2020

A taste of the salty sea is a video pulled together for a course I’m running in the New Forest on ‘Perspective’. A little light relief from the constraints we’re living through to combat the  Coronavirus so adversely affecting our well-being. The course is looking at many famous artists’ use of perspective following a brief tour exploring how the style and technique developed. From earlier times through to modern art, perspective has enabled the most primitive works to come alive and produce wonderful 3D images on the plain 2D surface of paper and canvas. How artists enjoyed using linear perspective and aerial perspective for their sea scenes is exampled in this video.   A taste of the salty sea Art-Tales is a magazine blog site following the journeys and reflections through the art world of artist, sketcher, art historian and … Continue reading A taste of the salty sea →

English Romanticism a Taste: William Wordsworth, William Blake, Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley together with John Constable, JHM Turner: these are considered the principle proponents of the English Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. The following video is a simple and brief selection of works by Constable and Turner primarily devised for my course on perspective – how these 2 artists chose the perspective techniques they did and how such were employed. English Romanticism a Taste The Industrial Revolution: images of dark satanic mills, pollution, dirt, grime, exploitation, vast numbers of people leaving the countryside for opportunities in the towns and cities. Slums, overcrowding, high mortality rates especially amongst children. The growth of corporations and of course industry. The rich and the poor. The Enlightenment: development of science, downplaying of religion as having all … Continue reading English Romanticism a Taste →

The Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age saw religious and civic freedoms returned to a formerly oppressed population allowing a unique development in the arts. In brief: In 1568, the Dutch began their rebellion against Phillip II’s Spanish rule of The Netherlands. Seven Dutch provinces joined together and formed the Union of Utrecht. This led to the 80 Years War. In 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia, the war ended. This saw the conclusion of the Spanish occupation of The Netherlands, consequently the removal of the Spanish Empire’s imposition of the Catholic Church’s Counter Reformation with its Inquisition, slaughtering, and economic sanctions and the birth of modern commerce, joint stock companies and trade. Along with this Protestant church’s influence allowed greater freedom of movement and self-expression, including in the arts. The Protestant work ethic and Calvinism also resulted in … Continue reading Dutch Golden Age →