Author: charlottegregoryunitg

The Young Turner: Exhibition Review

“Perspective may justly be considered the colouring of Architecture.”
J.M.W. Turner, 1810

Blenheim Palace, in association with The Ashmolean Museum presents: The Young Turner: Ambitions in Architecture and the Art of Perspective

The Young Turner exhibition is found in the stables behind Blenheim Palace, a perhaps more modest gallery than others in which Turner’s work has been exhibited, but this only seeks to make the artworks and prints inside stand out more. In total there are 30 artworks on display, including watercolours, engravings, and sketches.

South View of Christ Church from the Meadows 1798-9
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Source: Link

J.M.W. Turner is arguably one of Britain’s most famous landscape artists. While more well-known in the art world as the forefather to the Impressionist movement with his emphasis on colour over form in his later works, Turner’s earlier works are often neglected. This exhibition aims to shed some light over Turner’s earlier works, which focus more on architectural representation and landscape depiction.

During the first 15 years of his career, Turner painted over 30 finished watercolours of views in and around Oxford. Turner was very drawn to the Gothic architecture of the city, especially in the sense of atmosphere and intricate detailing common in the style. This inspiration is clear throughout his works as Turner starts to play more with light and space in compositions.

The Young Turner: Ambitions in Architecture and the Art of Perspective is at Blenheim Palace until 22 April 2019, before moving on to Worcester City Art Gallery (4 May – 6 July 2019) and then Banbury Museum. (28 September 2019 – 11 January 2020) If you are interested in landscape art, art history or just fancy a day out, I highly encourage you pay this a visit! (Don’t forget a sketchbook!)

An Exploration of Street Art in Marvila, Lisbon

Hidden to the east of Lisbon’s bustling city centre is the parish of Marvila: while the harbourside area is Lisbon’s newest trendy district, with craft breweries, artist galleries and co-working spaces springing up all over the place, the rest of the area is still known to Lisboetas as a dangerous inner-city zone of high-rise flats and graffiti. At first glance this graffiti might not be anything special: Marvila’s tiny railway station is just another place for people to practice ‘tagging’. Perhaps to the outsider it could seem that the residents have little pride for their neighbourhood.

But in another way, isn’t taking a wall and claiming it for your own simply a different form of pride? The buildings are  seen as a canvas that anyone can paint on. And plenty of artists have made their mark here. In fact, Marvila’s outdoor arts scene might just be one of Lisbon’s better-kept secrets.

Eduardo Kobra, Raoni (2017)
Source: link

In 2017, the MURO Arts Festival invited artists from all over the world to create a series of massive artworks on the side of Marvila’s flats. These vivid bursts of colour add a level of intrigue to this otherwise unassuming neighbourhood. From a larger-than life portrait of Cacique Raoni, the Amazonian activist, by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, to Oferenda by Portuguese artist Kruella D’Enfer  and everything in between, each mural entices the viewer to celebrate a fusion of Ibero-American cultures, with each wall bringing something vibrant and new to the neighbourhood.

For example: Oferenda is an exploration of inter-cultural fusion through subtle symbolism. It is a simple composition: a vase overflowing with exotic flowers, on a deep blue background adorned with stars. It may be a graphical piece, using clean-cut lines and vividly contrasting colours, yet it still evokes a sense of calm – the colours contrast, but they do not clash. The vase seems to be a gentle offering of beauty and harmony to the area.

Kruella D’Enfer, Oferenda (2017)
Source: link

The wonderful thing about the MURO Arts Festival wasn’t just that the contributing artists came from all around the world – the MURO Festival was a combination of artists from all walks of life, some invited by the organisers, others competition winners, and others who joined in spontaneously as the Festival progressed – but it was how the Festival brought the neighbourhood together, meeting with local residents and involving the entire neighbourhood throughout the festival.

Each artist brings their own style to their chosen canvas, with influences ranging from indigenous Amazonian artworks, traditional portraiture, paste-ups, abstract shapes… Thanks to the MURO Arts Festival, Marvila has itself become a giant art gallery. Perhaps this little neighbourhood has far more to offer than what it first evokes.