Nollendorfplatz at Night by Lesser Ury

December 23, 2023

In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at Nollendorfplatz at Night, the 1925 painting by Lesser Ury at the Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie in Germany. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Leo Lesser Ury, born on November 7, 1861, was a German painter and printmaker associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. He spent much of his artistic life in Berlin and passed away on October 18, 1931. Known for capturing

Ledaal Royal Residence and Breidablikk museum in Stavanger, Norway

December 22, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you to see two special buildings; the Ledaal Royal Residence and Breidablikk museum both very close to each other, in Stavanger, Norway. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Ledaal, the King’s official residence in Stavanger, was built between 1799 and 1803 as a second home for the Kielland family. Gabriel Kielland, a merchant, and chamberlain, and the great-grandfather of writer Alexander Kielland, served as the builder. He was

The Age of Innocence by Alfred Drury at The Victoria and Albert Museum

December 21, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of an 1897 plaster cast bust by Alfred Drury at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London called ‘The Age of Innocence’. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury, a prominent figure in the New Sculpture movement, crafted variations of this sculptural bust between 1897 and 1918, modelling it after a friend’s daughter. While most iterations were cast in

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Forster number I at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

December 20, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook, Codex Forster number I from 1505 which is at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519), renowned globally for iconic works like the Mona Lisa, is equally celebrated for his notebooks documenting thoughts and inventions. The V&A collection houses five such intriguing notebooks, forming the Codex Forster, gifted to the Museum in 1876 by John Forster. These volumes, dating from approximately 1487 to 1505, offer insights into Leonardo’s deeply curious mind. The V&A’s collection comprises three codices named the Forster Codices, with no discernible logical order. Bequeathed by John Forster, only Codex Forster I

Self-portrait with grey felt hat by Vincent Van Gogh at Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

December 19, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a photographic tour of the painting ‘Self-portrait with grey felt hat’ by Vincent Van Gogh at Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Van Gogh painted this self-portrait in the winter of 1887–88, when he had been in Paris for almost two years. Vincent van Gogh’s “Self Portrait with Felt Hat” stands out among his numerous self-portraits. According to the gallery, he delved into the techniques of Pointillists, adapting them in a distinctive manner. Notably, he strategically applied short stripes of paint in varied directions, creating a halo-like effect along the outline of his head. This piece marks one of Van Gogh’s fearless ventures into colour experimentation during his time in

Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat at the National Gallery, London

December 18, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat painted in 1884 which is at the National Gallery in London, England. Seurat’s initial major work, painted before he turned 25, was meant as a grand statement for the official Paris Salon in 1884 but it was unfortunately rejected. This large oil painting on canvas was one of his first monumental pieces of two. The painting captures men and boys at leisure by the Seine in Asnières, an industrial suburb north-west of central Paris. They remain still, lost in their thoughts and unengaged with one another. The scene, bathed in bright yet hazy sunlight, creates an unusual

Figure of Iris from the west pediment of the Parthenon, British Museum, London

December 17, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of the Figure of Iris from the west pediment of the Parthenon, British Museum, London. Iris, a figure from Greek mythology, is portrayed as a goddess of the rainbow and a messenger for the Olympian gods. Described as fleet-footed, she could swiftly travel on the rainbow bridge between Earth and heaven. The statue identified as Iris, the winged messenger goddess, exhibits drapery movement and a pose suggesting the rush of wind against her body during flight. I have actually visited the Acropolis in Athens. It might have been the hottest temperature I have ever experienced up there. If you visit the British Museum though

Parisian Model by Edvard Munch and other Art at Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, Tromso

December 16, 2023

In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at the 1896 painting; Parisian Model by Edvard Munch and other Art at the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum in Tromso. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. I recently visited Munch’s house, where he painted his Girls on a Bridge series. I posted the video just a week or so ago, so make sure to take a look so that you can get an idea of where he lived and the area. “Paris Model,” acquired from Charlotte and Christian Mustad in 1959 and fully accessioned in 1970, stands as a testament to Munch’s variety as well as artistry. Painted in the same year as his renowned “Scream,” and it reflects a more “traditional” style, in

The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger

December 15, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of a very unique painting called The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger. It was painted in the same year that Queen Elizabeth I was born, 1533, and is at the National Gallery in London. This painting does include a very famous example of Anamorphosis which is where a distorted projection requires the viewer to occupy a specific vantage point to view it. So make sure to look very carefully! Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) stands out as a prominent German Renaissance painter renowned for his portraits. This notable double portrait conveys an air of mystery. This particular painting captures the zeitgeist of religious

Girl Playing Astragaloi (the knucklebone game) at Altes Museum in Berlin, Germany

December 14, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you to see the Girl Playing Astragaloi (the knucklebone game) which is from Rome, Italy, specifically from the Eastern slope of Caelian Hill. It’s marble from around 150 AD and it’s currently at the Altes Museum in Berlin, Germany. This Hellenistic sculpture, one among six Roman replicas sharing a common theme, captures the essence of a seated female engaged in a genuine game. Perched on the floor, legs drawn up, she steadies herself with the left hand while tossing two knuckles with the right. The intricacies of the game are real; each side of the knucklebone holds a specific value. These knucklebones, fashioned from the ankle bones of sheep or goats,