Art History

This short article deals with Claude Monet's famous painting of his wife Camille Monet wearing a fancy Japanese kimono. In the article the circumstances of the making of the painting are uncovered and a link (hinted by the curators of the exhibition Looking East) is suggested between the motif of the kimono and two prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi featuring a famous scene from the kabuki play Momijigari.

Japanese stencils have seized the imagination of European travellers from the earliest days of Japan's opening to the world. However, a specific aesthetic link to the art of stencils could be found in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. In Moravia, a small county within the Empire, Japanese stencils found their counterpart in modrotisk, a traditional blue dying technique. Similar use of blue printing was traditionally known in some surrounding areas of what is nowadays the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Picture 1: "Asa Katazome" textile panel, Japan, Meiji (circa 189 Picture 2: Southern Moravian traditional Modrotisk blueprint.

This catalogue features an interpretation of the sculptural work of David Sprakes. Special attention is given t interpreting his art withe relation to traditional Japanese aesthetics and symbolism.
The catalogue was published alongside the exhibition 'Rhythms in Sculpture' at Beverley Art Gallery, East Riding of Yorkshire (UK). Curated by Helena (Gaudekova) Cox

Paul Clifford is a contemporary British artist in mixed media and installation art. Paul has exhibited internationally, often returning to collaborate with artists in the US. In 2018 Beverley Art Gallery held an exhibition of Paul's work curated by Helena Cox (Gaudekova).  The exhibition LEGACY drew upon archival materials from the East Riding of Yorkshire archives, including images of Paul's father who served in the East Riding Yeomanry. Part of the exhibition was a site-specific sand installation. This catalogue was published alongside the exhibition, offering insights by Paul Clifford, Helena Cox (Gaudekova) and Dr. David Marchant.