Art

The return of the surreal 

Mythical, dreamlike, phantasmagorical, and absurd: Surrealism, which took the art world by storm in the early 20th century, has enjoyed a huge resurgence in the past decade.  The original pioneers...

Between beer gardens and picnics: Climate Culture Care at the Ashmolean

When I returned to Oxford this term, just as England teased us with the sixth heat-wave of the year, I found myself at a loose end. With the deadline for two vacation essays still far in the distance, the sun lit up the sign for Soma Surovi Jannat’s Ashmolean Now exhibition, Climate Culture Care.

Art as protest on university campuses

CW: rape. This week, Cornell University has made headlines as prosecutors reopened an investigation into...

Hag, Nag, Harpy, Hen: Olivia Plender’s ‘Little Fennel’s Complaint’

It is the examination of archaic methods and attitudes surrounding women’s bodies, and the idea of the ‘nagging’ woman, which runs through Olivia Plender’s exhibition.

Leonardo da Vinci and his devilish… boyfriend?

When we think of Leonardo da Vinci, the first things that come to mind are usually the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, or his...

The artist and the photographer: An analysis of Francis Goodman’s Film negatives

An unusual dynamic is consequently captured between the photographer and artist in the photograph of Lucian Freud.

A Future in the Light of Darkness review: Imagined engines of desire

Modern Art Oxford’s exhibit Frieda Toranzo Jaeger: A future in the light of darkness counters the potential for automated vehicles and social media algorithms to...

Freida Toranzo Jaeger’s Prophetic Glitter

Freida Toranzo Jaeger names her paintings like items in a manifesto: Extinction is the price we pay for our existence (2023), Open your heart...

Artificial insights: Decoding diversity and redefining art history with AI

In the age of AI-enhanced art, the possibilities for creativity and cultural exchange are limitless—and inclusive.

The Christ Church Picture Gallery review

The Christ Church Picture Gallery has free entry for Oxford students. It offers a chance to view one of the most impressive college art collections, with pieces spanning the 14th to 18th centuries

Frank Auerbach’s Charcoal Portraits review: Self-Portrait of a Stranger

The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition, The Charcoal Heads, shows the early career of Frank Auerbach and the creation of his portraits in the 1950s and...

Remembering Oxford: Memorialising “The City of Dreaming Spires”

"As I exit the library, it strikes me that in its memorials of people long deceased and its unchanging historical landscape, Oxford seems often at a standstill."

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