Lynda Benglis

February 18, 2015, 2:00 am

Lynda Benglis

at the Hepworth, Wakefield.

Benglis is most well known for a piece of work she did 40 years ago when she posed naked and oiled, wearing just a pair of sunglasses and yielding a double-headed, oversized dildo, intending it for publication in Artforum magazine. When the magazine declined to publish the image, Benglis paid for advertising space. Outrage followed when the advert appeared and five editors resigned. In response to episode, Benglis made five bronze casts of the dildo which she titled Smile.

An explicit parody of gendered relationships, of the tradition of the 'pin-up' girl images in magazines, and a confrontation of the overt male bias in the art establishment, this was an iconic work, and a good example of the 'culture wars' that raged in America during the 70s and 80s.

The photographer Cindy Sherman has described her college-age encounter with the Artforum ad in all its audacity, as 'one of the most pivotal moments of my career'

This was not typical of her work before or since, however. Working across a range of materials, ranging from beeswax, rubber, polyurethane, bronze, cloth, paper and ceramics, Benglis creates abstract sculptures which explore the physicality of form and how it affects the viewer. Her approach to art making is process-oriented, challenging the traditions of sculpture and painting, with a unique approach to form exploring the physical dialogue between work and viewer.

Benglis emerged as part of a generation of artists forging new approaches to art in the wake of Abstract Expressioism, Minimalism and Pop Art. Her work has challenged the status quo and she has produced some of the most iconic works of art from the 20th century. Yet, like every woman throughout history she has been marginalised and her place in contemporary art history has been neglected. Her influence can be seen in the work of many younger artists working today: the plastic 'blobs' of Roxy Paine; the sexually suggestive props of Matthew Barney; the floor pieces of Polly Apfelbaum; the ambiguous shapes created by Franz West; the work of Cindy Sherman.

Fallen Paintings:

These poured latex sculptures one-upped Jackson Pollock's action paintings in the late 1960s. She poured pools of swirling pigmented latex directly on the floor, obscuring the distinction between painting and sculpture, bringing painting into architectural space. The importance of process in her work is emphasised here - material, colour and image in one single form in this choreographed process.

Baby Contraband, 1969 (poured pigmented latex)

Rumpled Painting/Caterpillar, 1968

one more view

Polyurathane:

Wing, 1970 (aluminium)

Challenging the rigidity of Minimalism during the 1970s Benglis made several site-specific installations in which she choreographed multiple polyurethane pours that projected out of the wall in dramatic arrangements. Wing is the only metal cast made from this work nearly all of which was destroyed when the installations were dismantled. Wing epitomises the idea of the 'frozen gesture', a term Benglis often used to describe her early sculptures. Flows of polyurethane have been seemingly caught in motion, which is emphasised by the work's polished aluminium surface.

Quartered Meteor, 1969/75 (lead)

Like many of her 'pours' from the 60s and 70s this work was cast from an original polyurethane sculpture called King of Flot (1969) which was formed in the corner of a gallery space. Casting in metal allowed Benglis to preserve the forms and play with the viewer's perception of their materiality. Though solid, Quartered Meteor's oozing surface, which resembles flowing lava, suggests a permanent liquid state. Its corner placement draws attention to the architecture of the space in which it's installed.

Come, 1969-74 (cast bronze)

The Graces, 2003-05 (cast polyurethane, lead, stainless steel)

The Graces is made from polyurethane which Benglis squirts out of a pressurised can - a gesture that alludes to the act of painting. The material has the ability to both absorb and give off light and as Genglis has observed: 'I'm after that translucent quality we see in sunsets and sunrises and the moon when it's full. All my ideas come directly from nature'.

Greek influence:

Greece has been an enduring source of inspiration for Benglis. Her father was the son of Greek immigrants from Kastellorizo. As well as drawing from Greece's art and architecture, Benglis finds equal aesthetic inspiration from its culture and traditions listing the 'Caryatids on the Acropolis, the holiday cookies, the braided Easter bread, the gold and gilded elements from the Orthodox religion' as important influences.

Greek motifs appear in different forms in Benglis' work. While her 'sparkle knots' can be read in relation to bodily forms and gestures, Benglis has also likened them to floral wreaths hung on the doors of Greek houses during May Day celebrations. Her gilt 'torso' wall-based sculptures, which are often titled with Greek names such as Minos and Perseus, marry the curves of the human body with references to Greek mythology and Hellenic sculpture, motifs which are also explored in her series of 'pleats' which twist and unfurl into dramatic baroque shapes. Beglis' use of gold in these works suggests both weight and weightlessness, drawing attention to surface while using its reflective qualities to 'conceive form with variations in light'. Her use of precious metal also provokes questions about value, taste and the difference between economic and aesthetic worth.

Proto Knot, 1971 (wire mesh, cotton bunting, plaster gesso and sparkles)

Sparkle Knot IV, 1972 (aluminium screen, bunting, plaster, paint and sparkles)

Bravo, 1972 (stainless steel, copper and Babbitt metal)

Tres, 1976 (wire mesh, cotton bunting, plaster, sprayed aluminium and copper)

Gamma, 1972 (aluminium screen, cotton bunting, acrylic paint, gold enamel and sparkles on plaster)

Siata, 1987-88 (copper over stainless steel)

Her first pleated works were inspired by an exhibition of Aegean art Benglis visited in Paris in 1979.
Moving away from the 'knots' she had been making up until this point, she began to work on this more open, pleated form made from wire screen which she covered in gold leaf and later in sprayed liquid metals. She has cited the gilded icons of the Greek Orthodox tradition as inspiration for these works, alongside references to drapery, flora and fauna and decorative jewellery. The 'pleats' are closely concerned with exploring the forces of movement within sculptural form.

Scarab, 1990, (stainless steel mesh and aluminium)

looking closer

Black Orchid/Stutz Bearcat, 1985, (bronze, mesh wire, zinc, copper and chrome)

Lagniappe I (Orange/Blue),1978

looking closer

Beatrice, 1979 (chicken wire, plaster, gesso, oil-based sizing and gold leaf)

Minos, 1978 (chicken wire, cotton bunting, plaster, gesso, oil-based sizing and gold leaf)

Primary Structures (Paula's Props), 1975 (lead, aluminium and plaster, plastic plant, live plant and velvet)

The title of the work alludes to a landmark show entitled Primary Structures: younger Amerian and British Sculptors which was a survey of minimalist art featuring almost-exclusively male artists. Benglis''mock' installation can be read as a critical response to the machismo of the exhibition. It also functions as a commentary on the nature of sculpture itself, as she was interested in 'the idea of the structure, of object and pedestal'. In its theatrical pairing of classical Greek forms with objects that might be considered kitsch, the work caricatures the appropriation of Greek art as a symbol of aesthetic aspiration.

India:

Since 1979 Genglis has travelled annually to India and often works with paper when she's there.

Untitled, 1970 (encaustic pigmented beeswax and Damar resin on Masonite)

looking closer

Hoofers I and II, 1971-72 (aluminium screen, red cotton bunting, plaster, gesso, acrylic and glitter)

Described as 'Totems', Hoofers draw on a wide range of references, from African art to Barnett Newman's painted 'zips'. Their gaudy surfaces appear to have more affinity with craft and costume than with sculpture and they demonstrate Benglis' ongoing interest in challenging notions of value and taste.

Prey Being, 2000, (coiled aluminium and brass wire, sculpted pigmented abaca paper, pigment and gold leaf flecks) and
Earth Cavern, 2001

looking closer

Zanzidae: Peacock Series, 1979 (wire mesh, enamel, glass and plastic)

Manu Light Vessel I and III, 2009 (wire, electric bulbs, bamboo and recycled handmade cotton Gandhi Ashram paper)

New Mexico:

Benglis travelled to New Mexico in 1993 and has since constructed a studio and dwelling there.

Although she had studied ceramics as a student in the 1960s she only returned to using clay at this time. She uses the coiling method.

Figure 2 and 5, 2009 (bronze, black patina)

Sexual Mockeries:

Between 1972 and 1976 Benglis produced fifteen videos which were made alongside her 'sexual mockeries' series of advertisements and invitation cards in which she performed a series of character tropes, engaging with ideas relating to gender roles and sexual identity.

An Amazing Bow-Wow, 1976, video (image taken from here )

This body of work anticipates Cindy Sherman's work by a number of years.

Female Sensibility, (1973), video

Female Sensibility is one of Benglis' most iconic videos. It depicts Benglis with fellow artist Marilyn Lenkowsky as they touch, lick and kiss each other in a tightly-focused frame. This erotically-charged scene is accompanied by a soundtrack of collaged radio broadcasts, many of which include men making patronising or dismissive references to women.

Female Sensibility creates a space in which the male presence is made redundant and marginalised sexualities are given airtime. The tightly cropped frame of video occasionally renders the subjects as abstract shapes and the continued gesture of touching casts the bodies of the protagonists as sculptural forms.

Sources:

Information provided by the gallery and extensive reading and research.

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The Oldest Embrace in the world

February 20, 2015, 1:18 am

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The remains of a couple in their twenties, in a tight embrace, have been found in the cave in Diros, Mani, in the Peloponnese in Greece. 'There is no doubt that it's an embrace', said Dr George Papathanasopoulos, the archaeologist in charge of the excavations. 'One arm is under the body while the other is above, and their legs are intertwined'. The couple are believed to have been buried together. Analysis has revealed that the bones date back to around 3,800 BC.

The cavern is known as Alepotrypa (Foxhole) and was found in the 1950s. During the 1970s archaeologists, led by Dr Giorgos Papathanasopoulos, began excavating the site. They believe that hundreds of people lived inside Alepotrypa using it as a shelter, place of worship and burial ground. Over the years hundreds of finds have been excavated which resulted in the establishment of a museum on the site. Experts believe that hundreds of people lived inside Alepotrypa before the entrance collapsed 5,000 years ago, burying everyone alive. Diros is one of the most significant Neolithic sites in Europe.

Next to Alepotrypa is another cave, this one with water, which is full of stalagmites and stalactites.

We visited Diros 15 years ago, as guests of Dr Papathanasopoulos who is a family friend. We had guided tours of Alepotrypa, the museum, and then, in a boat, had a tour of the second cave with the stalagmites and stalactites. My sister and I donated our father's library, who was also an archaeologist, to the Diros museum, so reading about this find has a further, personal interest for me.

Source:

Alimos Online

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The Hepworth, Wakefield

February 22, 2015, 1:55 am

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The Hepworth, Wakefield.

David Chipperfield who designed the building, describes it as 'dipping its toes in the water'. The building 'dips into' not just the river Calder, but one of its weirs as well. The angry church of water crashing against the concrete produces a very dramatic effect.

The building consists of a cluster of 10 connected concrete blocks each containing a single gallery space.

Floor-to-ceiling windows afford views of the river as well as the Victorian warehouses from the days of Wakefield's industrial past.

This was our first visit to the Hepworth and we were very impressed. We liked the architecture; enjoyed the displays enormously; found the staff extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the works on art on display; and finally, the food in the café is delicious.

The purpose of our visit was primarily to see the Lynda Benglis exhibition. Seeing the Hepworths was a real pleasure, and we also enjoyed some of the other artists' work, a very small selection of which you can see in this post.

Henry Moore, Open Work Head No. 2, 1950 (bronze)

Henry Moore, Six Stone Figures, 1973-74 (lithograph)

Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1936 (Elmwood)

Henry Moore, Pit Boys at Pit head, 1942, (pencil, pen and ink, wax coloured crayon and watercolour wash on paper)

Lynn Chadwick, Moon of Alabama, 1957 (bronze)

The title of the sculpture comes from a song by Berthold Brecht, but references Sputnik, the Soviet space satellite in its structure.

Bernard Meadows, Figure with Child, 1973, (bronze)

Bernard Meadows, Molly, Plate IV, 1966 (etching with drypoint)

This etching is from a series of 35 that Meadows made in response to Samuel Beckett's 1951 novel Molly. Rather than being illustrations in the traditional sense, Meadows described them as an attempt to capture the essence of Beckett's bleak and tragicomic attitude to human nature.

Eduardo Paolozzi, Mondrian Head, 1993 (bronze)

Paolozzi would often strike a dialogue between his own practice and art works by those he admired, one such example being the minimalist New York works of Piet Mondrian. This Mondrian Head is part of a related series informed specifically by Mondrian's 1940s Broadway Boogie-Woogie works in which the pulsing lights of the city streets are interpreted into abstract compositions. Here the concept is re-interpreted by Paolozzi and projected into an anonymous head. The outcome is at once an abstract notion, a figurative form and an acknowledgement of art history.

a side view

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Wrestlers, 1913

The sculptor Gaudier-Brzeska experimented with etching and drypoint but this was his only linocut. Despite being a first attempt, it displays a tremendous fluidity of form due to his skills as a carver. He was one of the first artists to use lino in place of wood as a relief printing technique. The medium was subsequently taken up by his Vorticist contemporaries as it allows for strong lines and the creation of a dynamic sense of movement.

Gertrude Hermes, Fish, 1932

Hermes was a leading light in the wood engraving revival of the early 20th century. Her sculpture is perhaps less well known, but Hermes found a natural kinship between carving sculptures in wood and wood engraving. Her prints and sculpture informed one another, both formally and in terms of their subject-matter.

L.S. Lowry, The Tolbooth, Glasgow, 1947 (oil on board)

William Roberts, The Farm, 1922 (oil on canvas)

Maggi Hambling, Portrait of Charlie Abrew, 1974 (oil on canvas)

The subject in this painting, Charlie Abrew, was a lightweight boxer, but had to retire when he became blind. Hambling wrote of her experience of painting Abrew. 'He was very exciting to paint. I remember him being extremely patient, gentle, very sensitive with his hands and enjoying posing'.

John Wells, Island Counterpoint, 1956 (oil on canvas).

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Crocus

February 23, 2015, 3:58 am

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Leamington at its best.

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Hepworth at the Hepworth

February 24, 2015, 1:52 am

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'I, the sculptor, am the landscape.
I am the form and I am the hollow,
the thrust and the contour'.

(Barbara Hepworth, 1961)

Barbara Hepworth at the Hepworth, Wakefield.

Central to the exhibitions in this museum is a large collection of Barbara Hepworth's sculptural prototypes, in plaster and aluminium. They show us how she worked, revealing her thought processes, enabling us to follow her emotional and intellectual journey as a sculptor.

Cool Moon, from the Aegean Suite, 1971 (lithograph)

Hepworth saw printmaking as an opportunity to work on ideas that would eventually translate into sculpture. The combination of precise line and form in works such as this one, resemble her late carvings in white marble, and the areas of organic texture have an affinity with her bronzes and their heavy patina. However, it would be too simplistic to view this as a one-way relationship: Hepworth expanded on the shapes and designs of pre-existing sculptures and combined them with the distinctive paint-like washes of lithography, to produce images that embody both the qualities of printmaking and sculpture.

Oblique Forms, 1969 (lithograph)

Two Forms with White (Greek), 1963

one more view.

The Hepworth Plasters:

One of the galleries displays a collection of the surviving prototypes in plaster and aluminium from the artist's studio. The majority are original plasters, the first stage in the process of casting a sculpture in bronze or aluminium, rather than finished works. Hepworth did not view the prototypes as works of art in themselves and, although she occasionally exhibited them, she never sold them. The dense display, evoking her studio environment did not work for me - I found it difficult to appreciate each individual piece.

Spring, 1966 (plaster with strings)

one more view

Winged Figure, 1061-62, (aluminium with Isopon for surface texture)

Winged Figure was commissioned by John Lewis for their headquarters in London's Oxford Street. It's nearly six metres high and this is the only working model to survive of the monumental commissions Hepworth received in later life.

Trophy (Flight), 1965 (plaster, painted light blue/light brown)

Maquette for Dual Form, 1965-66, (plaster, painted gold, brown, green and blue)

Construction (Crucifixion), 1966-67 (aluminium, part painted)

Hollow Form with Inner Form, 1960 (plaster)

Core, 1955-56/1960 (plaster, painted black, white)

The Studio:

Just before the outbreak of WWII, Hepworth left London for St Ives, Cornwall. She bought a studio in the centre of St Ives in 1949. 'Finding Trewyn Studio was a sort of magic', she wrote. 'Here was a studio, a yard and garden where I could work in open air and space'.

The displays in this gallery explore her studio environment, working practice in plaster, and the monumental commissions she received in the last fifteen years of her life.

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Iris

February 25, 2015, 2:43 am

≫ Next: A Real Birmingham Family by Gillian Wearing

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A Real Birmingham Family by Gillian Wearing

February 26, 2015, 1:31 am

≫ Next: Please Return - A.K. Dolven

≪ Previous: Iris

A Real Birmingham Family, by Gillian Wearing, 2013-14, (bronze)

in Centenary Square, outside the new Library of Birmingham.

The sculpture raises questions about identity and what constitutes a family today, challenging pre-conceived ideas about what a family should be. Wearing has bravely offered us a more inclusive idea of who and what constitutes a family. With single-parent families, gay marriage, single people being able to adopt, 30% of primary school pupils being from ethnic minorities and 1 in 10 being in interracial relationships, the face of Britain has changed. The white nuclear family, with all its sexuality, race, and class implications is something that a lot of people in Britain cannot identify with.
'A nuclear family is one reality, but it is one of many and this work celebrates the idea that what constitutes a family should not be fixed', commented the artist.

During 2011 and 2012 Birmingham residents were urged to nominate their families to be the face of Birmingham: no limits were placed on how the 21st century family might define itself and nominations included groups of friends, extended families and people living alone. Over 350 families responded. In 2013 a diverse panel of community, cultural and religious figures chose a short-list of four.

In 2013, the Jones family, consisting of two sisters, both single parents, and their two sons was announced as the selected family. 'I really liked how Roma and Emma Jones spoke of their closeness as sisters and how they supported each other. It seemed a very strong bond, one of friendship and family, and the sculpture puts across that connectedness between them,' said Wearing.

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Please Return - A.K. Dolven

March 2, 2015, 1:41 am

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Please Return, by A.K. Dolven,

at the Ikon, Birmingham.

AK Dolven works through a variety of media - painting, installation, film and sound - and is concerned with the representation of sublime natural forces. In this respect she identifies with 19th century Norwegian painter Peder Balke and some of his work was also included in the exhibition. (There is an exhibition of Balke's work at the National Gallery, and you can see some of it here ). Both artists share a fascination with the Arctic.

Just Another Puberty, 2014 (oil on aluminium)

looking closer

Peder Balke, Stormy Sea, c1870 (oil on paper on wooden board)

Horizontal Painting, 2015 (oil on aluminium)

looking closer

A4 Double Horizon, 2014 (oil on aluminium)

Dolven has explored white painting since the late 1980s and talks about the importance of white surfaces as 'an emptiness that offers possibilities'.

Peder Balke, Northern Lights Over Coastal Landscape, c.1870 (oil and paper on cardboard)

Peder Balke, Ship off a Coast in Stormy Sea, 1844, (oil on canvas)

A4 Black I, 2014 (oil on aluminium)

This series of paintings alludes to Balke: layered application of colour on aluminium panels, small scale and minimalist.

A4 Black II, 2014 (oil on aluminium)

A4 Black IV, 2014 (oil on aluminium)

Vertical On My Own, 2011 (16 mm film transferred to HD video projection with sound)

Dolven's shadow against a stark white snowscape - the figure itself is not revealed. This exemplifies Dolven's ongoing interest in vertical and horizontal orientations:'to me, the vertical symbolises that which does not endure, such as human beings and architecture. The horizontal embodies the eternal, expressed in the landscape'.

The exhibition concludes with the please return sound installation in the Tower Room, accessible only by stairs. This journey resembles the artist's arduous climb to the top of a mountain in Lofoten to make her exhortation, 'Come'.

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Art from Elsewhere

March 3, 2015, 1:38 am

≫ Next: Winchester

≪ Previous: Please Return - A.K. Dolven

Art from Elsewhere,

at the Waterhall

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

An exhibition showcasing 19 international artists which considers themes of global change, postcolonial experience and dissent.

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (You have Searched and Destroyed), 1982

Through her series of images utilising the forms of advertising, Barbara Kruger demonstrated that art could serve a new, directed, social and political agenda. She appropriated the idioms of advertising to reveal and subvert. Her most famous slogan is 'I shop therefore I am'. She re-located her work beyond the gallery to public kiosks, billboards and mass transit, reaching a much wider audience.

Nancy Spero, I Died at Rodez, Under Electroshock, Artaud, 1969 (watercolour on paper)

These drawings belong to Nancy Spero's breakthrough series,'War' (1966-70). Abandoning painting in 1966 as 'too masculine a medium', Spero instead favoured cheap materials, paper, gouache, graphics and collage to create 150 drawings made in response to the war in Vietnam. These works mark a key moment for Spero, who was a leading feminist in New York and one of the first visual artists of her generation to represent war in terms of gender and sexuality.

Nancy Spero, Victims Thrown from Helicopter, 1968 (gouache and ink on paper)

In this series of drawings the image of the helicopter and phallic-shaped bomb recur as symbols of masculine violence and oppression.

Kara Walker, Girl, 2006 (mixed media: collage and drawing)

Kara Walker's work addresses issues of race and gender violence and the oppression of African Americans in the history of the United States. The eloganted weeping figure in this collage towers over a police officer carrying a young child. The work was made in response to the destruction and impact of Hurricane Katrina, in which most of the victims were from the African American community of New Orleans.

Jenny Holzer, Blue Purple, Arno Erlauf, 2007 (electronic LED texts in metal casing)

Jenny Holtzer employs language to make strong statements about war, politics and social issues. The text in Blue Purple, Arno Erlauf invokes the voices of victims and perpetrators of violence, highlighting the realities of war.

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Winchester

March 5, 2015, 1:47 am

≫ Next: The Kite Flyer by Marzia Colonna

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We had a very pleasant three-day break in Winchester last week which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was our first visit and we liked the place and what it has to offer.

The area around Winchester has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the city has prospered since the Roman period and was known in Medieval times as the capital of Wessex.

Lots of historical buildings give the city its special appeal.

This is Parchment Street distinctive due to the Kite Flyer by Marcia Colonna which you can see in the distance.

Winchester Business Centre on Parchment Street, with beautiful stained glass windows

Some beautiful stone buildings

as well as timber framed ones

The City Cross, also known as the Buttercross, has been dated to the 15th century and features 12 statues of the Virgin Mary, saints and various historical figures. In 1770 Thomas Dummer purchased the Buttercross from the Corporation of Winchester, intending to have it re-erected elsewhere. When the workmen arrived to dismantle the cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city who 'organised a small riot'.

There was a small market on the High Street when we visited

and a much larger vintage and antiques market on the Sunday.

The vibrant High Street

has a very distinctive clock that dates back to the 19th century.

At the end of the High Street is Westgate, one of two surviving fortified gateways in the city

and this little alleyway leads from the High Street to the Square

where the City Museum is and where we saw an exhibition of the history of the city.

Minster Street

and one of its houses that was lit up by the sun as we wandered about

and next to it, Little Minster Street

Christ's Hospital

A plaque on the wall says: 'Christ's Hospital, which was founded in the Year of our Lord 1607 by Peter Symonds, a Native of Winchester and afterwards a Mercer in the City of London. The Endowments of this House are applied to the maintenance of Six Old Men, One Matron, and Four Boys, and also to the Assistance of One Scholar in each of the Two English Universities'.

Kingsgate, the second surviving medieval gate. The name was first recorded in 1148. It's on, or near, the site of one of the Roman gates to the city. Above the gate is the small church of St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, built in the Middle Ages and is unusual in forming a part of the fabric of the old city walls. It achieved some literary fame under the fictional name of St Cuthbert's in Anthony Trollope's novel The Warden.

College Street

where Jane Austen's house is located, where she lived for the last six weeks of her life - now a private residence. Unfortunately we did not have time to visit her previous house which is now a museum.

On Jewry Street, the United Church

with two modern stained glass windows

by King Alfred's statue, this small, gorgeous terrace

and a closer look.

Almshouses, North Side

one more look.

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The Kite Flyer by Marzia Colonna

March 6, 2015, 1:17 am

≫ Next: Horse and Rider by Elisabeth Frink

≪ Previous: Winchester

Winchester has some wonderful pieces of public art

and The Kite Flyer by Marzia Colonna is one of them.

It's a bronze figure of a young man joyfully flying a gilded kite whilst walking across a bridge which spans Parchment Street at a height of six metres. The bridge was constructed by Denmead's Metal Art Design foundry in the Winchester district.

The commission came in response to Parchment Street businesses' quest to attract more trade to explore and appreciate the street's range of independent shops.

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Horse and Rider by Elisabeth Frink

March 7, 2015, 2:41 am

≫ Next: Public art around The Square

≪ Previous: The Kite Flyer by Marzia Colonna

As I mentioned in my previous post, there's quite a lot of public art in Winchester and it's such a pleasure!

Horse and Rider by Elisabeth Frink is at the end of the High Street just before West Gate. Cast in bronze, it was installed in 1975.

Combining two of Frink's favourite themes - a horse and a naked man - and pared down to essential form, this sculpture has a timeless quality.

Looking closer.

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Public art around The Square

March 8, 2015, 1:58 am

≫ Next: Eating and shopping in Winchester

≪ Previous: Horse and Rider by Elisabeth Frink

Some more public art in Winchester, around The Square, this time.

Luminous Motion by Peter Freeman, in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral by The Square.

It's a six metre column of mirrored stainless steel, pierced by 500 fibre-optic light points.

It uses mobile phone technology and text messaging to allow passers-by to influence the display, changing colour according to text messages sent by members of the public.

It looks very good at night,

the discreetly lit Cathedral in the background

The Bollards:

All around The Square the bollards are to be found, all 16 of them. Inspired from some of the world's greatest painters, each bollard represents a painting. Such fun! More cities should follow Winchester's example.

Toulouse Lautrec

Piet Mondrian

Hokusai

Wassily Kadinsky

David Hockney

Bridget Riley

Leonardo Da Vinci

Henri Matisse

Gustav Klimt

Jackson Pollock

Rene Magritte

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Eating and shopping in Winchester

March 9, 2015, 2:54 am

≫ Next: Crucifixion by Barbara Hepworth

≪ Previous: Public art around The Square

Our three days in Winchester were delightful: lots of nice, independent shops to browse, nice places to eat, and quite a lot of places of historical interest to visit.

Ocean Drive Living on Parchment Street is a charming, Scandinavian-style shop and we enjoyed browsing.

Loved the arrangement of the candles in the window

Furniture, clothes, kitchenware

simple, clean lines

and more candles

Still on Parchment Street, Dell Fine Art,

ceramic by Richard Baxter

Richard Baxter

We had lunch at Zizi twice

On the Friday there was hardly anyone there - on Saturday it was packed, we had difficulty finding a table

loved the salad

We had a drink at The William Walker on Friday night

and then moved on to La Place, on The Square, opposite the Cathedral for our evening meal

which looked very inviting at night

we liked the way the napkins were folded

and liked the ambiance too.

Next to La Place is the Hambledon, and we had a look the next day

lots to see in the shop

very stylish

everything was beautifully arranged

We stopped at the Refectory for a cup of tea after our visit to the Cathedral

we had to wait for ages before we could find a table. A pity we could not sit outdoors, but it was a very cold day

we loved the fountain made out of local stone

It was pouring on Saturday night and we did not feel like venturing far. Fortunately, Pitcher and Piano was right next to our hotel

our meal was delicious, the waitress was extremely helpful and we had a great time.

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Crucifixion by Barbara Hepworth

March 10, 2015, 2:16 am

≫ Next: Winchester mill and river walk

≪ Previous: Eating and shopping in Winchester

Construction (Crucifixion): Homage to Mondrian, by Barbara Hepworth

Created in 1966, its spare, geometric bronze form and bright colours suggest the shape of Christ's Cross and show Hepworth's admiration of Piet Mondrian.

It was quite a coincidence for us, as two weeks before we had seen the prototype at the Hepworth in Wakefield which you can see here .

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Winchester mill and river walk

March 11, 2015, 5:04 am

≫ Next: Sound II, Anthony Gormley

≪ Previous: Crucifixion by Barbara Hepworth

During our last day in Winchester we took another walk around the Cathedral grounds and walked along part of the city medieval wall which is made out of limestone rubble based on the Roman circuit,

and in the process we discovered the river walk

a bright, sunny day, it was wonderful.

We wondered what was behind these walls

and then came upon the only visible section of the city's Roman wall which was completed in the 3rd century AD, and enclosed an area of 144 acres.

We ended up at the City Mill which we had visited the day before.

The mill, on the other side of the bridge

is a working water mill that has stood here for over 1000 years

and is now a National Trust property.

The river Itchen and bridge.

Inside, we were able to see

the whole process of grain into flour: the miller empties sacks of grain via the wooden chute into the storage hopper

and the quartz millstones grind the grain into fine flour. We learnt that the attached bell provides a warning if the hopper becomes empty as this would lead to rapid wear and damage the stones.

We then went down to the mill race where a sluice gate in front of the water wheel is used to control the mill.

Raising the gate allows water to pass under the waterwheel and the force of the water makes the wheel turn. Closing the gate stoops the mill. The height of the sluice gate determines how much water hits the wheel and hence the speed of the mill.

The narrow current is swift and powerful

Next stop, the small garden at the back

which provided good views of the back of the mill.

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Sound II, Anthony Gormley

March 12, 2015, 4:44 am

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Sound II, Anthony Gormley.

Awe-inspiring art, in the Cathedral crypt in Winchester. Fashioned from lead out of plaster cast of the artist's own body, the sculpture of a man contemplating the water held in his cupped hands, could not have found a more evocative home than this 9th century crypt.

The crypt floods frequently and when the sculpture's feet are covered in water the drama of the installation intensifies.

Stunning!

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The Mayor's House, Winchester

March 13, 2015, 3:53 am

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Walking past the Guildhall

one comes across Abbey House, now the official residence of the mayors of Winchester. The house and gardens take their name from the site they are on, as it was where the former St Mary's Abbey stood in medieval period. The Abbey was founded in 903 AD by King Alfred's widow Ealswith and survived until the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII.

The site remained empty for about 150 years and then a house was built around 1699. The house has grown and has been much altered since it was first built but it's believed that the original, or part of it, still forms the core.

Box 459,

a light sculpture to commemorate the fallen across the district in the First World War, referencing the remark made by the Foreign Secretary upon the eve of war in 1914:' the lamps are going out all over Europe: we shall not see them lit again in our life time'.

Box 459 was inspired by the 459 fallen soldiers from the Winchester area. When lit, shafts of light shine through 459 apertures representing the city's lost generation.

The pretty gardens serve as a park today.

Back view of the house and formal garden

the sundial

and this particular walk eventually leads to the Mill.

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The Great Hall

March 14, 2015, 12:19 am

≫ Next: Contrast

≪ Previous: The Mayor's House, Winchester

William the Conqueror began to build Winchester castle in 1067, within six months of the battle of Hastings. It was built when the English Gothic style of architecture was at the height of its popularity. Its key features include the pointed arch, rib vaulted ceiling, lancet windows and window tracery.

When Renaissance architecture became popular in Florence in the 15th century, the Gothic style was heavily criticised and rejected in favour of a return to classical Greek and Roman forms. In 1682 Christopher Wren created a classical design for a new castle in Winchester. The king's house was designed in the style of the Palace of Versailles.

These buildings offer a glimpse of the grandeur of the castle and Winchester's past glories

Unfortunately I neglected to write down information about this bench, but it obviously commemorates the fallen during WWI

looking closer

This passageway in the basement of the tower led out to the great dry moat surrounding the castle offering escape when the castle was besieged.

looking closer

The Great Hall is the only part of the castle that still stands. Built between 1222 and 1235 it was one of the largest and finest in England, and it's the finest of that period to have survived today.

These magnificent wrought steel gates were installed in 1983 in the arches leading to the judges' gallery to commemorate the wedding of Charles Windsor and Diana Spencer.

Commemorating the First World War, Cloud by Susie MacMurray, made out of rusty barbed wire which is ensnared in billows of black butterfly netting. The wire was resurrected from an MOD site in Aldershot.

Looking closer.

The installation on the floor is part of Cloud, consisting of identity tags and includes the names of all The Royal Hampshire Regiment personnel who died during service from the First World War through to 1992 - 10.224 names.

King Arthur's Round Table hangs on the wall. The table has been dated from tree ring evidence and carbon, to the 13th or early 14th century. It measures 5.5 m in diameter and weighs 1,200 kg and was probably constructed within the Hall. Initially it was a standing table with 12 outer legs and a central support; it was probably first hung on the wall in 1348.

It was not until 1516 that the table was painted, with the red and white Tudor rose surmounted by King Arthur on his throne, bearing a striking resemblance to the young Henry VIII. The names of 24 of the Knights of the Round Table are written around the edge.