Rhead All About It

 

In contrast to the phone hacking scandals and intrusive journalism which have landed today’s press on thin ice, a sense of wintry wholesomeness exudes from this poster advertising New York newspaper, The Sun. Designed in 1900 by British-born artist, Louis Rhead, it belongs to the ‘Masters of the Poster’ series which also includes iconic imagery from the much-loved Mucha and the lauded Toulouse-Lautrec.

Winning a gold medal for best American poster design in 1895, Rhead was certainly a ‘Maitre de l'Affiche', yet he was also highly regarded for his fly-fishing skills ('Maitre de le Fish’?)  - an interest which inspired much of his artwork and written publications.

As a successful commercial artist, contributing regularly to magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Century, Rhead knew about what sells.

His obituary in the New York Times reads as follows:

LOUIS RHEAD, ARTIST AND ANGLER, DEAD. Exhausted Recently by Long Struggle In Capturing a 30-pound Turtle.

Not a bad hook for a story...

In other news, the beautiful ice rink at Somerset House is now open, so get your skates on and catch some interesting art exhibitions there too.

Touching Vase

Come to our gallery and you’ll see signs on the wall saying ‘you are welcome to handle the pots'.  

Often, the way a pot sits in our hands or the way the glaze feels underneath our fingers is what establishes our connection with the object and helps us to understand the beauty within it.

Here’s a great example: Mike Dodd’s textured vase

Watch this video to see and hear how this reptilian pot came to life.

But what does it feel like? To find out, come to Mike Dodd’s exhibition opening this Saturday, 26 November.

A Bit Bitter?

       

The Fox and the Grapes

"The fox who longed for grapes, beholds with pain

The tempting clusters were too high to gain;

Grieved in his heart he forced a careless smile,

And cried, ‘They’re sharp and hardly worth my while."

from the 1687 English translation of The Fables of La Fontaine

Chagall etching, 1952

We are currently holding a Chagall exhibition which runs from 5-30^th November and features, alongside a number of his other celebrated suites, the artist’s famous illustrations for The Fables of La Fontaine. In this particular picture, the story is actually conveyed by the negative space between the fantastically frustrated Mr Fox and his out-of-reach snack, the very distance confirming our suspicions that his assessment of the fruit could not, in fact, be further from the truth.  Hand-coloured by Chagall himself, these grapes look nothing short of divine.

To view the whole bunch pick here

For more morals pick and choose here

Door to Door

Artists, authors and associated movements are often credited with laying foundations, paving ways… and also opening doors. Tate Liverpool is about to open its portals to Wonderland in a new exhibition which will show how Lewis Carroll’s timeless creation threw open the doors for subsequent generations to experiment with the imaginative, the surreal and the absurd.  Amongst the artists who were influenced by Alice et al was Magritte, whose work up until recently was also being shown at the same Tate. (Unfortunately the white rabbits amongst you are “too late, too late” for that one, but you can read all about it here.)

To stick with the door theme whilst it is still on its hinges, here are two pics, one from our collection of Sir John Tenniel prints and one from our recently acquired set of Magritte prints.  

In this original wood engraving, Alice draws back the curtain, revealing the tiny door which is about to lead her to a world of wonderful weirdness.  We are still on the side of normality.

In this Magritte, we have crossed the threshold and are fully immersed in the surreal. Visual contradictions are overlaid one on top of the other, displaying the kind of paradoxes and games which we also find in Carroll’s storytelling. Here, the curtain is already drawn; the door is wide open; and we see a crescent moon perched on a candlestick. Or perhaps it’s the smile of the elusive Cheshire cat, dropping in to say hello.

                                                                                                    To see more of our Tenniel illustrations for Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass 

          go this way 

                            For more Magritte 

                                       go that way