Visual Art
Self-Portrait of a Stranger: A Review of Frank Auerbach’s Charcoal Portraits
The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition, The Charcoal Heads, shows the early career of Frank Auerbach and the creation of his portraits in the 1950s and 1960s. As a young Jewish...
‘Intimate and eye-opening’: Bruegel to Rubens at the Ashmolean- Review
"It was a pleasure to return to Oxford during the vacation to visit the Ashmolean’s new exhibition, which showcases some of the best drawings of the great Flemish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries."
A Press Morning at Yoko Ono’s ‘MUSIC OF THE MIND’ Exhibition
"The gallery space itself did not provide an atmosphere of silence, but rather upon observation, isolated moments of contemplation and quietness were evident amongst the bustling scene in the room."
Nuclear Bombs and Feminism: Monica Sjöö’s Exhibition at Modern Art Oxford
"Based on the Modern Art Oxford posters, Monica Sjöö’s activism appeared to be a driving force for social change."
Crafting Kingship: Hellenistic Royal Portraiture
"A standardised visual vocabulary of royal ideology represented by statues and coinage"
A woman weaving herself into history
Hypnotising acidic colours scream out for Anoushka Kavanagh’s attention
The strange death of Constable’s rural idyll
Daniel Villar explores how the English countryside has changed since John Constable painted The Cornfield
Those Who Follow review – “an appreciation of some too often ignored parts of this city we all call home”
Matthew Roberts explores the different faiths of modern Oxford, as presented in the exhibition Those Who Follow
The insincerity of the female nude
Women should not be afraid to reclaim their naked bodies, writes Priya Vempali
Sowing the seeds for the Eastern bloc’s sexual revolution
Chantal Marauta explores the life of Russian Revolutionary feminist Alexandra Kollontai and her fight for gender equality
Revolutionary artists: from creatives to criminals
Catherine Cibulskis reflects on the dramatic evolution of Russian art in the immediate aftermath of the revolution
“A Mythical Future”: Katya Rogatchevskaia on the Russian Revolution
The British Librarian curator discusses her exhibition Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths
The opening of a closed cultural world
One combative poem has a lot to reveal about the place of artists under Soviet rule, Charlie Baker writes
Touch, tenderness, and technology in Cloud of Petals
Sarah Meyohas’ new exhibition embraces electronic form in its exploration of beauty, writes Eleanor Birdsall-Smith
Andrew Graham-Dixon: Bridging the gap between high culture and mass media
Art history documentary maker Andrew Graham-Dixon talks contemporary art and BBC spending to Altair Brandon-Salmon
Imagining the Divine review – engrossing and important
Lizzy Diggins is intrigued by the religious crossovers at the Ashmolean's new exhibition
A perfectly preserved corner of London speaks to modern Britain
Susie Finlay discovers the delights of still-life drama
A film that celebrates an artistic history too long hidden, too long misunderstood
Gazelle Mba discusses a groundbreaking feminist film and the politicisation of artistic identity
How traditional craftsmanship meets modern aesthetics on Pakistani trucks
Sam Dalrymple reports on the phenomenon of truck art that is spreading across Pakistan