Frictional Novel

"This afternoon, you were treated to the melancholy prospect of your father standing in the kitchen, ironing the festive paper in which the morning’s gifts had been wrapped. He gave you his version of his jovial smile, saying, ‘Better look after this paper, you know. And the string’…It was easy, you thought, for parsimony to masquerade as patriotism."

Part II, Chapter 3 (Christmas at Gracefield) 

From Walcot by Brian Aldiss (Goldmark Books)

Walcot is a family saga set against the tumultuous events of the 20^th century. Following the Fieldings’ affairs in love and war, the story is told through the youngest member of the family - Stephen - or rather through a mysterious someone talking to Stephen (the entire book is written in the second-person narrative). Who could it be? And what is the terrible secret that Stephen must spend his whole life trying to uncover?

For all about Walcot click here

For all about Aldiss click here

London Revisited

Ivan Green's London Series not only captures the beauty of London's famous landmarks, it transforms them. Drawing inspiration from the site, Ivan researches deeper into the subject, collecting scenes from the surrounding area and rebuilding them to create these unique mixed media prints. The video above is a timelapse of Ivan's construction of St Pauls cathedral - a very brief glimpse into the technical work and architectural vision needed for each layer of the unfolding image.

Speaking of the series, Timothy Wilson, Keeper of Western Art at the Ashmolean Museum says:

'The transformation of St. Paul's is remarkable. A really handsome modern version of the capriccio tradition is emerging. Eloquent, frequently beautiful, and technically interesting.'

No protests there.

Ivan has also just been chosen to illustrate the 2013 Oxford Almanack, following in the footsteps of John Piper and JMW Turner.

To view more views through Ivan's eyes click here.

No Wall Flower

John Nash’s interest and skill in depicting botanical subjects is reflected in his wonderful drawings and woodcuts that appear in books like Poisonous Plants and Plants with Personality.

This engraving of Christmas Roses was made from the artist’s original woodblocks (more details here) and displays his accurate study of the plant. It’s a flower that certainly scores high on the personality scale, known for its hardiness in winter and its ability to fight through the frost. Its seasonal name also derives from the festive tale surrounding it.

Other plants from the poisonous collection include Arum and Foxglove.

If it’s colour you’re after, you can take a detour via these floral variations.

Angel Delight

Andrzej Kuhn’s work beckons us into his world and lets our imagination take flight. With arms stretched wide, this kindly angel welcomes us too; her sense of gravity conveyed as much through her knowledgeable gaze as the mass of her celestial body.

Though obviously different from the angels so often depicted in art history, this flattened, patterned figure with pearly wings still has a connection to the religious icons of the past.

Painter and author Glyn Hughes wrote:

"Andrzej Kuhn is a contemporary icon painter. Like the icon painters, his imagery and style remain constant without being repetitive. The force that keeps them alive is a spiritual one…although the pictures are decoratively conceived and make very good decorations indeed, they are so much more than that, and you might best hang a Kuhn painting in a bedroom, in a study, in a church; in any place where the eye would wish to rest upon an image of contemplation."

To experience the journey for yourselves, pass through the Gates of the Sun, take a ride in the King’s Chariot, sail past the Dancing Islands, stop to gather the Moon in the Puddle… and you too will feel like the Artist’s Friend.

Lineage

   

As the art world awaits the announcement of the Turner Prize winner today, here is a topical poem from local wordsmith Nick Hallam:

Take draughtsmanship, nowhere to hide,

A pencil-point, nowhere to run;
Strokes: straight, curved, soft, hard,
Narrow, wide, full shade –
No shadow from the sun;
His sun, his God, his lording light –
Oh I am glad that Turner’s gone;
Associate his name with might –
I pray his is not looking on
To see sheep in formaldehyde.

 Do you think Turner’s turning in his grave? Follow this link to see our large collection of engravings after Turner and read about the laborious Life of An Engraver.

Or turn the pages of our online catalogue below: 

Goldmark Books is looking forward to publishing a collection of Nick Hallam’s poems next year. Sign up through our books website to keep informed or follow Hallam’s Comment on twitter.

Let It Glow

We’re gearing up to an exhibition this Saturday 3 December, displaying over 100 glass panels by the esteemed Patrick Reyntiens OBE. Coming up to his 86^th birthday, Patrick has had a shining career, notable for his 35 year collaboration with John Piper and such stunning works as the Baptistery Window of Coventry Cathedral.

Continuing in the age-old tradition of stained glass, each piece tells a story, whether drawn from mythology, rural landscapes or Patrick’s vivid imagination. Almost as innovative as the designs are the accompanying (and sometimes unexpected) titles including Exercise Tires and Martha’s Sausage Roll.

But you don’t have to stand outside in the cold with your nose pressed to the window/computer screen. Come along this Saturday and you’ll even see the man himself do a demonstration of painting on glass, along with a premiere of a new film about his work. Smashing.

Left: A Walk in the Park

Right: Hills in the North

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