Stone into light

Arsenale Wall

A postscript to my Sean Scully post yesterday. I can’t get his simply brilliant exhibition out of my mind; everywhere I look I see new constellations of colour. I am trying to turn stone into light, he says in a quote in an ft article. He’s got pretty close.

 

 

 

 

Sean Scully

Sean Scully Land Sea

Anyone reading this blog might think I’ve done nothing but art in Venice. Not so. I’ve been on a cycle ride with grandchildren (on the mainland), eaten ice creams, swum in the Adriatic, eaten great food, bought breakfast, travelled around the lagoon, played the piano, made paper doilies, drunk a lot of wine, the list is endless. Maybe I’ll do a post about all that next. Meanwhile I’m trying to keep up with the art: this is another exhibition I saw yesterday, after the Koreans. I’ve liked some of Sean Scully’s prints, but not so much his paintings, but I love these.  They are so Venetian and so site specific it’s almost as though he made them in the Palazzo itself. Which is why I’ve chosen to photograph them in their surroundings, and not just as individual pictures. Here are some of them.

Dansaekhwa

Dansaekhwa

In the Palazzo Contarini-Polignac (the old British Embassy), by the Accademia in Venice, there is a quiet but powerful exhibition of Korean art: Dansaekhwa. Dansaekhwa means ‘single-coloured’.

According to the catalogue: “Arising out of the hardship and deprivation of WWII and the Korean War, it is an art movement that honestly grapples with the value of tradition and the role of beauty in the face of tragedy. For Korean artists, modern art allowed for a radical reappraisal and renewal giving space for democratic ideals and foreign influences to synchronise with the rich traditions of an ancient culture….Dansaekhwa..can be conceived as both a physical practice, consisting of repetitive generative actions, and as a kind of spiritual and emotional practice devoted to making paintings that activate the canvas’ plane in order to communicate directly with the viewer.”

In welcome contrast to the maelstrom of visitors, heat, commerce and movement outside the building, this was an oasis of calm. Here are some of my favourites.

Palazzo curtains, too lovely to leave out.