"Silence is golden," according to the proverb, but the stillness in the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi is distinctly white, charcoal, and every shade of grey in between. However, there's nothing dull about the Dane's restricted palette, as we were able to appreciate, not for the first time, in Hammershøi: The Eye that Listens at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. His subject matter -- so often sparsely decorated rooms in which the doors, windows and light sources become focal points -- is mesmerising. This picture -- Sunbeams or Sunlight. Dust Motes Dancing in the Sunbeams. Strandgade 30 -- is so very typical. Apparently empty, lacking any subject matter -- just one wall of a room with a door, panelling and a window. Yet you are captivated by the illumination, and the space. Look how Hammershøi has depicted the light coming in through the window and on the frames round the panes. See how it casts a shadow on the jambs and follow th...
A month ago, we published a preview of November's new exhibitions, only to find within a few hours that the new coronavirus lockdown in England had rendered half of it irrelevant. Still, with the reintroduction of a tier system and the builders in at Buckingham Palace, there's a lot more certainty about December's openings.... The Picture Gallery at the Palace is home to a truly stunning collection of Old Master paintings, but it's a location the public really only gets the chance to tour when the royal residence is open in the summer (and we've noticed on our visits to Buck House that many a tourist just sees the fabulous art on the walls as part of the opulent decor). With the palace's wiring and water pipes now being updated, there's the opportunity to appreciate 65 of those paintings in the purpose-built Queen's Gallery next door. Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace features Vermeer, Rembrandt, Titian, Canaletto and van Dyck, among others. Even if t...