Beatrice by William Dyce at the Aberdeen Art Gallery

May 2, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting Beatrice by William Dyce at the Aberdeen Art Gallery. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. William Dyce was born 19th September 1806 in Aberdeen and was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and played a part in their early popularity. This 1870 oil on canvas is of Beatrice who was an Italian woman who has been commonly identified as the principal inspiration for Dante Divine Comedy. In the Comedy, Beatrice symbolises divine grace and theology. Interestingly, this painting was commissioned by the artists friend, Prime Minister William Gladstone who was Dante admirer. The model for the painting was actually chosen by Gladstone. She was a “Model” and former prostitute who was “rescued” by him. Her name

Andy Warhol’s 1968 Oyster Stew Soup at the Gallery of Modern Art Glasgow in Scotland

May 2, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting Andy Warhol’s 1968 Oyster Stew Soup at the Gallery of Modern Art Glasgow in Scotland. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. When queried by art critic G. R. Swenson in 1963 about his fascination with soup cans, Warhol responded succinctly. “Many a midday, my mother would crack open a can of Campbell’s for me, it was all we could afford back then. Even now, I cherish it.” This piece, a printed image on paper, likely belongs to a series of 250. Warhol famously remarked, “I used to consume it, it was my daily ritual for two decades.” Campbell’s Soup Cans stands as Warhol’s defining masterpiece, emblematic of the Pop Art movement. This piece has recently

Dancer, Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot by Edgar Degas at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum

May 1, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting Dancer, Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot by Edgar Degas at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. Yes, we are talking about the painter Edgar Degas! So, following Degas’s death in 1917, his studio revealed over 150 sculptures, primarily crafted from delicate materials like wax and clay with many in poor condition. Only a handful had been preserved in plaster copies. Despite Degas’s preference against permanent materials, his heirs allowed for bronze casting to conserve and commercialize the works. Sculptor Paul-Albert Bartholomé, alongside a famous Paris foundry prepared 72 figures for casting. Each bronze underwent rigorous quality control, with a limited edition of twenty-two sets produced around 1920, reflecting

A Manufacturing Town’ by L. S. Lowry at the Science Museum in London

May 1, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting the 1922 A Manufacturing Town’ by L. S. Lowry at the Science Museum in London. 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. Please consider donating via Paypal to keep the channel going. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Lowry became well-known for painting northern textile towns like Salford, where he was from. His early oil paintings show things he’d paint a lot later: factories, smoking chimneys, and lots of people in the streets.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s 1878 The Nymphaeum

May 1, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s 1878 The Nymphaeum. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. William-Adolphe Bouguereau was born in November 1825 and died 19th August 1905 and was a French academic painter. Throughout his career, he focused on realistic genre paintings, employing mythological themes to provide modern interpretations of classical subjects, particularly emphasizing the female human body. Academic art, also known as academicism is a style of painting and sculpture influenced by European art academies which was prevalent in the 19th century after the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Having spent the majority of his life in Paris, Bouguereau was honoured with the Legion of Honour on 12 July 1859. He described his love of art

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet

April 30, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet which is currently at the Courtauld Gallery, London. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. Édouard Manet was born on January 23, 1832 and died April 30 1883 and was a significant French painter of the modern era. He was among the first artists in the 19th century to depict contemporary life and played a key role in the shift from Realism to Impressionism. “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère,” painted in 1882, just one year before he died and was displayed at the Paris Salon that year and is considered one of his final major works. It shows a scene inside the Folies Bergère nightclub in Paris and

The Fallen Angel by Auguste Rodin at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Glasgow, Scotland

April 29, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting The Fallen Angel by Auguste Rodin at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Glasgow, Scotland. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. The Fallen Angel Bronze from 1895 was created by the one and only Auguste Rodin. The great Rodin was born in Paris, France on 12 November 1840 and died 17 November 1917. Rodin delved into the portrayal of the human physique in intense physical and emotional conditions through several pieces, such as ‘The Prodigal Son’. In this artwork, a winged being has fallen to the ground and is supported by a second unclothed woman. The Kelvingrove tell us: “Rodin was one of the world’s greatest sculptors. The human body was his passion. Figures united

Satyr and Hermaphrodite from the 1st-2nd century AD at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum

April 27, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting an incredible sculpture; Satyr and Hermaphrodite from the 1st-2nd century AD at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. Satyr and Hermaphrodite from the 1st-2nd century AD. Now, we don’t know exactly who created this but the Ashmolean gives us an insight into the piece; “A satyr sits on a rock, seizing a Hermaphrodite from behind. The composition has a ‘front’ view presenting the nymph-like Hermaphrodite from behind, and a ‘back’ view showing its female chest and male genitals. Since satyrs normally assault nymphs, the coupling was intended as a surprise for the satyr and the viewer alike. The group was a famous Hellenistic work replicated in some 20 full-scale versions in

Amedeo Modigliani’s 1916 Female Nude

April 26, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting Amedeo Modigliani’s 1916 Female Nude which is currently at The Courtauld Gallery in London. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. Amedeo Modigliani was born in Italy in 1884. He mainly worked in France and he painted this nude around 1916. He’s celebrated for his innovative take on portraiture and the human form, where faces, necks, and figures take on surreal stretches. It’s always difficult to rank art but I think that this, for me, is certainly one of the greatest paintings of all times. I’ve spoken previously about Van Gogh’s Starry night over the Rhone painting and the power it has in real life … this is similar … it has a presence and power