Konrad Mägi's gorgeous paintings at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Those clever curators at Dulwich PG have done it again. This time, Kathleen Soriano (yes, it's that lady from Sky's Landscape/Portrait Artist of the Year shows) has curated a fabulous collection of Konrad Mägi's work, and I can see why she loves them!

I was at the press view prior to the exhibition opening on 24th March and it was a delight seeing and hearing Kathleen enthuse about Konrad colourful life and artworks. We also got to meet and hear from Kristina Ollek whose evocative pieces fill the mausoleum space at the centre.

Konrad's work, especially his Baltic and Finnish, landscapes look like textile designs. There's definitely a hint of Klimt in there. His patterns, brushwork and colours is inspirational.

I'm here showing cropped sections of the paintings rather the full works: 

His portraits are absolutely gorgeous. Stylised Jazz Age sitters with big eyes and fulsome lips, mostly staring off into the distance and not looking at all jolly.

The last six pics show a selection of lovely lips and some smaller works. 

Finally, here are some pics I took of Kristina's creations:

A really good show – on until 12th July. Easily accessible by train or the P4 bus (Lewisham to Brixton) which stops right outside the gallery gate.

Religion and Rembrandt and black black BLACK at Dulwich Picture Gallery

After visiting the wonderful Anna Ancher show last week I skimmed the artworks in the other rooms. There are some corkers to be found – every rime I visit I spot something new, probably because they move and swop the works to keep us on our toes!

On this occasion, I was engaged by a couple of preparatory sketches for ceiling works by Tiepolo located in the central area, almost opposite the main entrance:

Sketches? Wow! Gorgeous! The second one is 'Virtue and Nobility Putting Ignorance to Flight' commissioned for the Villa Cordelina in Venice. I do love a bit allegory.

I am also keen on religious themed artworks even though I don't believe in fairy stories. Who doesn't love the depiction of a tortured saint?! Last time I was there I took snaps of some paintings which were also in the central section on the opposite wall to where the Tiepolos are today, though I can't guarantee they are currently on view:

St Catherine of Siena by Carlo Dolci, above, bottom left, next to an interestingly amended work attempting to keep up with the zeitgeist of that era. 

On that day I also snapped a pic of Mrs Joan Allen looking fiercely elegant in black: 

A touch of the Princess Anne, I think. I wonder if that's a riding outfit.  

Black Black BLACK!  Note the reference to black dye being expensive back then. 

Black dye it might be cheaper now, but it's still one of the most difficult dyes to fix, and one of the most damaging for the planet vis the processes involved (go google) yet it is the most prominent [non] colour being worn today – I have never before seen so many people head to foot in black clothes as there are out there in 2025.  It's become a lazy uniform. Has someone died? Is everyone in mourning? Have we time-travelled back to the 1880s? Perhaps there's a permanent Goth or witches' convention? Or is Hallowe'en a year-round event now? Actually, no – whilst I think of it, Hallowe'en has become just an excuse for any kind of fancy dress with fake blood added. Schoolgirl? Policeman? Robot? Clown? Just add flour, ketchup and black eyeliner and you too will go to the party. And don't get me started about all that non-recyclable polyester used as fake cobwebs. But you can't have a plastic straw for your Um Bongo, your Kia-ora, or your G&T.  

Anyway, enough observational ranting... back to the lovely artworks... 

First a bit of showing off by Fragonard. He's the fella who painted the girl on a swing which is on display at The Wallace Collection. Ooh naughty!

On the end wall adjacent to the excellent gift shop there are paintings by Rembrandt showing how his style changed from detailed brushwork in 1632 on the left when he was 26, to his later looser style in 1668. Clara Reubens, the young girl, was painted in 1620 by her father, Peter Paul. They are all lovely. 

Finally, one of my favourite Thomas Gainsborough paintings is At Dulwich Picture Gallery. Dated 1753, it depicts 'A Couple in a Landscape' illustrating the wealthy land owners of that era, although their identity has never been specified.

I've here married it with a section of a small painting that hangs on my wall at home. The artist, Christopher H. Grisley has named the couple in his Gainsborough pastiche as Mr & Mrs Andrews, whoever they might be.

Dulwich Picture Gallery – more info here – oh, and a new cafe space has opened up adjacent to the gallery building – it serves really good coffee, by which I mean I had an Americano and it was actually strong coffee as requested – I couldn't see the bottom of the cup!

Painting Light – Anna Ancher at Dulwich Picture Gallery

The curators at Dulwich Picture Gallery have done it again!  They've pulled together yet another fabulous collection of artworks by yet another artist who often goes under the radar here in the UK.

This time we have Anna Ancher (pronounced Anker), a talented lady based in the small town of Skagen in Skane, which rhymes with Jane and window pane, and it's the latter which features in many of Anna's painted works as she was very adept at painting light coming into interior spaces, mostly within her family home, Brøndums Hotel, which formed the hub of the town at the very northern pointy tip of Denmark.

This reminds me of art classes at school, approx age 15, when we were tasked to paint an interior with light coming in from a window ahead. Weirdly, we were expected to do this from our imagination, not from life. I will dig out my old portfolio later this week and I might add pics of my efforts.

Many of Anna Ancher's evocative paintings feature her friends and family busy at work or just sitting and reading. I relate to the quote about about staying close to home, something I tend to do more these days as I haven't been anywhere that involves a plane journey for almost eight years. Recollections of places visited in far off countries fade over time and become almost dreamlike memories. There is so much to see and do nearer home. However, my home town of London is vast and varied and there is always something new to experience, as Samuel Johnson observed in that 'tired' quote.

Note that I have cropped into most of the paintings to select specific details.

Anna was well-known in Denmark, yet I had never heard of her before being alerted to this show, and I doubt many others will be aware of her either unless they have Danish friends or connections to that country. I'm often saying that there are many talented artists all around the world whom we never get to hear about, in countries as random as Venezuela and Vietnam, yet all we are mostly fed on Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and The Mona Lisa!

The Skagen landscape features in many of Anna's works, again with the emphasis on natural light at different times of the day, the narrow flat peninsula providing both sunrise and sunset opportunities.

If you visit, be sure to watch the short movie in the central area and look out for the little doors placed here and there, cleverly designed to intrigue and inspire children (and me):

If you saw my RA Summer Show entry earlier this year you will already know that I am interested in the gallery walls as well as what's on them, so I've here grouped these little doors with other things that caught my eye – a painted grille, two big studded doors and the end of seating over a trap door.

Anna Ancher: Painting Light – until 8th March 2026

Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious at Dulwich Picture Gallery – a very talented lady

Dulwich Gallery as done it again... yet another excellent exhibition .This is the first major exhibition of Tirzah Garwood's work, ever, since her death in1951. 

98% of Tirzah's work is today in private collections. As such, most of this show is comprised of artworks that have never before been available to the public. A multi-talented artist, she was already producing wonderfully-detailled woodcuts in her teens, well before she met and married Eric Ravilious (Dulwich exhibition 2015). It can now be seen that she was the greater talent of this couple, accomplished in many additional creative techniques including oil paintings and watercolours, marbling techniques, 3D models and textural embroidery.

This excellent show is on until 26th May 2025. More info here. Form a neat crocodile and enter Tirzah's world... 

Photo of the artist as a young woman and two versions of the same subject matter employing very different techniques.

Much of Tirzah's work has a human element to it, full of wonderful little observations about our quirks and the the little details in the world around us, whether on paper or as small 3D scenes.

The little 3D worlds are a delight, capturing a time forgotten. 

An accomplished paper marbler, Tirzah also created designs for lampshades and produced gorgeous handmade marbled papers in various designs:  

These paper examples are some of my favourite pieces at the exhibition. It beggars belief how she managed to achieve these repeat patterns, let alone fulfill orders for multiples of 50, which must have taken ages to produce. However, she never was able to find a company who could produce her designs in larger formats, such as wallpaper.

A 3D house, a handmade patchwork quilt and another example of her multi-stitch embroidery.

What an amazing talent. This is an inspirational show. Since seeing Tirzah's work I have dug out some of my own creations. I can't help but think she and I are kindred spirits, what with all the various skills and techniques I have turned my own hands to over the years. 

Tirzah Garwood: she really was Beyond Ravilious

Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Dulwich Picture Gallery has done it again, as I don't think I have ever been to one of their shows and thought 'so what?' 

The latest show is a fabulously curated collection of Berthe Morisot's work. A female painter in a world of men, where painting in certain environments was forbidden, she made good use of her own home as studio interspersed with early morning trips to the park. A self portrait of Berthe in her mid-twenties is at middle top here:

The clever thing about this show is how it's interspersed with paintings that are said to have inspired her. Hence, you'll see Tissot, Romney, Gainsborough and quite a few Fragonards here. 

Delightful. 

It's also worth noting that there are few works from The Wallace Colllection, an institution that I understand has never before loaned out any of its collection.

Enjoy.

Until 10 September – More information here.

Reframed: The Woman In The Window at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Ooh this is a good idea, and something I hadn’t noticed or thought about until I heard about this show – the repeated motif that can be seen throughout centuries of art of a female framed in a window, whether from the perspective of her looking out, or us looking in.

Last week I joined a preview tour of the show led by its curator, Dr Jennifer Sliwka, looking fab in a grey two-piece double-breasted suit, btw. She first showed us the inspiration for the show, Dulwich Picture Gallery’s ‘Girl at a Window’ by Rembrandt, and then picked out and explained some thought-provoking works, from ancient carved pieces, through Hockney, Bell, Rossetti and Blake, to end with Sherman and Abramovitch, two female artists whose photographic self-portraits literally puts themself in the frame. 

I suppose the question(s) being asked here is, are we and the artists voyeurs, or are we being provoked/invited to look at these women? 

There’s a very clever multi-purpose piece in the mausoleum by Isa Genken, shown bottom left in my montage, that allows you to put yourself in the picture. Inspired by this, I put myself in the picture and took a 'selfie' reflected onto the Howard Hodgkin exhibut (bottom right) which also shows elements of the large photgraphic artwork on the wall opposite.

It's a really interesting and diverse collection. On until 4th September. Find out more here. 

Reminder to self: finish research for my walk/talk “Female Forms: sculptors and sculptures" 

Rembrandt's Light at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Oooh this is lovely.

Dulwich Picture Gallery have again come up with a corker of an exhibition.
Last week I went on a curators' tour of Rembrandt's Light and...
Actually, no... I am not going to say or show much here but instead keep it short and say that Rembrandt's work is so beautifully and cleverly presented at this show that you've just got to go and see it for yourself.
Each room has been cleverly designed by Peter Suschitzky , the award-winning film cinematographer, to best enhance the artworks on show. I particularly like the first and last rooms.
And it's another first for Dulwich Picture Gallery, the first purpose-designed building to showcase art and now, at this show, they are implementing specific LED lighting techniques.
Also note that, as drive to get younger adults into the gallery, £5 tickets are available for 18-30 yr olds! The sign-up for this reduced price pops up within the booking fields.
What's not to like?!
There are more/other Rembrandt paintings hanging on the walls in other gallery rooms, so do go and hunt for them.
   

Vanessa Bell at Dulwich Picture Gallery and Sussex Modernism at Two Temple Place

The Dulwich Picture Gallery is always worth a detour. Not only does it have a diverse and perfectly sized permanent display, but the curators are very good at putting on interesting additional exhibitions, often by artists who are not that well known.
At the moment you can see works by Vanessa Bell, prolifically creative and sister of Virginia Woolf the author.
 

A woman after my own heart – from age eight I was obsessed with making repetitive patterns on graph paper

More of Vanessa's work can be seen at Two Temple Place as part of their current exhibition Sussex Modernism which includes some truly gorgeous sculptures by Eric Gill and David Jones.
Even if this kind of art isn't your thing, do go inside this free exhibition because the interior is marvellous – it was originally built the as the Astor's London office and is only ever open during exhibitions – all wood panelling, stained glass and carved details – here's a post about a previous visit. 

Winifred Knights at Dulwich Picture Gallery

This lovely exhibition in a lovely location displays of the work of the marvelously talented Winifred Knights; an artist, until, last week I had never known about.

All works by MK except bottom left which is a portrait of her by another artist

Well worth a visit.
More info here.
Enjoy

The Amazing World of M. C. Escher at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Most of us had an Escher on our wall when we were in our teens. But we moved on to what we thought were better things.
But now is the time to revisit the work of this mostly underrated yet hugely accomplished 20th Century artist at this exhibition which shows his work in chronological order.
Known for his tessellated animals and birds and impossible buildings, Escher was also mischievous, as can be seen by the clever tricks and meanings in almost every work.
Runs until 17th January.

It's not all black and white... there are colour pieces too!

The drawings for the long piece are even more fascinating than the finished item

Seeing Escher's hexagons in perspective reminded me of a piece I struggled with when doing A-Level art. The title we were given to work with was "The Terrace" and I had an idea for a sunbathing scene with bathers on Giants Causeway-esque rocks. Try as I might I couldn't get the formula/geometry exactly right. Had I studied Escher back then it might have helped.
Bottom right shows a preliminary sketch of the final painting.  

Find the fake at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Become an art sleuth.

One of the 270 paintings in the permanent collection is a Chinese replica that has been commissioned by the gallery in conjunction with Doug Fishbone at a staggeringly cheap price of $126 inc shipping.I know which one I think it is. But I could be wrong.
Go and see if you can find the fake and don't forget to add your own choice into the one of the ipad stations within the gallery for a chance to win a prize.
The answer will be revealed on 28th April.
More details here

From the Forest to the Sea – Emily Carr in British Columbia

This intriguing exhibition about one of Canada's best-loved artists has just opened at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Emily Carr spent a great part of her life in British Columbia, in particular Haida Gwaii, documenting the things she found around her such as totem poles, trees and skyscapes.
I was lucky to be able to attend the press launch which started with a traditional welcome by the Haida Hereditary Chief and Master Carver, James Hart, accompanied by some of his people. It was rather strange, standing there in our modern garb, watching people in tribal dress perform songs and dances that were centuries old in surroundings that were also old but completely different in style.

The exhibition shows how Emily's work evolved over time. It highlights especially how her style changed and became bolder after her time spent in Paris where she honed her painting skills. Returning to Canada she continued to develop, and devised mixes of different types of paint which she used on cheap paper so that she could paint with speed outdoors. Sadly that paper has since discoloured, but what the heck, the paintings still look great; white space has just become pale brown space.
The exhibition begins and ends with display cabinets containing relevant tribal artefacts from various museums including two of my favourites, The Horniman and Pitt Rivers.
The exhibition runs until 8th March. More information here.

Ian Dejardin leading our guided tour, some reflected heads, Haida indigenous objects.

Emily Carr self portrait, and some of her totems and trees

David Hockney's prints at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Blimey he's talented and prolific, as these snaps I took there clearly show.
The show is almost a how-to of print-making techniques and really inspirational.
More here – on until 11th May and well worth a visit.