Monthly Archives: November 2016

Second time a winner

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The English Buildings blog is an online diary of meetings with the remarkable buildings that Philip Wilkinson sees on his travels around the country. It began in 2007 as a continuation of Philip’s The English Buildings Book, which was first published by English Heritage in 2006. The blog has since taken on a life of its own, with short pieces on all kinds of buildings, from the very large (big churches and country houses) to the very small (well houses, gazebos, even the occasional public lavatory!). The emphasis is usually on the unfamiliar – on structures that aren’t much covered in books or online – and all the text and nearly all the photographs are by Philip himself.

Asked at the Awards Ceremony how he felt about winning for a second time, he replied, ‘Honoured, totally unprepared, and amazed!’ – but the supply of interesting English architecture seems almost endless, so he continues blogging in his dazed and grateful state.

http://englishbuildings.blogspot.co.uk

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Looking closely at art

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Susie Hodge’s latest book – Art in Detail – is about just that: the details we can easily miss when we visit a gallery. She says:

‘This book is intended to be a bit like taking some of your favourite works of art home so you can study them in your own time and in close-up. As well as that – someone will be nearby, unobtrusively pointing out inside information about each artwork.

‘When you go to an art gallery, the more information you have about a work of art, the more you can enjoy it. So this book gives loads of fascinating and intricate insights about various aspects of 100 works of art. With close-up pictures, the information given includes backgrounds to the artists, complications and problems they encountered, materials and methods used, palettes, materials, underlying symbolism and any changes or alterations made. External influences are also considered, such as political, social or economic issues, and personal factors affecting each artist.

‘It’s as if some of the world’s greatest works of art are put under a magnifying glass. Artists featured include Giotto, Gauguin, Rousseau, Rego, Klimt, Klee, Bourgeois, Bacon, Caravaggio, Constable, Manet, Millais, Hogarth, Turner, Poussin – and eighty-five others!’

Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces, Susie Hodge, 2016, Thames & Hudson

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