The JMW Turner Exhibition, Edinburgh

Posted on 1 February 2025 by Katrina

Below is a JMW Turner watercolour titled A River in the Campagne. It was the first time that these Turner paintings had been shown in Edinburgh, they are normally exhibited in Dublin, just for the month of January. This year Edinburgh and Dublin did a swap. It was much busier than usual of course and we ended up standing in a queue for over two hours before we could get in, the first hour we were actually outside in the cold, it was a relief to get into the building.

The painting below is of Bellinzone, Switzerland. This exhibition was so crowded I couldn’t get a straight view of most of the paintings, hence the squinty photo below!

Below is Turner’s view of Sunset at Ostend Harbour. He had a great way with skies.

Below is a very stormy Plymouth.

Below is a very different sort of storm at the Grand Canal in Venice.

Below is The Doge’s Palace in Venice.

Turner’s Fishing Boats at Folkstone is below.

Below is his view of Edinburgh which as you can see has a lot of reflections in it, so annoying.

The painting below is of a beech tree, maybe not as dramatic as the rest of the paintings in the exhibition but it’s beautifully detailed. As ever, click on the photgraphs if you want to see them enlarged.

Petworth Park by Turner – at The National Galleries for Scotland

Posted on 22 January 2025 by Katrina

We went to the Turner exhibition in Edinburgh this week, it was the second attempt as he tried to see it last Friday but the queue was long and it was going to be an hour before we even got into the gallery. We had to give up as we didn’t want to get a parking ticket.

In some ways things were even worse when we went back on Tuesday as the end of the queue was outside the Royal Scottish Academy and it was cold. We were out there an hour before we got into the building. Then another hour inside the building before we got in to see the Turner paintings, the ones that are usually in Dublin.

This view of a sunset at Petworth Park is one of my favourites.

I’ve also added Petworth House to our list of places to visit – eventually. I’ll blog about more of the exhibition soon, it comes to an end at the end of January.

The Dundee Tapestry Exhibition, V&A Dundee

Posted on 5 January 2025 by Katrina

While we were at the V&A in Dundee to see the Kimono Exhibition we also had a look around the ‘Dundee Tapestry’ exhibition which is free. All of the ‘ tapestries’ which are actually embroideries tell the history of Dundee over the years. In years gone by Dundee was called the Jam, Jute and Journalism city and the embroidered panel below depicts a lot of the characters from the Beano and Dandy comics, read by children of all ages for decades and published by DC Thomson. Oor Wullie is at the top of the panel which also features Denis the Menace (the original) with his dog Gnasher of course, Beryl the Peril and Granpaw from The Broons. There were some young Japanese women looking around this exhibit while we were there and one of the attendants was giving them a bit of a ‘spiel’ about it, but annoyingly she said Oor Willie, which drives me nuts as it’s definitely Oor Wullie, for some reason they anglicise it – to seem posh I suppose.

The Royal Research Ship Discovery which carried Scott and Shackleton on their First Antarctic expedition is berthed right next to the V&A. She was built in Dundee and it was only fitting that she should return there when she became a museum. It’s well worth a look around it. Otherwise the panel below is about the many other scientific discoveries from Dundee.

But it’s not all about the past, an Eden Project is planned for Dundee in the future and the panel below focuses on the nine environmental guilds which it’s hoped will help Dundee’s future to flourish.

This is just a few of the panels, there’s been a lot going on in Dundee over the years, particularly in the computer games industry, so it’s quite a large exhibition with 35 panels which I think is permanent, but it might not be. Some of my photos didn’t come out at all for some reason, but you can read more about the exhibition here.

Kimono Exhibition, V&A Dundee – part 3

Posted on 1 January 2025 by Katrina

This is the last of the Kimono Exhibition photos that I took last week at the V&A Dundee.

Kimonos have been used by film costume designers, such as the one Alec Guinness wore in Star Wars. These are by various modern designers.

The white/cream kimono in the photo below is a bridal kimono. The bride starts out the day in this colour and by the time the ceremony is performed she is in a red kimono like the one in the photo.

The kimonos below are by fashion designers who have updated the traditional kimono designs. Kimonos have been used for stage wear by musicians. David Bowie famously wore what was regarded as a kimono but was really more akin to a Chinese tunic I think.

Lastly the kimono in the photo below was a gift to a member of British royalty in the 1960s.

I doubt if this was ever worn by royalty but the one below was. Rock royalty anyway. It belonged to Freddie Mercury. He was fond of kimonos for stage and party wear.

Kimono Exhibition at the V&A Dundee – part 2

Posted on 31 December 2024 by Katrina

Back to the V&A Dundee Kimono Exhibition and as you can see from the two photos below they also had some kimonos being shown on models so that you could see how they would have been worn back in the day.

You can see the roll of padding at the hemline which would have weighted the fabric down and make it hang better. Sadly it wasn’t possible to avoid reflections.

Kimonos were still popular in Japan in the 1930s, the kimono below from 1930 has a very modern design.

They are a lot gaudier than the traditional kimonos, the one in the middle below definitely has a Charles Rennie Mackintosh Glasgow Rose vibe about it.

In the 1930s things were getting more European in design. The small kimono for a young boy features an aeroplane which says kamikaze on it.

As you can see from the designs on the kimonos below dating from 1938 the Japanese had their minds firmly set on getting ready for war with warships and aeroplanes popular motifs on kimonos.

There might be a part three to this Kimono Exhibition as I took quite a few photos of the contemporary kimonos which have been designed by well known fashion designers more recently. But that’s enough for now.

Kimono Exhibition at the V&A Dundee

Posted on 29 December 2024 by Katrina

We had been meaning to go to see Kimono at the V&A in Dundee since it opened way back in May but ‘stuff’ just got in the way. I was a bit shocked when I discovered that the exhibition closes on the 5th of January, so we had to just make time for it, or miss it completely. So we went there yesterday – unfortunately we weren’t the only people who had almost missed it, it was very busy! But I managed to take quite a lot of photos while there, it was much bigger than I had expected and there were a lot of details to pore over as well as information cards to read. We were there for quite a long time. I’m just putting a few photos on here just now. I’ll leave the rest for the new year.

Below is a photo of pieces of fabric which make up a kimono. It’s all straight edges so should be very simple to put together.

Although they’re made out of silk these ones below must be from top quality heavy silk as some of them date from around the 1700s, they’re amazing survivors.

The grey kimono below was made for a young woman. It looks deceptively simple but does have embroidery and texture woven into the fabric.

The portrait below is of Elizabeth Smith, wife of publisher George Murray Smith. She added some embelishments to it, such as buttons and fasteners. The portrait is right next to the actual garment which is below.

Below is a close up of the beautiful embroidery. All things Japanese were incredibly fashionable for quite a number of years in Victorian times. I can well understand the attraction. I’m sure they would be very comfortable, especially when compared with what European women were expected to wear at the time.

The exhibition at the V&A in Dundee is only on until January 5th, 2025 so there are only a few days left to see it, and I suppose the V&A will be closed on the 1st and 2nd of January. I’m glad that we managed to see it after putting it off for so long.

The Hunterian, Glasgow – Charles Rennie Mackintosh – his dark furniture

Posted on 8 October 2024 by Katrina

We’re back at The Hunterian in Glasgow again, with the photos I took of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s dark furniture.

It’s easier to see the slightly Japanese influence in these designs I think.

I’m not sure whether I prefer his white or black furniture, but I think that the white for bedrooms is prettier – and it won’t show up the dust as much!

Anyway, if you happen to be in Glasgow and you admire Charles Rennie Mackintosh you should definitely make time to visit The Hunterian, which also has a lot of art on show, but that’s another blogpost I think.

Brantwood, Coniston Water, Lake District

Posted on 20 September 2024 by Katrina

A couple of weeks ago we drove to the Lake District which we hadn’t visited for about ten years. One of the first places we went to was Brantwood, the house which John Ruskin had built above Coniston Water.

It was a great choice of location.

It isn’t a terrifically grand house, I think it could be comfortable, which you can’t say for all such places. It’s often used for art and nature exhibitions. The rug and dress displayed in the photo below were made of nettles, something which they did during World War 2 as fabric was so scarce, These items looked like they had been made out of fine linen, I was agreeably surprised.

The dining room table below had been set using modern pottery by quite a well known potter I believe, so not in keeping with the house but good for exhibiting purposes.

Ruskin was a keen collector of ‘stuff’ beginning as many of us do with shells and stones.

But his collection is somewhat different from mine!

Ruskin’s bedroom below is very much a bachelor’s room. Originally there were paintings by Turner on the walls but they were sold off after his death, these ones are copies, but they’re really good.

The little bay window below is a tiny room just off his bedroom, there’s only really space for one armchair in it but it would be the perfect place to sit and read, if you could tear your attention away from the scenery.

There are various other buildings around the house which are used for exhibitions or for teaching. Below is a textile exhibition with nettle fabric, wool and silk.

There’s no doubt that John Ruskin was a strange man, sadly he’s probably best known nowadays for not consummating his marriage with poor Effie Gray. But he was an artist, writer, art critic, he was interested in so many things. I suppose he was either gay, just not interested in sex, but wanted to possess his lovely wife, just as he possessed other ‘things’. There’s no doubt that he was a handsome chap himself. You can read more about him here. I’ve only just realised that his parents were Scottish.

Sir John Lavery exhibition

Posted on 15 September 2024 by Katrina

A few weeks ago we travelled in to Edinburgh to visit the Sir John Lavery exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy. His painting below is of Edinburgh’s Princes Street with the Scott monument and castle rock domineering – as they do. The exhibition is strangely titled An Irish Impressionist, because Lavery has always been regarded as being Scottish as although he was born in Ireland he was orphaned very young, aged five I think, and moved to Scotland to be brought up by an uncle. Sadly the exhibition isn’t free, unless you are a ‘Friend’. It costs between £5 and £19 apparently, but we are Friends of the Galleries.

Below is his “View from the Canal” which was actually the River Kelvin. This was at the International Exhibition at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove in 1888.

Evening Tangier – below.

The painting below is called The Intruders but whether it refers to the geese or the children is anybody’s guess.

Coast defence below has a lot of reflections in it. It dates from his time as a war artist.

Below is Hendon 1917.

I realy like the one below which is of the main building at the 1888 International Exhibition. Electricity was used for public illumination in Scotland for the first time there.

As my great friend Joan remarked – his style is reminiscent of John Singer Sargent.

Adam Bruce Thomson at The City Art Centre, Edinburgh

Posted on 3 August 2024 by Katrina

We went to the Adam Bruce Thomson exhibition at The City Art Centre in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago. The exhibition is titled The Quiet Path.

Below is his painting of Dean Bridge, a part of Edinburgh which looks very much the same now as it does in his painting.

Below is his painting of the North Bridge with the Salisbury Crags in the background, Edinburgh.

With a very different style he painted the village of New Galloway, below.

In Bringing in the Hay below he has documented a part of social history, before everything on farms was mechanised.

In another style Adam Bruce Thomson portrays The Royal Engineers Building a Bridge, below, a scene he would have witnessed in his time in the Royal Engineers in World War I. If you want to see more of his works have a look here.

This is a great exhibition which is in a gallery just off the main streets of Edinburgh, at the back of Waverley Station, it’s well worth a visit if you are in Edinburgh. As the Edinburgh Festival started yesterday when we happened to be in the city, it felt like the hordes had descended on the place, apparently the population doubles in August.

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Category Archives: Exhibitions