There is something deeply satisfying about op art: the clean lines, the repetition of form, and, of course, the inherent contradictions and perceptual trickery of the mind. There are two types of op art. The first is black and white paintings that are usually done in black and white, buts sometimes in grisaille. This type of op art is able to trick the mind because of the way in which the...

An art expert tells the Michael Stone trial that real nail bombs could 'come under the ambit' of performance...

An exhibition of the Art Fund's "Queen and Country" project is visiting Liverpool (from 18th September until October 31st). The project is the work of war artist Steve McQueen who has produced facsimile postage stamps showing the portraits of soldiers killed in Iraq. In conjunction with the soldiers' families The Art Fund is seeking to get the Government and Royal Mail to release a set of official postage stamps based on these images to commemorate those who died for their Queen and Country.A petition has been set up by the Art Fund which has already attracted 13,000 signatures so visit their website and add your name to the petition! Link> The Art Fund: Queen and CountryalsoLink> AV: Hero postage stamps - support the Art Fund ProjectLink> AV: Queen and Country - hero postage...

I've been hammering away at the commentary of my PhD, and one of the small tiresomeness (as opposed to the large tiresomenesses, of which there are also plenty) which make it slow work is that 'writing' is such an ambiguous term. It can be an almost concrete noun - 'Some of the writing is fluent' - or an abstract noun - 'Writing is a creative practice' - or a verb - 'Writing stops me eating'.  So quite often I want another word for the large body of continuous prose, the piece, that I've ended up with in A Secret Alchemy, for the work of... for the - Yes, dammit, why can't I bring myself to call the novel I've ended up with a work of art? Maybe not a very good one, maybe not one that will be spoken of in hushed awe a hundred years from now. But...

I stumbled on this website when I was on Sheffield Forum and it’s an interesting list (albeit slightly out of date) of public art in Sheffield and tells you a bit about them.  I walk past some of these on a regular basis but I’ve never known the background to them, a particular one being ‘Heavy Plant‘ in the Science Park car park.  I still think a lot of this public art is under-appreciated.  After all, how many people judge a council or the universities on the quality of their public art.  However, if something is good it can really strike a chord and make people feel good about a place and life in general.  I think a brilliant example of that is ‘Barking up the right tree‘ inside the Millennium Galleries, which seems to be really popular with...

I admit to being a cultural philistine and to knowing absolutely nothing about art. I met Stephan Shakespeare for a coffee yesterday in the National Gallery cafe. Stephan is art aficionado and spends half his life in art galleries. I had to shamefully admit that I have never been there before so he insisted in showing me one of the galleries. I may not know anything about art, but I am one of those annoying people who knows what they like but can't quite explain why.And I very much like this picture of Princess Margaret. Indeed, I would go so far as to say it is one of the most beautiful likenesses I have ever seen. It may flatter her, but the look in her eyes reflects the engima and mystery of her character. This paragraph both began and ended my career as an art critic.More on the...

THE Artists: Anorak’s look at art in the news… GENE Hathorn has been on death row since 1985. He will soon taste freedom, as a goldfish will taste him. When Hathorn is fried, artist Marco Evaristti, “the bad boy of the Danish art scene”, will use his body as an art installation. Says Evaristti in The Art newspaper: “My aim is to first deep freeze Gene’s body and then make fish food out of it. Visitors to my exhibition will be able to feed goldfish with it.” Mr Hathorn shall be taken from this place, electrocuted until quite dead, then drawn, quartered and shaved into gulp-sized pieces. The one fear is that if we are what we eat, then this fish will become a killer of the very worst kind and need to be killed by the throwing of an electic toaster into its compund of...

THE Artists: Anorak’s look at art in the news… Jesus Is Pleased To see You An art gallery in Britain which exhibited a statue of Jesus Christ with an erection was taken to court by a devout Christian on Tuesday who said she was offended by the work and argued that the gallery would “not have dared” to portray Mohammed, let alone in that way. Back Art A man has sold an elaborate tattoo of the Virgin Mary - which is still on his back - to an art collector who plans to ‘exhibit’ him three times a year. The extraordinary transaction - which Zurich gallery owner Jutta Nexdorf claims is the first of its kind - earned the vendor, Tim Steiner, 150,000 euros ($AU219,000). Under the terms of the sale, when Mr Steiner dies the tattoo - which took 35 hours to create -...

Geeky Gadgets - Art Lebedev Folderix Flash Drives Check out these geeky flash drives from Art Lebedev, the Folderix Flash Drive. These cool flash drives are designed like a folder and come in a variety of colours, including yellow, blue and purple. If you fancy something different to store your data on these these funky flash drives might be for you. The Art Lebedev Folderix flash drives come with 4GB of storage and are available to buy online from Art Lebedev for $55 each. Via Engadget...

I studied Art History extensively from Prehistoric to Modern and loved or at least appreciated all of it. Occasionally I think modern art can be a con and I always feel cheated or bored if an artwork doesn't grip me. I'm particularly fond of art which gives you the warm and fuzzies when you look at it and you really don't know what it is about the painting or collage that makes you feel like that. Shapes, composition, colour, texture, blah, blah, blah are all essay essentials but sometimes you just want to simply say: "This painting's just the coolest". Rex Ray (above) is an American (still living and creating in fact) is such an artist. He's funky. Fritz Hundertwasser is another one to check out. I have a thing for the colour orange at the...

ShiteShiteGood ArtGood art In the light of Tracey Emin’s new “retrospective” I feel the need to discuss art. Her exhibit involves images such as a video of Ms Emin naked in a Norwegian Fjord in the foetal position, screaming at the top of her lungs. When I was in a Norwegian Fjord last month it involved Pepper Steaks, Sweetcorn and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot - different paths, no regrets. As readers of a Very British Dude may be confused about what is good art and what isn’t art at all I have published a handy guide (see above) as to which is which....

I usually don't like art hotels. I once stayed at The Sanderson in London and found it over done and not at all stylish. Now this The Byblos Art Hotel in Verona is another kettle of fish entirely.Fabulous use of colour and art....

From The Archive is a special Friday feature. It features posts from my earlier (now-deleted) blog: Stuff & Nonsense and a few items from previous versions of A Tangled Rope that I feel deserve reprinting here, mainly as a way of archiving them. The dates are only approximate, I’m afraid, and there is a possibility that some links may no longer work (although, I will try to remember to test the links before republishing the piece). Conceptual Art - 16/05/2005 Is there anything more tediously annoying than someone who constantly repeats catchphrases from comedy programmes? Well, yes, there must be. But, at the moment, I can't think of one, so this will have to do. I refer, of course, to those annoying tossers who somehow think that by repeating some word...

posted by Cptn News has reached us, with a following wind, that our comrades up north, North Devon that is, have an incredibly thriving arts scene, thank you very much. ‘What about our Art Trek? Came the collective creative cry from the North Shore. The Art Trek is part of the North Devon Festival and featured around 60 artists in 41 venues above the A30. And if you’re looking to head up in the world, there are still parts of the art trek still going. The art trek exhibition runs until July 5, in the Gallery Cafe of the Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple. And the North Devon Hospice Artist Workshops Exhibition, at the Barnstaple library is on until June 28 (that’s Saturday). Stay tooned for more news from the north, (on occasion), the world doesn’t stop at the 51st...

A quick stab at a list of the most important published resources for a timeline history of visual arts production in Birmingham and the Black Country. In approximate chronological order. Additions are welcome… Late 18th century: Hargraves, Matthew (2006). Candidates for Fame: The Society of Artists of Great Britain, 1760-1791. Yale University Press. Early 19th century: Author? (2009). Sun, Wind, and Rain: The Art of David Cox (1783-1859). Forthcoming exhibition catalogue. Robinson, Leonard (2007). William Etty: The Life and Art. McFarland & Co. Chapter 18 has a short account of the history of: Birmingham Academy of Arts (1814-) / Birmingham Society of Arts (1821-) / Birmingham Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts (1828-, “for the encouragement of artists resident...

Like it or not, London Underground Trains are often seen as canvases for "urban art", "street art" or graffiti. People like Banksy have certainly popularised the idea that urban art is not only that (ie artistic) but that it's also worth a shedload of money. Many people though that the Tube Carriage offices in the sky were just an art installation and not real offices.Yesterday I was at an exhibition of Street Art at the Tate Modern which was combined with a photo walk where you could explore nearby streets in Southwark. It was a real eye opener and you can see some pictures I took in the link above (Flickr kindly laid on some food & drinks for us after the walk - photos here).On the way back I popped into the Southbank Centre shop which has lots of trendy and unusual gifts in it....

On Tuesday I went to the Whitworth Art Gallery with Byrney. I can’t say I had a fantastic time but it wasn’t horrible. It was supposed to be a kid friendly experience and I suppose as art galleries go it was. The problem was that it’s an ART GALLERY and try as they might it’s never kid friendly enough, especially when you have 3 kids under three running around. As I’m typing this I’m thinking about all the things they had available for the kids and they did have a lot to do. I think the problem was the people. There was a man filming and needing it to be quiet. Nice. OK. Fine. We were in the Neverland exhibit which had billed itself as a kids exhibit. So you want me to keep three kids quiet so you can film. Oooookeeeee dooookeee! Then I...

Art Much as I can’t contain my delight about visiting some of the museums listed in Edward Morris’s Public Art Collection in North-West England, there’s no denying that Bolton Museum was a disappointment. The outside is an architectural feast, a massive edifice opened next to the town hall in 1939 which looks like it could contain all of the world’s great art treasures. Not as huge as some national galleries perhaps, but certainly big enough to get the heart racing about what might be…...

Art Visiting Accrington’s Haworth Art Gallery was an example of just how barmy my quest to visiting all of the venues listed in Edward Morris’s Public Art Collections in North-West England actually is. Haworth boasts Europe’s largest collection of Tiffany glass on public display, some hundred and forty pieces. It fills the whole of the top floor of an old Edwardian house and is promoted on their leaflets and prominently on their website. So imagine the look of surprise on the…...

The Place of Meaning in Art I have been called to task a few times now over the meaning of my work. Typically, the assertion is either that it "doesn't *mean* anything", or else I am explicitly asked: "*What* does it mean?" The problem is, I don't understand the relevance of either of these assertions (the second, indeed, is far more an assertion than a question). So far as literature goes, meaning is one of the many ways that a reader seeks to take control of a text. I say "take control" rather than "understand", because when a reader disputes the meaning of a text, there's a concomitant implication that the artistic status of that text is also somehow in dispute. This is specious reasoning that needs to be addressed. I have said several times,...

Art Art In The Age of Steam is one of the Walker Art Gallery Liverpool’s tentpole major exhibitions as part of the Capital of Culture celebrations. As such then it should be rather special and you know what – it really is – one of the best exhibitions the galleries has staged this decade. It’s an interesting and relevant topic and the exhibition takes time to look at the very specific era between 1830 and the early half of the 1900s in great detail, showing how different artists working…...

Imagine your own studio in the School of Art, at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in the city-centre. Imagine £9,000 in your back pocket, too. That’s what’s on offer to the winner of the Wheatley Bequest fellowship. Closing date: 7th July 08, with interviews on the 23rd July… “The fellowship is directed at artists at the beginning of or at a critical point in their professional career. Applicants should normally have a first degree and/or a postgraduate qualification in Fine Art. The Fellow will be provided with a studio in the School of Art and will have access to all of the Schools’ facilities. The fellowship lasts for 10 months commencing in October 2008 and culminates in an exhibition. The Fellow will receive a stipend of £9,000.” Further...

The twelve hapless faces of art I feel like that moment in a dream when the teacher called us all up to the front desk, where he had lain out in a row the twelve objects, and asked us to put the ones that were Art on one side, and the ones that were Not Art on the other. It was a summer's day; he saw me turning away, frustrated and sad, and it was as if, as he moved to the side of the desk and placed a hand gently on my shoulder, I could already smell the coffee on his breath. It was an unfamiliar scent to which I was entirely indifferent -- a scent that led nowhere. "Well, you see," he began, amiably enough: "if you can't even begin to reduce this thing ... But I do know what it is that you are trying to do." "You know what *I* am trying to do?" I...

The Rules of Art If Art indeed is to stand up to any kind of scientific scrutiny, it is only rightful we ask what laws govern it. And since literary critics and scientists do not well agree about the "laws" they discuss, perhaps it is as well to try to apply a very few rules from the realm of mathematics, and test them for goodness of fit: Is Art Commutative? (Does A + B equal B + A?) Art is not commutative. Where succession denotes history, art may privilege one term over another. Generally speaking, it prejudices the left term over the right term, but this is not a necessary conclusion. In fact, there is not -- and cannot be -- any fast rule as to this rule's application. This is one of the "responses" that makes art "art." Is Art Distributive? (Does...

Art A couple of weeks ago on a wet Tuesday, I visited Warrington Museum and Art Gallery. It wasn’t the first time I’ve been through the doors. It’s one of the few places in Edward Morris’s Public Art Collections in North-West England guide I’ve been reluctant to travel to because I’ve been through its doors before and I’ve been trying to enjoy the shock of the new as much as possible. I dropped in many times during the late nineties when I was working for Edward researching local public…...

Jam Cary’s post on Evangelicalism and Art is well worth reading. Rough Table of Contents. Trends in modern, Western, conservative evangelicalism. Things that modern, Western, conservative evangelicalism has absorbed from various influences… Things which make modern, Western, conservative evangelicals suspicious of art.  … read more »...

Dying for one's art Half an hour ago, an interesting documentary on Amy Winehouse, whose burden seemed to be: "She has great abilities, and great problems. If she does not resolve her problems, she won't live long." The sentiment is comprehensible. What I felt was naive, and therefore unjust, both to her and artists in general, was that self-destruction is necessarily at odds with artistic realisation. Of course, self-destruction isn't (fortunately) a *requirement* for producing great art, but, by the same token, the production of art makes extensive demands upon one's private resources, and it does happen in certain cases that, like the Nightingale and the Rose, life must be the cost of art. That said, I don't believe this absolute sacrifice is simply the superlative measure...

Smashing Magazine has compiled a huge collection of pixel art including the one above from Tuukka who makes great use of shadows and lighting. The amount of time that goes into making these works of art is incredible....

The university degree art & design shows are almost upon us, and some seem to be getting ever-earlier… University of Lincoln, Fine Art: opens 16th May 08. University of Worcester, Pixel8, 28th May 08. Most attractive website of the bunch… Coventry University, Art & Design: opens 31st May 08. University of Derby: 2nd June 08. Staffordshire University, Fine Art and all shows: 6th June 08. Nottingham Trent University, all shows open: 7th June 08. University of Wolverhampton, all shows open: 8th June 08 (launch evening is usually ticket-only). Hereford College of the Arts, B.A. Fine Art: 14th June 08. Solihull College, B.A. Fine Art: 14th June 08. Birmingham Institute of Art & Design various dates in mid-June 08. Loughborough University, Textiles: opens 27th June...

Performance art and video art usually bore me rigid — but if it’s the sort of art you’re into, Birmingham’s VIVID are having a festival of it, aptly named Endurance (24th - 26th April...