the current National Gallery exhibition (vide https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/artemisia ). Having enjoyed Michael Palin’s recent retrospective on the BBC, we continued on to his “quest” (ahem) for Artemisia: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06t3w73/michael-palins-quest-for-artemisia
Artemisia also featured in this week’s Start the Week, as part of an interesting discussion (nicely handled, we thought, by Kirsty Wark) which may also be of interest to The Classics, More Classics!, and Women of the Ancient World alumni, on women in classical texts. You may well have noticed that countering traditional androcentric interpretations of the likes of, e.g., Dido of Carthage, Clytemnestra, and Helen of Troy has been A Bit of A Thing recently in mainstream popular culture. This re-focus has crossed over from a solid and now well-established body of academic scholarship, which is far more long-standing than one might think on the evidence of this programme alone. Notwithstanding, an interesting listen, we thought, so in case you might think so too, voila: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p1t4
Finally, Romantics and Realists alumni may well already have an opinion on the central premise of Tate Britain’s current Turner’s Modern World exhibition – see: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turners-modern-world
If you’ve not seen it yet, do check out the trailer, which I’ve embedded to the right. (I wonder if you can guess what Robert’s reaction to it was…?!).
Proving – as if proof were needed! – that interpretations of art in its context are ever-changing (and… dare I whisper it?... relevant and worth pursuing), vide three responses within but one organ at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/oct/26/turners-modern-world-review-tate-britain-london
… and to forestall potential accusations of bias in terms of media choices, see also https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/what-to-see/turners-modern-world-tate-britain-review-moments-power-disappointing/
Phew! I’ll stop now. Are you still reading? Do you have any recommendations? Should I do more of these from time to time, or have I just wasted precious moments of your life and should never do so again? Do please let me know via comments (below) or email!