by Jacob Lawrence (1948, ink over graphite on paper, 72 × 49.8 cm, Art Institute of Chicago, USA)
This work, Graduation, is one of six drawings that Jacob Lawrence made as illustrations for Langston Hughes’s 1949 book of poetry, One-Way Ticket.
Archive for Art
Graduation – Jacob Lawrence
Posted in Art, Poetry with tags Art, Graduation, Jacob Lawrence, Langston Hughes, Poetry on October 28, 2025 by telescoperMoonlight and Lights – Léon Spilliaert
Posted in Art with tags Art, Léon Spilliaert, Moonlight and Lights on September 30, 2025 by telescoper
by Léon Spilliaert (1909, pastel and ink wash on paper, 65 x 50cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris)
Blu Tack Art
Posted in Art, Maynooth with tags Art, blu tack, sculpture on August 26, 2025 by telescoperMy attention was drawn today to this scuplture which is currently on display in the Department of Physics at Maynooth University. The artist and subject are unknown (to me) and the work is not dated, but the material is clearly Blu Tack, a putty-like pressure-sensitive adhesive commonly used to attach lightweight objects to walls, doors or other dry surfaces.
Et in Arcadia Lego
Posted in Art with tags Art, Et in Arcadia Ego, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, Lego, painting on May 27, 2025 by telescoper
Posted with apologies to the Italian Baroque artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino) on whose original Et in Arcadia Ego this is based.
Spring Undergrowth – Joan González
Posted in Art, Barcelona with tags Art, Joan González, Sous-bois printanier, Tate Gallery on April 29, 2025 by telescoper
The artist Joan González was born in Barcelona, and lived from 1868 to 1908; the title of this work in Catalan is Sous-bois Printanier.
A Day in Cardiff
Posted in Art, Biographical, Cardiff, LGBTQ+, Opera, Politics with tags Art, Cardiff, Cardiff Bay, Miners' Strike, National Museum of Wales, Wales Millennium Centre on April 5, 2025 by telescoperI got up at Stupid O’Clock this morning to catch an early morning plane from Dublin to Cardiff. It was very cold when I arrived but it soon warmed up and turned into a lovely day.
I had a nice breakfast at Bill’s when I arrived in the City then did tour of the National Museum of Wales where there is an exhibition about the Miners’ Strike of 1984/5, from which this display case caught my attention:
I also had time for a round of Name That Artist (scoring a miserable 3/12, for Sutherland, Ernst, and Magritte).
After that, I took a stroll around Bute Park before heading to my hotel in Cardiff Bay to check in and have a rest before the reason for my visit, an event which will take place here at 7pm:
I won’t be able to blog about that until I get back to Maynooth tomorrow afternoon.
Bluesky Embed Test
Posted in Art, Biographical, Uncategorized with tags Art, BlueSky, Claude Monet, Japanese Bridge with Water Lilies on January 16, 2025 by telescoperIt’s been a very busy day today so I just have time to test out the new “Bluesky embed” feature on WordPress. That means I can share a selection of my very best shitposts directly here. Try this one:
It seems to work on some browsers but not others. How is it for you?
The Sun – Edvard Munch
Posted in Art with tags Art, Edvard Munch, The Sun on November 14, 2024 by telescoper
by Edvard Munch (1911, 455 x 780 cm, oil on canvas, University of Oslo; this very large work hangs in the University Aula at the University of Oslo where it is flanked by ten other Munch paintings )
The Opening of the Fifth Seal
Posted in Art with tags Art, El Greco, Opening of the Fifth Seal, painting on September 23, 2024 by telescoperI was trying to find a work of art with which to illustrate the start of teaching term and decided on this remarkable painting by El Greco, usually called The Opening of the Fifth Seal though it has been given other names. Actually it’s only part of the original painting – the upper section was destroyed in 1880 – which at least partly accounts for the unusual balance of the composition. What I find astonishing about this work, though, is that at first sight it looks for all the world like an early 20th Century expressionist work, complete with distorted figures and vivid colour palette. It’s very hard to believe that it was painted in the early years of the 17th Century! El Greco was 300 years ahead of his time.
by Doménikos Theotokópoulos (“El Greco“), painted between 1608 and 1614, 224.8 cm × 199.4 cm, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
From Here – Bridget Riley
Posted in Art with tags Art, Bridget Riley, From Here, painting on August 21, 2024 by telescoper
by Bridget Riley (1994, 1576 × 2278 mm, Oil on Canvas, Private Collection)
In the Dark 