The Dance of Spring by Edward Atkinson Hornel

May 3, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting The Dance of Spring by Edward Atkinson Hornel at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. Edward Atkinson Hornel was raised in Scotland and was born 17th July 1864 and died in 1933. The Dance of Spring was painted around about 1892-3 and it’s such a standout! It’s bizarre and beautiful and peculiar all at the same time. The vibrant colour and strange exaggerated facial expressions alongside the physical movement of the girls in the painting really give this piece a power and attraction that I really liked. The Kelvingrove tell us; “Hornel painted these figures and their background with such sweeping curves and brilliant colours that

Girl with a fawn by Nada Stanic at the Museums and Galleries of Podgorica, Montenegro

May 3, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting Girl with a fawn by Nada Stanic at the Museums and Galleries of Podgorica, Montenegro. 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. Nada Stanic (1931-2012) was the first female sculpture of Montenegro to come to prominence. Montenegro was formerly part of Yugoslavia and officially gained independence in 2006 … I had to double check that date but

The Zaan at Zaandam by Claude Monet

May 3, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be taking a quick look at Claude Monet’s The Zaan at Zaandam. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King.

The Devil’s Bridge, St Gotthard Pass by Joseph Mallord William Turner at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford

May 2, 2024

In this episode, we’ll be visiting The Devil’s Bridge, St Gotthard Pass by Joseph Mallord William Turner at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. The Devil’s Bridge, St Gotthard oil on canvas was painted around 1803-1804 and is a striking piece of Art! I assure you, this is a special painting. The museum tell us: “Turner took advantage of the Peace of Amiens in 1802 to make a tour of the Continent, travelling as far as Switzerland and making numerous sketches and watercolours. This painting and its pendant, The Pass of St Gotthard (Birmingham City Art Gallery), were probably executed in 1803-4. They epitomise Turner’s interpretation of the sublime. Here, the tiny figures and narrow bridge

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