Visual Arts

"What do you think an artist is? He’s a political being, constantly alive to heartrending, fiery, or happy events, to which he responds in every way. No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war, for attack and defense against the enemy."

Pablo Picasso

Thursday, 26 September 2019 18:35

The revolutionary painting of Rembrandt van Rijn

Written by Jenny Farrell

in Visual Arts

Jenny Farrell marks the 350th anniversary of the death of Rembrandt van Rijn with a discussion of some of his dynamic, democratic and deeply humane paintings Rembrandt’s Times In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Flemish cloth trade had developed into the strongest competitor of Florentine cloth makers and traders,…

Saturday, 21 September 2019 20:06

International Day of Peace

Written by Friedrich Farshaad Razmjouie

in Visual Arts

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Tuesday, 03 September 2019 15:31

The only way out is together: The Venice Biennale and Late Capitalism

in Visual Arts

Written by Dennis Broe

Dennis Broe reviews the biennial festival of contemporary art May You Live in Interesting Times is the title and organizing principle of this year’s Venice Biennale, year curated by Ralph Rogoff, head of the Hayward Gallery in London. Mr. Rogoff is now an officer in something called The Order of…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Saturday, 31 August 2019 13:14

The revolutionary realism of 'Peasant Bruegel'

in Visual Arts

Written by Jenny Farrell

Jenny Farrell discusses the life and work of 'Peasant Bruegel', unearthing the radically subversive protests and criticisms of political domination which are expressed so beautifully in his paintings The greatest of the 16th century Dutch realists is without doubt Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Born around 1525, Bruegel died 450 years…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Friday, 12 July 2019 13:04

'I am a human and I will be seen': the anti-imperialist power of the photographic image

in Visual Arts

Written by Kate Potts

Kate Potts introduces an extract from Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Time, the new book from Autograph ABP director Mark Sealy, published by Lawrence and Wishart This book trains Sealy’s sharp critical eye on the racial politics at work within photography. In the context of heated discussions around race…

Kasavubu Fanon

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Tuesday, 09 July 2019 18:16

A History of the Many, not the Few

in Visual Arts

Written by Michal Boncza

Michal Boncza reviews The Many Not the Few, by Sean Michael Wilson and Robert Brown AT THE launch of this timely graphic “history of Britain shaped by the people” in the parliamentary annexe Portcullis House, Jeremy Corbyn made the point — and he should know— that change has never originated…

Monday, 01 July 2019 09:19

Anti-war and anti-fascist German art: Otto Dix and George Grosz

Written by Jenny Farrell

in Visual Arts

Jenny Farrell remembers Otto Dix and George Grosz, two German artists whose work was dedicated to the fight against fascism and war The painters Otto Dix and George Grosz died fifty and sixty years ago respectively this month, almost eighty years after the outbreak of World War II. Otto Dix…

Otto Dix George Grosz van gogh

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 16:59

Rembrandt the outsider

Written by Dennis Broe

in Visual Arts

Dennis Broe reviews the recent Rembrandt exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Rembrandt the outsider? At first glance nothing could be further from the truth. Rembrandt is being feted throughout the Netherlands this year, the 350th anniversary of his death in 1669, with over 23 exhibitions celebrating not only his painting…

Rijksmuseum Caravaggio The Night Watch

Wednesday, 12 June 2019 19:19

Absurd colours for absurd people: an exhibition ridiculing the right wing, by Heidrun Thate

Written by Bianca Idelson

in Visual Arts

Bianca Idelson reviews an exhibition by Heidrun Thate at the Sacripante Gallery, in Rome. Heidrun Thate, born in Germany but living in France for more than twenty years, paints Hitler's figure - with constancy, refinement, and even obstinacy - in the colours of a deliberately exaggerated range of the most…

Trump Hitler EU elections

Thursday, 16 May 2019 14:57

Gustave Courbet: the working class becomes the subject of art

Written by Jenny Farrell

in Visual Arts

On the 200th anniversay of Gustave Courbet's birth, Jenny Farrell looks at his revolutionary choice of theme and form, called 'socialist propaganda' by his critics A constant feature of any news programme in the capitalist world is “Business News” and reports from the stock markets. Those who toil to create…