At OSA we're moving towards working on the Annual X2. For everyone who's submitted an extract - don't forget that you have just less than two weeks to get a final submission in! As the team are getting increasingly busy, we're putting the blog on hiatus. This is the last post for a while - we'll speak to you again in May around exhibition time!
What's On
Blenheim Palace, in association with The Ashmolean Museum presents: The Young Turner: Ambitions in Architecture and the Art of Perspective - Review by Charlotte Gregory
“Perspective may justly be considered the colouring of Architecture.” J.M.W. Turner, 1810
J.M.W. Turner is arguably one of Britain’s most famous landscape artists. While more well-known in the art world as the forefather to the Impressionist movement with his emphasis on colour over form in his later works, Turner’s earlier works are often neglected. This exhibition aims to shed some light over Turner’s earlier works, which focus more on architectural representation and landscape depiction.
During the first 15 years of his career, Turner painted over 30 finished watercolours of views in and around Oxford. Turner was very drawn to the Gothic architecture of the city, especially in the sense of atmosphere and intricate detailing common in the style. This inspiration is clear throughout his works as Turner starts to play more with light and space in compositions.
Many of the paintings currently on display in the exhibition are also displayed as engravings, as Turner created many works for the Oxford Almanack, and being able to see his original watercolours side-by-side with engravings made by others and how different engravers accentuated different aspects of Turner’s works. However, the highlight of the exhibition is his view of Oxford High Street, painted in 1809. What is most striking about this piece is just how architecturally detailed and accurate it is, an instantly recognisable scene even today.
The Young Turner exhibition is found in the stables behind Blenheim Palace, a perhaps more modest gallery than others in which Turner’s work has been exhibited, but this only seeks to make the artworks and prints inside stand out more. In total there are 30 artworks on display, including watercolours, engravings, and sketches. The majority of these are works by Turner, however some works by his contemporaries are on display alongside these, showing Turner’s inspirations, and how his artistic style grew throughout his career.
The Young Turner: Ambitions in Architecture and the Art of Perspective is at Blenheim Palace until 22 April 2019, before moving on to Worcester City Art Gallery (4 May – 6 July 2019) and then Banbury Museum. (28 September 2019 – 11 January 2020) If you are interested in landscape art, art history or just fancy a day out, I highly encourage you pay this a visit! (Don’t forget a sketchbook!)
DS1 Field Trip
DS1 headed off into the countryside this week for some rest and relaxation before the final design push. Their resident bartender, Rob Pennington, was much utilised, and they were joined over the weekend by Ronnie and Juliet for tutorials.
Student of the Week
This week, we're looking at Ilayda Ozluk's work. From DS2, Ilayda is working with reciprocal structures to design a Maggie's Centre in high rise New York. The concerns of the site have led to a reevaluation of what is necessary for a Maggie's Centre - shown through her design development.
