HKPM is the Hong Kong ‘branch’ of the Palace Museum located in the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, China. So it already boasts a stunning display of artworks and artefacts in the galleries. This exhibition is, to me, extra special as HKPM collaborated with Château de Versailles to bring almost 150 artefacts together from both collections to explore how China and France mutually inspired and influence each other during the 17th and 18th centuries. Cross-cultural interactions between China and Europe, especially during the eighteenth century, is exactly the line of research that I’m getting more and more interested in these days!

Setting the Scene: The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles

The opening video piece, titled Symphony of Time and Space: The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles, immerses you in the architectural spaces of the Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles. I loved the shots where details from both palaces are juxtaposed against each other.

In the centre of the gallery is the display of the elaborate key used to open the main door of the Royal Chapel of Versailles. It’s shown alongside the Qing emperor’s seal and a jade book recording Qianlong Emperor’s Ten Great Campaigns.

Louis in Versailles

The first artwork we encounter in the exhibition is the famous portrait of Louis XIV — an excellent choice! The original Portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud was made in 1701, which now resides in the Musée du Louvre. The image of the Sun King was so popular that Rigaud made numerous copies, like this one shown here. I still remember my professor in my first-year art history class enthusiastically telling us that Louis XIV wanted to show off his regal legs… because he was known to be a great dancer! I was so excited to see this painting and I struck my best dancing pose, hahaha!

I was very taken by the fine rendering of Louis XV’s clothing and regalia in Drouais’ portrait. Another example of a beautiful portrait of a Louis.

The Qing Emperors

As the exhibition covers the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the artefacts on show cover a few generations of Louis’s and Qing emperors. In France, we begin with the Sun King Louis XIV (r. 1643–1715), his great-grandson Louis XV (r. 1715–1774), and finally Louis XV’s grandson Louis XVI (r. 1774–1792). Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were guillotined in 1793, but this exhibition doesn’t touch on the grisly revolution in France at the end of the eighteenth century.

In contrast, this period saw the ‘golden age’ of the Qing dynasty. The three most powerful emperors of their time: Kangxi Emperor 康熙帝 (r. 1662–1722), his son Yongzheng Emperor 雍正帝 (r. 1723–1735), and the Yongzheng Emperor’s son Qianlong Emperor 乾隆帝 (r. 1735–1796).

My favourite Chinese portrait was of the Yongzheng Emperor. In this hanging scroll Yongzheng Emperor holds a ruyi (如意). The ceremonial sceptre is so named to symbolise good fortune, but also acts as a means to display sovereignty. I also couldn’t help but notice his sharp, pointy nails…? Qianlong Emperor also grew long nails — as you can see below, alongside the exquisite details of his court attire. The dragon motifs, of course, represent the emperor.

Everyday Life

The next section of the exhibition focused on the everyday objects that populated both of the royal residences. Some objects were made in France and given to the Chinese court, and vice versa. Most of these objects in this section were scientific instruments, reflecting the scientific exchanges between China and France (particularly in Europe’s Age of Enlightenment) during this period.

The interest in science also meant the proliferation of these wonderful and strange-looking clocks in the Chinese courts! These are ‘musical automation clocks’ as elements of the clock, such as the green palm trees in the clock pictured above, would turn and rotate while music played. It’s like how wind-up music toys work, but in fancy, ornately decorated gold clocks that also tell the time.

Porcelain Trianon and Madame de Montespan

I loved learning about Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, more commonly known as Madame de Montespan. A formidable woman known for her beauty and wit, she officially became Louis XIV’s mistress in 1674. Madame de Montespan ousted the preceding woman for the role before she was eventually ousted herself… This portrait depicts Madame de Montespan when she was around 23 years old, a few years before she worked her way into Louis XIV’s affections.

Louis XIV had the Porcelain Trianon (Trianon de Porcelaine) built near Versailles in 1670 for Madame de Montespan. What was special about the site was how it was decorated to resemble the blue-and-white porcelain that originated from China. The blue and white tiles used to decorate the pavilions of the residence were however made of faience (earthenware), as Europeans had yet to discover the ‘secret’ step in the process of creating porcelain. By 1687, the Trianon de Porcelaine was demolished. The building was simply too costly to maintain. At the same time, Madame de Montespan had fallen out of favour with Louis XIV.

Porcelain in France

In the 1760s, the good people of Sèvres Manufactory in France finally cracked the code in making porcelain: the incorporation of kaolin clay in the recipe. The French could now make porcelain vases of their own (instead of relying on Chinese imports). Although inspired by Chinese designs, the pair of vases pictured above still look very European to me with the style of the cartouche and the lion head handles.

It was common for gold mounts to be added to Chinese porcelain vases in French collections. The Ge porcelain is distinctive for its crackled glaze — so unique and beautiful. This perfume fountain belonged to Louis XV and was kept in his wardrobe!

Madame de Pompadour

From 1745 to 1751, Madame de Pompadour was the official mistress of Louis XV. After stepping down from her role, she became Louis XV’s confidante and political advisor, and continued to be highly influential in the French court. I remember learning so much about her portraits in French art history classes. She commissioned various portraits by leading French artists of the day, as a means to secure power in her public position.

Drouais’ Portrait of Madame Pompadour appears to be related to the larger-scale Madame de Pompadour at her Tambour Frame, 1763–4, in the collection of the National Gallery, London. Madame de Pompadour is depicted in the same bonnet and dress with the striped ribbons and flower pattern. In Madame de Pompadour at her Tambour Frame, Drouais expands the image to show Madame de Pompadour working at a tapestry in her salon at her apartment in Versailles.

Made in France

This exquisite Chrysanthemum pot was commissioned by imperial order in Beijing. Previously thought to have made in Guangdong, the pot was in actuality made in France and later shipped to Beijing. The enameller Joseph Coteau had convincingly painted flowers on the pot’s body in a ‘Chinese style’. On the bottom of the pot is Qianlong Emperor’s collection mark「乾隆年制」and — as recently discovered by the Palace Museum — Joseph Coteau’s signature ‘Couteau’ on the edge.

Similarly, this ewer with stylised lotus scroll was made in France and then sent to Beijing. It was a part of Qianlong Emperor’s collection, with his collection mark「乾隆年制」indicated on the bottom.

French and Chinese Aesthetics

This case of the lobed flower basket with peonies is a very interesting one! In 1775, Qianlong Emperor ordered replicas to be made of ten pieces of enamelware from the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods. Craftsmen in Guangdong and France were tasked to re-create the same flower basket, but there are slight differences. I prefer the more saturated blue colour of the French basket (pictured right), and the painting style of the flowers and leafs. On the other hand, I like the paler yellow on the exterior of the Guangdong basket. The Guangdong basket also appears more functional with the rectangular handle and the slight inward curve of the rim of the basket.

Portraits of Marie and Marie

Queen Marie Leszczyńska, wife of Louis XV, was a fan of Chinese culture and decor. She contributed to the making of the painting The Nanjing Market (below), reproduced from a Dutch illustration. The painting hung in the Chinese Chamber in Queen Marie’s private suite in the Palace of Versailles. Such scenes made by European travellers depicted everyday Chinese landscapes, but usually were error-prone or conjured imaginary pictures of China. The Nanjing Market pictures a row of shops with curved roofs and tall poles between them… It’s a strange and lively picture!

Marie Adélaïde was the daughter of Louis XV and Queen Marie. She is depicted in another gorgeous portrait by Nattier, where she holds a closed fan. The folding fan was a male accessory in China during this period. Interestingly, inspired by Chinese culture, the fan became a part of women’s fashion in the French court instead.

Crossing Cultures: China and France

A painted porcelain portrait! This portrait was based on the Jesuit Giuseppe Panzi’s original painting, who had served at the Qing imperial court. It’s a rare and fascinating depiction of a Chinese emperor through a European’s eyes and artistic style.

I enjoyed this interactive panel, which offered a contrasting view of Chinese and French portrait styles by comparing individual facial features between the Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor on porcelain plaque and other Chinese portraits.

During the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, it was popular to incorporate images of European figures on decorative objects (as seen above). In parallel, eighteenth-century French art and aesthetics also included various scenes of Chinese figures — in the craze for chinoiserie. Clearly, both cultures were fascinated by the other. I still find these images of Europeans by Chinese craftsmen and those of the Chinese by European craftsmen mutually strange, though!

Final Work: Voltaire

The exhibition concludes with a Portrait of Voltaire. A key figure of the French Enlightenment, the writer and philosopher held a high regard for China.

I’m not very familiar with Voltaire’s work, but I shall leave you reader with two of my favourite quotes from him:

Let us read, and let us dance—two amusements that will never do any harm to the world.

Dictionnaire philosophique (1764) ‘Liberty of the Press’

Doubt is not a pleasant condition. But certainty is an absurd one.

Letter to Frederick the Great, 28 November 1770

The Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles: China-France Cultural Encounters in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries ultimately focuses on the positive interactions between China and France during these years. Indeed, not everyone agreed with Voltaire in his admiration of China. That being said, I found it very refreshing to learn more about the sincere exchanges largely made between the two royal courts. The exhibition featured so many beautiful artworks, porcelain, and other decorative objects which was such a treat to see. I really hope to see more exhibitions featuring cross-cultural exchanges in the future!

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2024 was so topsy-turvy I honestly haven’t really put my mind to reflecting on what I have achieved or experienced this year. To celebrate the end of 2024, new beginnings, and 10 years of Wording Art, I should acknowledge my major milestone of 2024, which was completing my PhD in art history!

I have shared at different points about my experience pursuing a PhD at NTU Singapore. It’s funny how time flies and I graduated in July 2024. Yet with all of the strange feels of post-submission, post-defence, and post-graduation, and moving on to a new chapter in life, it felt like I needed more time to finally share about being PhDone.

| Cover picture: Me staring at the wonderful shelves of books on British Art in Hatchards, Piccadilly, London |

My PhD Research on Angelica Kauffman: The Last Stages

Over the last 5 years, I have spent many hours thinking, researching, and writing about the Swiss-Austrian artist Angelica Kauffman. My PhD research focused on Kauffman’s self-portraits from her London period (1766–1781), considering how these images tell us about the ways she viewed herself as a professional female artist in late eighteenth-century London. That’s the one-line summary!

Writing up my dissertation in 2022-23 was both enlightening and frustrating. But that, to me, is really what writing is all about. Figuring out how to structure my chapters, subheadings, flow, which images should go where, titles… There was a lot to learn and experiment with, and I’m so glad I had an entire year all to myself just to focus on writing. It’s a rare experience to have dedicated time for writing, and to be given feedback on my dissertation by supervisors and a panel of examiners alike.

2024 started with me working on revisions on my dissertation, before prepping for an oral defence. I had to condense years of research and hundreds of pages into a 30-minute presentation, before fielding questions by the examiners. I think the word ‘defence’ is especially apt here, because at points it did feel like I had to ‘defend’ my arguments and ideas. My defence was held online, which I did not expect! It’s funny how so many events can now be held online in a post-covid world…

Two weeks after my defence, I flew to London to see the Angelica Kauffman exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, which you can also read more about in my blog post. It felt like the most fitting way to bring my PhD chapter to a close! Other than at the Royal Academy, I saw more of Kauffman’s works at the Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain, 1520–1920 exhibition at Tate Britain. I also visited the gorgeous, revamped National Portrait Gallery to view what is probably Kauffman’s most famous self-portrait from her London period.

Graduation and Moving On…

Luckily things went well, and I made it for graduation! It really was the best day~~

I think with the completion of the PhD, there’s a strange feeling of finding my footing again. After months of tracking my hours of writing every day, it felt like I needed to reset and find a new routine again. I’ve seen only a few people online acknowledge this post-PhD limbo — and it’s so real! At this point of writing, I’m so glad to have moved through this stage, and I have now started a new job. Perhaps a bit shockingly, it’s bittersweet to me that I might miss a bit of PhD life in some ways.

Guest Post & Podcast Episode

With that, I’m happy to bring my PhD chapter to a proper close in 2024. While I haven’t shared much of my actual research on this blog, I have had the opportunity to share about it on other platforms!

In June 2024, I wrote a guest post on Art Herstory about Angelica Kauffman and her works centred on art, music and poetry. In this post, I explore some of my new, personal favourites among Kauffman’s artworks. I didn’t discuss most of these images in my dissertation, so it was nice to have another platform to write about a different aspect of Kauffman’s oeuvre. I would love it if you go here to read my guest post Angelica Kauffman: Art, Music and Poetry.

In November 2024, I spoke on a podcast episode with High Impact Thesis, a platform that hosts a diverse selection of researchers from NTU Singapore. In this one-hour long episode, I talk about my research on Angelica Kauffman’s London self-portraits, as well as:
🏛 What led me into art history and my research topic on Kauffman
🎨 Kauffman’s motivations in moving to London in her twenties
👩‍🎨 Women artists in eighteenth-century London and how they were perceived then and now
🗽 Allegory, Muses, and the art of imitation
🖼 Kauffman’s practice of imitation in her self-portraits (like the one at the National Portrait Gallery pictured below), and the particular influence of Raphael

I would love it if you would like to listen to my podcast episode on Spotify at this link!

Certainly though, it’s not yet the end of the road for me and my research on Kauffman! After spending years reading, thinking, writing, and discussing her artworks, my interest and passion about Kauffman is still as strong as ever. Maybe this is the true sign of having completed a PhD — that you don’t really get tired of talking about a specialised subject again and again… And the best part is that I can now officially say that I’m a bona fide art historian! 😉

The post PhDone | My Research on Angelica Kauffman appeared first on Wording Art.

The exhibition of Impressions of Monet is such a treat, transporting us to Monet’s Giverny right within the grounds of Gardens by the Bay! When I first learnt about Claude Monet (only in uni), I instantly loved his impressionistic artworks. He remains one of my favourite artists, and I count myself very lucky to have viewed his works across Hong Kong, Singapore and London! Visiting Giverny one day remains on my travel list, but it’s so cool that I get to see a replica of Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny right here in Singapore! I also think this might be my favourite exhibition in Singapore in 2024 so far.

Impressions of Monet: The Garden (Part I)

Around the age of 43, Monet and his family moved to Giverny, settling in a house and accompanying gardens from 1883 till his death in 1926. Over the years, Monet transformed his property into what we know and love today. The paint colours of his home (a gorgeous baby pink and dark green combination) were meant to emulate houses on the French Riviera, and his gardens became known for the water lily ponds which inspired his painting series of the subject made in his later years.

Gardens by the Bay in Singapore has rotating flower displays every year (sakura or cherry blossoms, tulips, and roses are the key highlights). I loved that they did something new this time around by centring the floral display on Monet’s gardens in Giverny.

The exhibition Impressions of Monet consists of two parts: Impressions of Monet: The Garden and Impressions of Monet: The Experience. There is much to see here!

I loved seeing the flowers in this show, which are different from the usual lineup at Gardens by the Bay. Closely aligned to the theme, the flowers included here were also the ones that Monet planted in his original gardens.

Painting En Plein Air

Monet was one of the French painters who made up the art movement of Impressionism. Monet was especially known for his obsession in chasing after light effects in nature. This involved taking his easel, canvas, paintbrushes, palette, and painting toolbox out and about to paint outdoors. Or in French, to paint en plein air. This also meant to paint quickly, resulting in the kind of short, rapid brushstrokes that define Impressionist paintings.

Here, a bronze sculpture of Monet shows him painting within the gardens! I also loved that he’s seen in the act of painting Monet’s Garden at Giverny (1895). Fitting choice!

Inside Monet’s House

There are other interactive elements among the garden, like stepping inside Monet’s house and seeing the interiors!

Monet took inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the Edo period, and some reproductions are included within the house too. To see more, check out my post on Life in Edo!

A spectacular setup of Monet’s Giverny maison et jardins is the highlight of Impressions of Monet: The Garden!

Flowers and Paintings

You may have noticed that most of the ‘artworks’ included within Impressions of Monet: The Garden were actually repainted copies. (Possibly due to copyright restrictions?) Monet has such a wide oeurve, and I loved having the chance to learn about some of his works that I didn’t know of before! The exhibition didn’t provide any ‘captions’, so I had to find out what these artworks are for myself!

Woman with a Parasol is one of my absolute favourites by Monet, and it’s nicely included here!

I especially loved seeing these sunflower-looking flowers — they remind me of my convocation earlier in July! Plus, they look a lot like the flowers in The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil above! The last ‘artwork’ nestled among these yellow flowers is a repainted copy of Meadow with Poplars, about 1875, in the collection of MFA Boston. A repainted copy of a very similar composition, Poppy Fields near Argenteuil (1875) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also appears among an earlier section of these yellow flowers (see photo at the beginning of this post).

Water Lilies in Monet’s Giverny

It took me time to understand my water lilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them. – Claude Monet

It was wonderful to see a few water lily ponds (bassin aux nymphéas) throughout the exhibition. It was also the water lilies’ debut at Gardens by the Bay, appearing in a floral display for the first time! We also got to see Monet’s Japanese-inspired green bridges (usually painted in red in Japanese culture), like the ones that he built in Giverny.

Impressions of Monet: The Experience (Part II)

I thought Impressions of Monet: The Garden was wonderful on its own, but there’s even more to see with Impressions of Monet: The Experience! The second part is like what you might expect from an immersive experience: it begins with various information panels on the artists of the Impressionist movement, includes a few reproductions of Monet’s paintings, and has many photo spots and digital elements!

I thought this rather abstract version of Monet’s Nymphéas was fascinating! I’ve never seen anything like it before — it’s in a private collection.

Monet: The Immersive Experience

The major highlight is the immersive experience itself! Produced by Grande Experiences (Australia), the digital experience shows the progression of the Impressionist movement, set to a classical music soundtrack. There was also a fragrance element, with a specially developed scent diffused through the gallery — but to be honest, I didn’t catch it!

My favourite part might be the opening section where the dramatic music shows some of the artistic styles and artworks that preceded the Impressionism movement. For example, I spy Jacques-Louis David (neoclassicism), Eugène Delacroix (romanticism), and Gustave Courbet (realism). Then bam! The music rises to indicate the Impressionists arriving on the scene.

One of my other absolute favourites of Monet’s is his Houses of Parliament series (1899–1904) made in London. I was so happy to see a 1904 version in Hong Kong back in 2016! Monet’s Houses of Parliament painting series is also going to be a subject of the exhibition Monet and London. Views of the Thames at The Courtauld Gallery in London opening soon this month — really wished I could be there!

I liked that the immersive experience also included artworks by the other Impressionist artists! I just wished that the artwork titles were included within the immersive experience too. Above is an expanded view of Paul Cézanne’s The Montagne Sainte-Victoire with a Large Pine (around 1887) at The Courtauld.

An expanded view of Monet’s La Pie (The Magpie) (1868-69) which was last in Singapore at National Gallery Singapore in 2017!

Gift Shop

The final touch of Impressions of Monet: The Experience is, of course, the gift shop! I ended up going home with a high-quality mug with a design of Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son (1875) and Woman with a Parasol, Facing Left (1886) photoshopped together.

Overall, I thought Impressions of Monet was excellently done, and I had the best time exploring Monet’s iconic house in Giverny — but in Gardens by the Bay in Singapore! I really think Gardens by the Bay has outdone themselves. Impressions of Monet: The Garden at Gardens by the Bay, with a touch of Giverny, is showing until 17th September 2024. Impressions of Monet: The Experience is showing until 18th February 2025.

Next up in Singapore, I’m looking forward to the immersive experience of Monet Inside (from Seoul, Korea) opening in October. Would the immersive experience be even more epic? Well, I’ll take any reason to see more Monet — whether physically or digitally!

The post Impressions of Monet | Giverny at Gardens by the Bay appeared first on Wording Art.

I think it goes without saying that I loved the show, and to me it’s worth 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. While I had seen a couple of Kauffman’s artworks before, it was amazing to see so much more in person (where I had only viewed them in books or online).

| Cover picture: Detail of Self-portrait at the Crossroads between the Arts of Music and Painting |

Note: Artwork titles are provided here according to those stated in the exhibition. Throughout my research, I’ve noticed that the titles of Kauffman’s artworks are regularly updated.

Before getting into the rest of this post, I also wanted to share about my guest post on the Art Herstory blog. If interested to read more about Kauffman from another perspective, have a read of my guest post titled ‘Angelica Kauffman: Art, Music and Poetry’ here!

Opening: Self-Portraits

The exhibition opens with three of Kauffman’s self-portraits, all dating to the 1780s. The highlight is her magisterial Self-Portrait in all’antica Dress, loaned from the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy. The word ‘all’antica’ means ‘in the style of the antique’ to evoke the fashions of classical antiquity.

Kauffman’s Portraits: 1760s-1770s

The exhibition follows a roughly chronological order, tracing Kauffman’s life and artworks produced throughout her long career. A few key details to know about her: Kauffman (1741–1807) was Swiss-Austrian; she spent her early years training as an artist in Italy, and moved to London in 1766.

One of Kauffman’s early portraits is the Portrait of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, whose writings on classical Greek art and sculpture makes him one of history’s earliest art historians. As a young artist in her twenties, Kauffman began to make a name for herself with this portrait.

I loved seeing Kauffman’s portraits close up, so I include these photos of details of the paintings! Some of the details that stood out to me were Kauffman’s use of colours, and the varying textures of the fashions is just spectacular. My favourite among these is Portrait of Martha Cocks in Turkish Dress with Embroidery Frame!

Kauffman’s History Paintings: 1760s-1770s

Other than working in portraits, Kauffman was especially ambitious in pursuing the art of history painting. History painting is a genre where the subjects of painting are taken from classical texts, mythology, and biblical stories. Penelope, Cleopatra, and Rinaldo and Armida are examples of characters that feature in Kauffman’s choice of history paintings.

I loved seeing this pair of paintings that feature the same story of Armida and Rinaldo shown side by side. They belong to the collection of Kenwood House in London, but are usually displayed in different sections of the House. Seeing these two paintings together, it was so interesting to see the two main characters but also the two soldiers-onlookers appearing in the background once again…

Kauffman as a Royal Academician

The Royal Academy of Arts was founded in 1768, and Kauffman was included among the 36 founding members. We also know that Kauffman and Mary Moser were the only two female Royal Academicians among the 36. Based on this fact, it’s also so important that Angelica Kauffman is finally the subject of a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy in its long history!

Zoffany’s painting of The Academicians of the Royal Academy is now almost legendary, depicting the male Academicians in the setting of a life class (which never happened in real life), while the two women are shown in portraits hanging on the wall. Zoffany’s group portrait is one of a few works by other artists included in this Kauffman retrospective. I loved having the chance to finally see this famous work in person!

Kauffman’s portrait of her friend, and the first President of the Royal Academy of Arts, Sir Joshua Reynolds is stunning. It was only by seeing it in person that I could finally spot Kauffman’s signature along the bottom of the blank canvas situated behind Reynolds — it’s hard to detect in photos!

The Ceiling Paintings

Kauffman’s four ceiling paintings of Invention, Composition, Design, Colouring were commissioned by the RA in time for the opening of their new premises in Somerset House in 1780 (which is now the beautiful Courtauld Gallery). The paintings are now placed on the ceiling of the RA’s entrance foyer in Burlington House. But in this rare instance, the paintings of Design and Composition are exhibited on the wall! Invention and Colouring are currently on show at the (also excellent) exhibition Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920 at Tate Britain.

Wonderful to see these paintings up close instead of squinting up at the ceiling… Among the artworks pictured here, the ceiling paintings are the only paintings by Angelica Kauffman in the collection of the Royal Academy.

I also thought it was a nice touch to include Kauffman’s grisaille sketches of the ceiling paintings on the side. These sketches show how Kauffman initially worked out the compositions of her paintings.

But placing these grisaille sketches behind the glass frames also made them hard to see clearly… I had viewed these drawings two years ago at the V&A in their Prints and Drawings Study Room, and they are absolutely stunning (which these photos don’t manage to capture!).

This Self-portrait with Bust of Minerva is displayed next to the ceiling paintings too, which is an interesting choice! The self-portrait is dated to circa 1780–84, which means that Kauffman may have started on the painting while she was still in London until 1781, before settling in Rome for the rest of her life.

Kauffman in Rome: From 1782

The last section of the exhibition displays works by Kauffman made later in her career, after she moved to Rome in 1782. Based on the paintings we’ve already seen, it’s no surprise that Kauffman’s reputation as a well-known artist was secured.

This gem of a self-portrait also belongs to the collection of Kenwood House, and it’s so nice to see it included in this exhibition too! Kauffman depicts herself on the left as the ‘character of Design’, while the figure on the right represents the allegory of Poetry.

These are a few more of Kauffman’s history paintings from the 1790s, alongside one biblical picture depicting Christ and the Samaritan Woman. In the same room, the exhibition concludes with several gorgeous portraits!

Kauffman’s Portraits: 1790s

I especially love this portrait in the details of the sitter’s clothes. In this Portrait of Charles Brudenell-Bruce he wears a costume in the style of Van Dyck, evoking seventeenth-century fashions. The lace collar and the undulating lines of his coat are just so refined.

A highlight piece is also this Portrait of Emma, Lady Hamilton, as Muse of Comedy. Emma Hamilton can be likened as a celebrity of the late eighteenth century. Apart from being known for her beauty, she also developed her performances of the ‘Attitudes’, where she struck varied poses inspired by classical sculpture. Here Kauffman depicts her performing as Thalia, the Muse of Comedy.

Emma Hamilton remains a notorious, yet fascinating, figure of her time (due to her history of love affairs), and she is the subject of many portraits. While this portrait belongs to a private collection, elsewhere in London you will be able to see her at the National Portrait Gallery, Kenwood House and Tate Britain.

Self-portrait at the Crossroads between the Arts of Music and Painting

I was so excited to see this beautiful, massive self-portrait in person! Painted late in her life and career, Kauffman (in the centre) reflects on her early decision to pursue the path of painting (figure on the right) instead of music (figure on the left). The painting is exceptional because it combines the genres of history painting, self-portraiture, and allegory all in one complete image.

I think the large size of the painting also matters, as it is a sign of artistic skill. Reserving such a large canvas for Kauffman’s own self-portrait seems to show that this image was significant for her too.

Plus look at all those details! It was also a lovely surprise to finally realise that Kauffman included her signature on the coloured sash of her dress.

My absolute favourite artwork within this exhibition Angelica Kauffman at the Royal Academy of Arts would be the Self-portrait at the Crossroads between the Arts of Music and Painting. I may also be biased, but I especially loved seeing Kauffman’s self-portraits, then my next favourites are her portraits.

I wished I could spend even more time in the exhibition (I was inside for 1.5 hours!), but putting this post together makes me so happy that I viewed so many artworks by Angelica Kauffman all in one place at the Royal Academy, after so many years — it’s a surreal feeling! The exhibition closes today at the end of June, but I also bought the exhibition catalogue and a postcard of Self-portrait with Bust of Minerva as souvenirs! If the RA had printed a Kauffman artwork on a tote bag, I would have totally bought it too!

The post London Art | Angelica Kauffman at the Royal Academy appeared first on Wording Art.

The Singapore edition of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience had its run from March to October 2023, while the London edition has been running for over a year! I loved the location in Singapore at The Forum in Resorts World Sentosa, it was big and spacious. The London edition was at an industrial-style building in Spitalfields, and so I took the time to explore the area a bit too!

Get to Know Van Gogh

I love that the experience starts off with a collection of Van Gogh’s self-portraits, enlarged in equal size on these black banners. Van Gogh’s famous self-portraits in public museums were featured alongside some in private collections, which I thought were a nice inclusion!

The next section is all about getting to know more about Van Gogh. There’s a good mix of digital elements, replicas of Van Gogh’s paintings (no real works on site!), and wall panels sharing more information about his life and work. An exhibit of a life-size white vase is part of a digital projection that features the different flower paintings that Van Gogh made, which was pretty fun!

This was a fun real-life set-up of Van Gogh’s painting Bedroom in Arles. As the wall panel explains, Van Gogh made three versions of his bedroom in the famed ‘Yellow House’. Van Gogh had painted the first / original Bedroom in Arles in October 1888, now in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. The two latter versions were made the following year in 1889, and are now in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Looking at the set-up in the London immersive experience (pictured above), I think they were imitating the second version of Bedroom in Arles in the Art Institute of Chicago, with the similar colours and portraits on the wall! But this area was barred off, so unfortunately I couldn’t take a photo inside. The Singapore edition made the Bedroom a photo spot though!

The Immersive Experience

The star of the show is really the immersive experience itself, with so many of Van Gogh’s paintings brought to life and animated across the entire room. I liked how each painting was accompanied by its title and year of its making, if you care for the details like I do! There are also some quotes from Van Gogh’s letters, set along to a somewhat dramatic soundtrack.

I loved that the immersive experience included images of Tree Roots, which was the last painting that Van Gogh made. I remember following the art news (during the circuit breaker in May 2020!) that the location of these Tree Roots was newly discovered in Auvers-sur-Oise, France through a postcard photograph! As it was, Van Gogh lived in Auvers-sur-Oise back in 1890, and brought his colourful vision to the tree roots, which still look largely the same even today.

The immersive experience is about twenty minutes long, which is so worth the value! I beelined straight for the deck chairs because I loved lying back and staring up at the art on the screens, and it’s such a novel way of looking at art!! Although on second thought, I should have also tried parking myself on the sofas in the Singapore experience, as all of the furniture was sponsored by Castlery!

Because the immersive experience room in Singapore was so spacious and comfortable, I must say that I enjoyed it much more than the London edition, which had a smaller room. The room was very packed and so it was also difficult to get clear pictures!

Japonisme Room in Singapore

It felt extra special that the Singapore edition also included a japonisme room! This was not available in London, and I wonder if the other stops in Asia also have this. Van Gogh famously drew inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, like those by Hiroshige in particular. This japonisme room highlighted works from Chinese and Japanese art, as well as works by Van Gogh’s contemporaries, such as Gustav Klimt. The tea brand Matchaya also provided free samples of green tea, which I thought was such a nice touch!

Paint with Vincent

At the end, you can colour your own version of Van Gogh’s masterpieces, display it on the wall, and even project it digitally!

Sunflower Room

One more photo spot in the Sunflower Room in the Singapore edition before leaving!

Cafe and Merchandise Shop

I loved how the cafe and shop (in Singapore) was so well decked out and on-theme!

Some final thoughts: I really enjoyed seeing Van Gogh’s art in this new, immersive experience! I’ve heard some critique that this might not be a ‘purist’ way of looking at art, and at times the animated artworks in the immersive experience also took on ‘creative license’. But I’m of the view that it’s fun, engaging, and brings awareness to more of Van Gogh’s artworks — whether for old favourites or other less familiar ones.

Another note is the surprising difference in price: In Singapore an adult ticket cost SGD$24, while in London an adult ticket cost £19.90 (not inclusive of booking fees via the Fever app), which is quite a steep difference!

In any case, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience was fun enough to go twice! It’s exciting to see the experience continue its world tour, check out their website to see if it’s coming to your city!

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Going to London in May 2022 was such perfect timing as there were so many special exhibitions (and some still ongoing) that I was particularly interested to see! At The National Gallery, there’s the phenomenal Raphael exhibition — running until 31 July 2022. There was also the historic, once-in-a-century exhibition of Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy which ended on May 15th and I managed to see it in its final week!

| Cover image: Detail of John Constable’s The Hay Wain (1821) |

Raphael

I don’t think I really need to review the Raphael show and tell you how good it is, since it’s already gotten plenty of 5-star reviews from the British newspapers. There’s an incredible showing of artworks on loan, including the the Louvre, National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Prado Museum, Uffizi Museum and the Vatican Museum. I was also amazed that the exhibition pamphlet contained all the wall text and didactics in the show, so you could focus on viewing the pictures and reading up on each of them at a later time. Also very much appreciated since the ticket price is steep — I paid £24 to see it on a Monday morning.

I was super excited to go after viewing the exhibition trailer (so epic) and the photo highlights, which you can view on the National Gallery’s website here. I loved how they have blown up the portrait of Bindo Altoviti as the ‘star’ image, and it was fun seeing him on ads on buses and on billboards across the city!

I also loved seeing many of Raphael’s masterpieces of Madonnas, which was like a Renaissance art history class come to life! Love the colours, they’re so vivid.

But the absolute stunner of the show (spoiler alert?) to me is hands down, the final piece in the exhibition in the last portraits room: Portrait of a Woman (‘La Fornarina’).

I’ve actually been researching La Fornarina to include in my PhD, and I was so surprised and excited to find out that this was included in the Raphael exhibition! It is so much more beautiful and incredible than I’d ever expected in person. The Guardian says that ‘This great show is like falling in love again’, but I honestly just fell in love with this painting, it is so wonderful.

The sitter in question (La Fornarina, meaning the Baker’s Daughter) is not known, although she was purportedly Raphael’s lover. I would think she really was, as the entire painting is done with such intimacy and affection and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen. My favourite part is her face and her blue and gold turban — I was literally admiring the blue colour.

Gainsborough’s Blue Boy

I might have a thing for blues so it was also perfect timing to see The Blue Boy by the British artist Thomas Gainsborough. The epic story behind The Blue Boy goes that it was sold to an American collector and sailed away from British shores 100 years ago, and now resides in the collection of The Huntington in San Marino, California. The painting goes on loan to The National Gallery for the first time ever, and 100 years later to the day (!) opens to the British public again on January 25, 2022.

There’s a fantastic article from ARTnews that shares more about the history behind The Blue Boy, which you can read here. Coincidentally, a few days ago, I also find out about The Pink Boy supposed to be a counterpart to The Blue Boy at the Waddesdon Manor!

I love the regal pose of The Blue Boy — who is now thought to be modelled by Gainsborough’s nephew Gainsborough Dupont — and the lovely blue shimmer to his clothes!

The Blue Boy was shown alongside a few of Gainsborough’s portraits as well as Antony van Dyck’s portraits, like the double portrait of George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1628–1687), and Lord Francis Villiers (1629–1648) below, which inspired The Blue Boy.

The Collection and British Art

The National Gallery, London consists of a collection of paintings in Western art ranging from the 13th century to the early 20th century, going from the medieval, Renaissance, early modern to the modern era. I spent the whole day taking in as much as I could, but my favourite room was the one devoted to British art from the 18th and 19th centuries!

More Favourites from the Collection

Going to the museum feels like an excellent lesson in Western art history, but at the end, I realised how devoid the collection is of women artists. I only saw works by Berthe Morisot, and a self-portrait by Gwen John (that’s on loan from the National Portrait Gallery which is currently closed for redevelopment).

The National Gallery also has fantastic self-portraits by Artemisia Gentileschi and Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, but they are both out on loan to overseas exhibitions, so I was sad to miss them!!

Still, based on my bias, the National Gallery is one of my favourite museums in London!

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And what a time to be there, while London prepped its streets for the epic Platinum Jubilee (and I left just one week before the holiday!). I was also so excited to see the gorgeous Big Ben, which has been freshly restored and the clock dials are now back to their original

blue colour!

I took hundreds of photos every day and the memories are still fresh in my mind. So I wanted to write all about it on my blog to relive all of the days! I will be sharing about my itinerary my style which is basically: art, museums and bookstores (plus libraries and archives).

In 3 weeks I went to these museums for my art and history side:

• The Courtauld Gallery
• The British Museum
• The National Gallery, London
• Royal Academy of Arts
• The Wallace Collection
• Tate Modern
• Kenwood House
• V&A Victoria and Albert Museum
• Tate Britain
• Imperial War Museum
• Natural History Museum

And these libraries & bookstores for my bookish side:

• The British Library
• Waterstones
• London Review Bookshop
• Daunt Books Marylebone
• The Notting Hill Bookshop

That’s a preview of what’s to come! I also very importantly, saw artworks by the artist that I’m researching, Angelica Kauffman, for the first time in person and they were absolutely beautiful. I can’t emphasise enough now how important it is to see art in person.

In the words of Wonder Woman in WW84: “It’s all art.” And that certainly applies to London. ❤️

Find more posts from my London Art Series at this tag!

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I chose this cover picture above of Roses (1893) by Peder Severin Krøyer, which I discovered from reading Women Who Read Are Dangerous, as I thought it’s a great illustration of the home-ly, sheltered lives we have been living in now — lucky for you if you have a gorgeous rose garden like the one pictured! I’ve had this image as my desktop wallpaper since I got my new computer last August, and I love it for its calm peacefulness. In the same way, I wanted to share some art content that I have been checking out recently that has brought both entertainment and reprieve during these times!

One great thing that has emerged during the global slowdown / lockdown has been seeing how art continues to engage and uplift people. I’m very appreciative of all the museums and their staff that have been working hard to deliver more digital content online, which has been great in allowing me to access more exhibitions and content which I might not been able to before. Also a big thank you to all readers who have been visiting Wording Art here for a dose of art! :)

Here goes a list of exhibition tours, films and talks that I have been enjoying lately. You may notice that many are from British institutions, but they have been my interest lately…

1. Royal Academy of Arts & Exhibition On Screen

Royal Academy of Arts has very generously released three Exhibition On Screen films on their Youtube channel and Facebook page featuring their previous exhibitions. Exhibition On Screen specialises in making films focusing on artists or exhibitions, and you can buy, download, or stream their great number of art films at their website (linked here)!

The three films featuring the Royal Academy of Arts’ exhibitions are:

David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts: A Bigger Picture 2012 & 82 Portraits and One Still Life 2016

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse

Manet: Portraying Life

I will link to the RA’s Youtube and Facebook here (as they have disallowed playback on other websites), but be sure to click over to view these films featuring these great exhibitions! I think it’s such a great way to (re)discover exhibitions, and they’re also done in a documentary style, so you get further insights from the curators and art experts on the works.

2. Picasso on Paper at the Royal Academy of Arts

The RA also shared a virtual tour of their most recent exhibition Picasso on Paper, which had to close when the UK went into lockdown. A super interesting exhibition featuring an aspect of Picasso’s work that is not often discussed: his work with paper, in the form of sketches, prints, collages and even three-dimensional pieces.

I liked how the virtual tour zoomed in close on the details of the individual works and even spanned across the didactics and wall panels at a slower pace to allow you to read them! All set to the tune of peaceful music, no voices this time. :) Again, here are the links to the RA’s Youtube and Facebook, where you can check out the tour.

3. Titian: Love, Desire, Death at The National Gallery

Here is a brilliant curator tour of the exhibition Titian: Love, Desire, Death at The National Gallery, London that was also cut short thanks to the lockdown. It seems like this exhibition will be extended, but that’s really depending on when museums in the UK can reopen.

This exhibition features Titian’s six paintings depicting mythological scenes from the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Though it’s a small one, the exhibition is hugely remarkable as it marks the first time the series of paintings was brought together in one space in over four centuries! Here is also a link to a post on The National Gallery’s website explaining and describing each of the six paintings in more detail.

4. Young Rembrandt at the Ashmolean Museum

Young Rembrandt is yet another exhibition that was abruptly closed, but has now gone online! Young Rembrandt tracks the artistic development of Rembrandt, and the virtual exhibition follows the same pattern with its neat sectioning into five parts.

Unlike the other exhibition formats share above, Young Rembrandt is being shared on Ashmolean’s website linked here through the ‘old-school’ way of text and images, coupled with some supplementary videos along the way.

5. Open Courtauld Hour with the Courtauld Institute

While the arts content I’ve shared above are on exhibitions, I’ve also been enjoying listening to talks on art history online. Art history seminars used to be only presented and heard in-person, and it’s very interesting how going online means that they are made free and accessible despite distance and time difference!

The Courtauld Institute has recently concluded their Open Courtauld Hour event, a series of four talks that focused on the themes of (in the following order): Art in Isolation, Art and Wellbeing, The Future of Art History and Women Artists. Each talk invites a few speakers to present on the set topic, and ends with a reading by a poet every time.

All of the talks are available to watch on their Youtube channel (linked here). Out of all the talks, I have yet to complete watching the final one of Women Artists, which I have linked below:

I’m sure that the topic of Women Artists is probably going to be the most popular, and I’m also really interested in this one because this is what my research is about! More on that later…

6. Talks at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center

Final recommendation: The art history seminar Rome and her Legacy: Classical Art in the 21st Century presented by Susanna McFadden from the Fine Arts Department of the University of Hong Kong, organised by the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Here is the link to watch the seminar on Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Facebook page!

I pretty much like learning about any aspects of Western / European art, and this was a really interesting talk about classical Roman wall paintings. I also loved having this chance to connect with my alma mater!

And that’s a wrap! I hope you will enjoy checking out these talks, tours, videos, and films — if you hadn’t seen them yet! Of course, if you also have any recommendations to share, please let me know too!

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I remember thinking before, that I noticed the lack of paintings that featured people reading, specifically women and girls reading. Books and reading are my first love – how I like to say it! – and I wanted to see how books and art go together in artworks. I’m so glad to chance on this fantastic book by Stefan Bollmann (translated from German by Christine Shuttleworth) that led me to discover all of these paintings!

I have not seen most of the artworks in the book before, in fact, most of the artists featured in the book are also unfamiliar to me. Maybe the (more famous) artists that I know of didn’t choose to depict this sort of everyday, mundane act so much, but I’m happy to discover all of these artists too.

While we might associate reading as something ordinary and commonplace now, the title of the book refers to the long period of time when women did not have free access to books and readings. The foreword by Karen Joy Fowler and introduction go into more detail of how the public (or men) were afraid to give women the power to read.

For me, books have been great sources of entertainment, sites of fantasy and imagination, and bearers of knowledge. They make up a very important aspect of my life and I try to maintain my reading as much as I can!

It’s really nice to see then how these artists showed the women in their lives reading all kinds of books and letters – leisurely, seriously, emotionally, attentively, and more. I have to point out though, that most of the paintings are by male artists, and all of my favourite paintings featured in this post are by male artists too. But I suppose, I would touch on women artists at another point.

After reading this book, I now want to buy a copy to keep all of these paintings within easy reach! For this International Women’s Day, I want to reiterate how happy I am that we women can easily go to libraries and bookstores and start reading all kinds of books.

With that, I would also like to read and review more art books! Go here to see my last review of the exhibition catalogue for China: Through the Looking Glass at the Met Museum.

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Vision Tunnels is the name of the installation designed by Hong Kong architect Rocco Yim. Within its three “tunnels” are a selection of artworks loaned by galleries, most of which are conveniently located in Central. These artworks are hung up in the tunnels, and you have to look up to see them.

Salvador Dalí, L’oeil fleuri, 1944, Opera Gallery

The first artwork I encountered was Dalí’s. I found it strange yet fascinating; I just absolutely love this Surrealist work! The amount of detail is also notable, like the flowered eyelashes, the scratchy orange color on the stone eye, the contrasting texture between the eye and bricks – so brilliant to me.

Eric Baudart, Concave – Cuivre, 2015, Edouard Malingue Gallery

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Portrait of Pierre Renoir a la Capeline, 1886, Opera Gallery

This is the second time I’ve seen Renoir, the first time at Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris. It’s in his signature light, fluffy style, and the painting comes with a gorgeous gold gilt frame. But I think that Renoir’s small portraits look too lightweight. Naturally, his renowned works seem to look much better, at least in digital images. I’ll like to view them for myself in real life one day and see if I might think differently.

Huang Rui, Dance of I Qing – Yao (1-32), 2015 (left), Dance of I Qing – Yao (33-64), 2015, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery

Tseng Kwong Chi, Hollywood Hills, California, 1979, Ben Brown Fine Arts

Coincidentally, I’d just seen this photograph in an art magazine a little while before I saw it in real life! Always feels good to encounter an artwork you’ve only seen as an image before.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Hercules and Omphale, early 1620s, Christie’s

I used to be pretty interested in Greek mythology when I was a kid, with their host of gods and goddesses and their classic stories. I didn’t realize how broad Greek mythology was (and how little I knew of it) until I started probing around the gazillions of Greek myths depicted in many European paintings of earlier centuries. I’ve no clue what’s going on in this painting, and I don’t know who Omphale is, though I’d heard of Hercules (thanks, Disney)… So a bit of research it is.

This mythological story is about the Greek god Hercules who had to atone for the murder of a friend, and does so by being lowered from his godly status and becoming a slave of Omphale, the queen of Lydia, an ancient kingdom located somewhere in present-day Turkey. Hercules was forced to do the bidding of Omphale, and he was involved in women’s work like spinning yarn/wool and would also wear women’s clothing. Omphale is often depicted wearing Hercules’s lion skin, while Hercules often holds a distaff or spindle, representing his work. While the story is originally about Hercules’s humiliating punishment, Renaissance and Baroque art took it as a representation of woman’s dominion over men. I assume that’s what Sir Peter Paul Rubens was also going for as he was a Flemish Baroque painter. In this painting, Omphale is the woman in red pulling on Hercules’s ear, who is surrounded by who I presume are Omphale’s maidens.

I’d happened to visit Vision Tunnels while there was a children’s painting workshop going on, and they were either painting after individual artworks or painting the Vision Tunnels. I found one young boy’s painting after Renoir so impressive I had to take a shot!

I really like the idea of viewing art within a mall, but I had one problem with this year’s installation. Most of the artworks were located within the Vision Tunnels, so I had to crane my neck to see them and it didn’t make for the best viewing experience. Reuben’s and Dalí’s paintings were best positioned at the ends of the tunnels and I could view them from a comfortable distance. I’d prefer it if all the artworks could be easily viewed without obstruction. It is interesting though how all the artworks are suspended from the ceiling without occupying any floor space and potentially disrupting shoppers! Probably only in Hong Kong would space be utilized so fully.

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