Break Free
Written by Friedrich Farshaad Razmjouie
in
Visual Arts
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
Guernica
Written by Jenny Farrell
in
Visual Arts
On 26 April 1937, eighty-five years ago, the Basque town of Gernika was devastated by German Nazi bombers. This event gave impetus to Pablo Picasso's painting Guernica. The painting has become one of the most famous artistic anti-war statements of all time. Gernika, Leningrad, Hiroshima, My Lai - places that…
Culture for All: Why Art Matters
in
Visual Arts
Written by
Culture Matters
As part of the Culture for All series, supported by the Communication Workers Union, we're proud to present a short film about visual art, written by John Molyneux. Image above: Käthe Kollwitz, Tower of Mothers, 1937/1938.
Leonardo da Vinci
in
Visual Arts
Written by
Jenny Farrell
Leonardo da Vinci, the great Italian painter, engineer, inventor, and scientist was born 570 years ago, on 15 April 1452. He embodied in many ways the High Renaissance, one of the most progressive periods in history, of which Engels said, "it was the greatest progressive revolution that humanity has so…
Robert Ballagh's 'The Thirtieth of January' and Bloody Sunday, 1972
in
Visual Arts
Written by
Jenny Farrell
Jenny Farrell gives the background to Robert Ballagh's new painting, marking the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday When Robert Ballagh, the outstanding contemporary Irish painter, found a growing need to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, he felt more and more drawn to paintings that had impacted on him…
The revolutionary realism of Caravaggio
in
Visual Arts
Written by
Jenny Farrell
Jenny Farrell discusses the work of Caravaggio, who revolutionised European art. Image above: Judith Beheading Holofernes Born 450 years ago, on 29 September 1571, Caravaggio lived and worked in Rome. The development of the new middle class of traders, merchants, artisans – the bourgeoisie – brought with it the dawn…
Statues, Context and Historical Narrative: Statues Glorifying Colonialism are a Bad Idea!
Written by Stuart Cartland
in
Visual Arts
Stuart Cartland discusses the recent attacks on statues in Canada The toppling of the statues of British monarchs in Canada recently is a hugely symbolic moment of reflection on the legacy of British colonialism. It is also feeding a wider anti-woke backlash from the right. Following on from the toppling,…
The Colescott Chronicles Part I: breaking free of the shackles of colour blindness and abstract art
Written by Dennis Broe
in
Visual Arts
Dennis Broe presents the first of a two-part topical study of Robert Colescott, whose politically committed art tackled issues of unequal racial and gender representation, and the history of racial exploitation and domination in the U.S. One of the founding members of New Black Art just reaped the rewards of…
Boris Britain Wallpaper
Written by Jan Woolf
in
Visual Arts
Albrecht Dürer – Champion of the Peasants
Written by Jenny Farrell
in
Visual Arts
Jenny Farrell writes about Albrecht Dürer, who made art in supported of the democratic movements of his time Albrecht Dürer was born 550 years ago, on 21 May 1471, during the Renaissance, a time of upheaval that rang in the early modern age. With improved production methods, industry and trade…
