The Critical Commentator

                                                             Art Tigress with Her Cubs, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) Photo Credit: Burton Constable Hall [CC BY-NC-ND] Eric Hebborn, before he was unmasked in 1978, was a brilliant forger. Teasing the art world was part of his trade. He fooled the world’s foremost galleries and auction houses with forgeries in the style of Rubens, and Van Dyck, among others. Christopher Wright, an art historian, noted, “Only a handful [of paintings] have been exposed. There are still Hebborns floating around the art market and in museums. For Hebborn: the greater the expert, the greater the satisfaction of deceiving them.” The art world was too humiliated to press charges. (The Observer, 3.2.2019) * Film-makers have unearthed evidence that Eric Hebborn, the greatest art forger of modern times, was working for the Mafia towards the end of his life and may even have been murdered by them.  The British artist’s death has remained a myste

                                                    Stress The Flight from Lucknow Abraham Solomon (1824-1862) New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester Arts and Museum Service Art loving young people in Britain, according to the Art Fund Charity, use museums and galleries to combat the stress of modern life. Apparently, it contributes to a sense of wellbeing. Over half of us, it contends, have at some point visited a museum or gallery to de-stress. “Just as ‘connecting to breath’ in meditation allows us to connect with the here and now, observing and connecting with art forces us to slow down and shift from rapid-fire thoughts to slower, more focused thinking.” (The Observer, 20.1.2019) What nonsense is that? How many people did they interview – 2,521. From those figures can you then assert that “over half of us have at some point visited a museum or gallery to de-stress? And what’s this ‘connecting to breath’ all about? So

                                       Art Restoration               Pandora Mather-Lees, an Oxford educated art historian and conservationist, was asked for help, by a billionaire, to restore a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat. [One of Basquiat’s paintings was sold at auction in 2017 for £84.5million]  Portrait of a Grammarian unknown artist Photo Credit: University of Aberdeen [CC BY-NC-SA] The painting was not at the rich man’s house. It was on his super-yacht. How had it been damaged? By sea spray perhaps? No. His children had thrown their cornflakes at it, over breakfast, because they thought it was scary. The crew had made the damage worse by wiping the mess off the painting. (The Observer, 2019) No pocket money then for children or crew. Mather-Lees offers a fine-art appreciation course titled “The Practical Care of On-Board Art Collections” to superyacht crews who know nothing about the millions of pounds’ worth of art displayed in the owner’s second, third

                                                 People The Doctor , Luke Fildes (1843-1927)  Photo Credit: Tate [CC-BY-NC-ND] Adam Kay, a doctor and the bestselling author of This Is Going to Hurt, questions why celebrities seem obsessed with telling the rest of us how to be healthy. Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock endorse “epidermal growth factor facials.” The growth factor appears by means of the foreskins of newborn babies. Victoria Beckham’s breakfast is apparently a side salad and some apple cider vinegar. Simon Cowell seems to put his faith in 1V Infusions – “a casserole of vitamins and amino acids designed to annihilate toxins.” Kim Kardashian supports appetite suppressant lollipops whilst Gwyneth Paltrow claimed that inserting jade eggs into a vagina, balanced hormones and prevented prolapse.  (The Sunday Times, 2019) Why does anyone believe this rubbish? Sadly, portraying wellness hogwash as scientific fact must work. Oh and don’t forget the bottl

Increasingly, whilst reading books or newspapers, or listening to the radio or watching the television I have caught myself thinking and commenting on what has been written, heard or seen.  My outbursts have included: I don’t think that’s true. What a ridiculous idea. What evidence have you got for that? Who are they? Don’t be so daft.  How can you say that? Thank God someone’s talking sense. I didn’t know any of this. Dead right. These initial comments, and then, hopefully, more considered, critical responses have been aired on all kinds of topics, events and stories that have been reported on, both in this country and abroad. They have exercised the full weight of my horror, joy, curiosity, amusement and bewilderment. What things?   People, art, fashion, tax, health and the House of Lords. Education, sport, environmental issues and social media are there too. There are many more. Of course, my comments are the result of my own thoughts, values, belief