Visual Arts

Visual Arts

"What do you think an artist is? He’s a political being, constantly alive to heartrending, fiery, or happy events, to which he responds in every way. No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war, for attack and defense against the enemy."

Pablo Picasso

by Mary Ellen Mark
Tuesday, 15 May 2018 10:20

Photos of a divided society

Written by
Sanjiv Sachdev reviews Another Kind of Life, Photography on the Margins at the Barbican Art Gallery. Photographer Mary Ellen Mark’s comment that she is “…interested in people who aren’t the lucky ones, who maybe have a tougher time surviving, and telling their story” could be the motif for this entire exhibition.…
John Heartfield: satirist, anti-fascist and fearless communist
K2_PUBLISHED_ON Saturday, 14 April 2018 18:19

John Heartfield: satirist, anti-fascist and fearless communist

Written by
Jenny Farrell salutes John Heartfield, the creator of political photomontage, who died fifty years ago. John Heartfield is one of the most important European artists. He works in a field which he created himself, the field of photomontage. Through this new form of art, he exercises social criticism. Steadfastly on…
Freedom for Humanity
K2_PUBLISHED_ON Wednesday, 04 April 2018 15:23

Art, politics, anti-semitism and anti-Corbynism

Written by
Nick Wright discusses, art, anti-semitism, and anti-Corbynism. Labour is weathering a co-ordinated campaign which combines criticism of Corbyn's policies and persona with an intensified drive to brand any criticism of the murderous policies pursued by Israel's rulers with anti-semitism. I was once branded an antisemite. It was the during the…
Karl Marx, tickled and honoured
K2_PUBLISHED_ON Saturday, 31 March 2018 12:47

Karl Marx, tickled and honoured

Written by
John Green introduces some Karl Marx bicentenary cartoons and caricatures. 5 May 2018 marks the bicentenary of the birth of Karl Marx. To commemorate this the Ken Sprague Fund organised an international cartoon and caricature competition which drew over 150 entries from artists around the world. Ken Sprague was one…
Cultural democracy: Revolt and Revolutions at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Wednesday, 31 January 2018 21:21

Cultural democracy: Revolt and Revolutions at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Written by
Mike Quille reviews an involving, stimulating exhibition which encourages the growing appetite for cultural democracy. The recent appointment of Elisabeth Murdoch to Arts Council England was yet more evidence of the increasing domination of public funding for the arts by corporate and right-wing interests. There is growing resistance, however, among…
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