Latest news with #PierodellaFrancesca
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Halves make a whole
Gretchen Albrecht (b.1943), Cardinal, 1981, acrylic on canvas. Bought in 1981 with funds from the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society. Photo: Dunedin Public Art Gallery Gretchen Albrecht's (b.1943) Cardinal has a special place in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery's collection. It was acquired the same year it was made, in 1981, during her time as the Frances Hodgkins Fellow at the University of Otago. It is the first of Albrecht's hemispheres and stands as a key marker of the artist's distinctive visual language and a landmark in Aotearoa's art history. Piero della Francesca (c.1415/20-1492), The Resurrection, c.1460, fresco, Museo Civico di Sansepolcro, Sansepolcro. Photo: public domain At first glance, Cardinal might appear a straightforward yet compelling arrangement of purple and red in a semicircle format. However, in the art gallery's archives and collection, we can gain further insight into Cardinal's genesis and Albrecht's practice. A handwritten note accompanying a crayon sketch reveals the artist's deliberate calibration of word, meaning, form and image. Albrecht highlighted the dictionary definition for "cardinal", pointing to its "fundamental" and "important" implications — "on which something hinges". Albrecht's canvas hinges two parts together, bringing the violet and scarlet shades into conversation. Her notes reveal the symbolic associations of the colours of the robes of kings and cardinals (purple and scarlet). The contrast between the two colours found inspiration in Piero della Francesca's The Resurrection (c.1460) as Albrecht was struck by the "violet form curving over [the] scarlet/reddish shield" of the sleeping soldiers. Traces of historical European art are threaded together throughout Albrecht's career. During the late 1970s, Albrecht's travels to Italy influenced her conception and execution of Cardinal, as the Romanesque and Gothic architectural lunettes (semicircle shape) and Renaissance frescoes sparked creative impulse. Along with The Resurrection, Cardinal invokes elements of Piero della Francesca's La Madonna del Parto, a 15th-century fresco. This work features a pregnant Madonna gently placing her hand on her stomach, flanked by two angels who open the canopy, revealing the scene. The tear in the Madonna's dress mirrors the bifurcated canvas of Cardinal, where the two pieces are merged. Albrecht's division and subsequent union of the parts speak to the physical labour of birth and the duality of the mother/child relationship. The symbolism of the pomegranates in the canopy of La Madonna del Parto relates to Christ's Passion (his death), echoing the cyclical nature of life and death, and reflecting Albrecht's interest in dichotomies. Piero della Francesca (c.1415/20-1492), La Madonna del Parto, c.1460, fresco, Museo della Madonna del Parto, Monterchi. Photo: public domain Albrecht's artwork is energised by its rich layers of interpretation, giving colour, shape and gesture a painterly reality. Cardinal is on display in the "Fault Lines" exhibition at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Anya Samarasinghe is a curatorial intern at Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Observer
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Observer
Night at the museum: UK's National Gallery offering guest sleepover
A lucky visitor will soon become the first ever to sleep overnight at Britain's National Gallery, after the 200-year-old museum launched a competition last week to mark the reopening of a wing housing celebrated European paintings. When the Sainsbury Wing reopens after a two-year refurbishment on May 10, the overnight guest -- to be picked at random from a list of newsletter subscribers -- will wake up to breakfast in bed and the chance to explore the gallery before the crowds arrive. The renovated wing will see some of earliest paintings in the collection rehoused -- a chapel-like room for Piero della Francesca's 15th-century "Baptism of Christ" and a new frame for Jacopo di Cione's 14th-century "San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece" -- while Paolo Uccello's "Battle Of San Romano" will be back after a three-year restoration process. Western European paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries will be "completely redisplayed", the museum said, with dedicated rooms for works by artists including Monet, Titian, Rembrandt and Gainsborough. The guest will spend the night in a bed near the paintings and take a private late-night tour with a gallery curator, before being allowed to roam about the following morning. The gallery said the winner would be able to "see over 1,000 works of art, which trace the development of painting in the Western European tradition... from iconic masterpieces to paintings which have never previously been seen in the National Gallery". "The carefully curated rehang will enable them to not only see their favourites returned to the walls, but also those paintings in the context of history," it said, calling the prize a chance to "experience the wonder of art". The Sainsbury Wing opens to the public on May 10, and the gallery's competition is open until 1700 GMT on April 28. Though the National Gallery said this would be its first official sleepover, it has hosted late-night events before. On January 17, it announced it was opening through the night to give art lovers a final chance to see its blockbuster Vincent van Gogh exhibition, following a similar experiment in 2012 for a Leonardo da Vinci display. The National Gallery, which is free to enter, was founded in 1824 and has a collection of more than 2,300 paintings. —AFP
The Independent
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
National Gallery to let one person sleep overnight in ‘once in a lifetime' stay
The National Gallery in London has revealed it will let a member of the public sleep inside overnight for the first time as the Sainsbury Wing reopens after a two-year refurbishment. Ahead of the Trafalgar Square museum reopening and to mark its 200th anniversary, a person will be chosen to be allowed to rest on a bed near the paintings on 9 May. The gallery is launching a prize draw as next month the wing sees the return of the earliest paintings in the collection. These include Piero della Francesca's Baptism of Christ, Jacopo di Cione's 14th century work The San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece and Paolo Uccello's recently restored The Battle Of San Romano. The bed will be in the area that connects the Sainsbury Wing, which has generally housed early Renaissance paintings, with the rest of the gallery. The winner will also enjoy a dinner for two at Locatelli, a restaurant set to be opened in the museum by Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli, and once their friend departs a private tour of CC Land: The Wonder of Art with a curator. CC Land: The Wonder of Art is a curated rehanging of the gallery's works, spanning the Western European tradition from the 13th to 20th centuries. It sees paintings from French Impressionist Claude Monet, Italian Renaissance painter Titian, Flemish painters Peter Paul Rubens, and Anthony van Dyck, Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn and British landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough kept in their own dedicated rooms. When the chosen person wakes up on 10 May, they will have a breakfast hamper, and be able to enjoy exploring before the official re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing at 10am. Current subscribers to the gallery's newsletter will be automatically entered, and anyone else can go to the National Gallery's website. The competition is open until 6pm on 28 April, after which the overnight sleeper will be randomly selected. The gallery was previously open overnight to the public during the Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition in January, which allowed slots to be booked from 9pm until 10am.
The Independent
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
National Gallery to let one person sleep overnight in ‘first' as section reopens
The National Gallery has revealed it will let a member of the public sleep overnight for the 'first time' as the Sainsbury Wing reopens after a two-year refurbishment. Ahead of the Trafalgar Square-based museum completely re-opening in the capital to mark its 200th anniversary, a person will be chosen to be allowed to rest on a bed near the paintings on May 9. To choose the lucky person, the gallery is launching a prize draw as next month the wing sees the return of the earliest paintings in the collection. These include Piero della Francesca's Baptism of Christ, Jacopo di Cione's 14th century work The San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece and Paolo Uccello's recently restored The Battle Of San Romano. The bed will be in the area that connects the Sainsbury Wing, which has generally housed early Renaissance paintings, with the rest of the gallery. The winner will also enjoy a dinner for two at Locatelli, a restaurant set to be opened in the museum by Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli, and once their friend departs a private tour of CC Land: The Wonder of Art with a curator. CC Land: The Wonder of Art is a curated rehanging of the gallery's works, spanning the Western European tradition from the 13th to 20th centuries. It sees paintings from French Impressionist Claude Monet, Italian Renaissance painter Titian, Flemish painters Peter Paul Rubens, and Anthony van Dyck, Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn and British landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough kept in their own dedicated rooms. When the chosen person wakes up on May 10, they will have a breakfast hamper, and be able to enjoy exploring before the official re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing at 10am. Current subscribers to the gallery's newsletter will be automatically entered, and anyone else can go to The competition is open until 6pm on April 28, after which the overnight sleeper will be randomly selected. The gallery has previously been opened overnight to the public during the Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition in January, which allowed slots to be booked from 9pm until 10am.
Telegraph
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
National Gallery to let art lover stay the night among paintings
An art lover is to sleep in the National Gallery – the first time a member of the public has been allowed to stay there overnight. One competition winner will occupy a bed placed near the paintings on the night of May 9, to mark the gallery's 200th anniversary and celebrate the re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing. After a prize draw which runs until 6pm on April 28, the winner will be able to invite a guest for dinner and will be given a private viewing of an exhibition. Their bed will be positioned in the area that connects the Sainsbury Wing, which has generally housed early Renaissance paintings, with the rest of the gallery. The Sainsbury Wing is to reopen after a two-year refurbishment on May 10, with the earliest paintings in the collection returning to the gallery. These include Piero della Francesca's Baptism of Christ, Jacopo di Cione's 14th-century work The San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece and Paolo Uccello's recently restored The Battle Of San Romano. The winner and a guest will be given dinner for two at Locatelli, a restaurant set to open in the museum run by Giorgio Locatelli, the Michelin-starred chef. After the guest has left, the winner will be given a private tour of CC Land: The Wonder of Art by a curator. When the chosen art lover wakes on May 10, they will be given a breakfast hamper, and have time to explore before the official re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing at 10am. CC Land: The Wonder of Art is a rehanging of works spanning the Western European tradition from the 13th to 20th centuries. Paintings by Claude Monet, the French impressionist; Titian, the Italian Renaissance master; Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, the Flemish painters; Rembrandt van Rijn, the Dutch painter; and Thomas Gainsborough, the British landscape painter, will be kept in their own dedicated rooms. Current subscribers to the gallery's newsletter will be automatically entered to the prize draw, and anyone else can visit The gallery was opened overnight to the public during the Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition in January, which allowed slots to be booked from 9pm until 10am.
