Sponsorship from the Pilkington Anglo Japanese Cultural Foundation

I am delighted to announce that SublimeSites is now sponsored by the Pilkington Anglo-Japanese Cultural Foundation. Their mission is the Promotion of UK culture in Japan and promotion of Japanese culture in the UK through publications, exchange exhibitions and research projects. Please visit their website at: http://www.pilkingtonanglo-japaneseculturalfoundation.org/index.html The Foundation has made a grant to SublimeSites … Continue reading Sponsorship from the Pilkington Anglo Japanese Cultural Foundation →

John Sell Cotman: Point Lorenzo, Madeira, 1828

REVISED 12 April 2016 (DH) This is the first Sublimesites.co article to discuss John Sell Cotman. It marks the beginning of a three-year project in which I will catalogue the near-nine hundred drawings by him in the collection of Leeds City Art Gallery. The full catalogue will be published online by Leeds Museums and Art … Continue reading John Sell Cotman: Point Lorenzo, Madeira, 1828 →

Turner in Italy: Rome from Mount Aventine, 1836

This article gives some thought to a major painting by J.M.W.Turner, Rome from Mount Aventine, sold at Sotheby’s, London, on 3 December 2014 for £30.3m. Most previous accounts have accepted its topography more-or-less at face value: It turns out to be intriguingly deviant. I spent most of my teaching career extolling the imperative of drawing. … Continue reading Turner in Italy: Rome from Mount Aventine, 1836 →

In Ruskin’s Footsteps: the Balconies of Bellinzona

In November 2012 I made a short site visit to the southern Swiss town of Bellinzona. It stands at the entrance to the Ticino valley above Locarno and for centuries served as the southern gateway to the St Gotthard Pass, controlling traffic between northern Italy, especially Lago Maggiore, Milan and Turin, and northern Switzerland including … Continue reading In Ruskin’s Footsteps: the Balconies of Bellinzona →

In Ruskin’s Footsteps at Bellinzona

This article identifies the exact subject of one of John Ruskin's most highly regarded Alpine watercolours. The Swiss town of Bellinzona guards the southern entrance to the Alps from Lake Maggiore, and commands the St Gotthard route from Italy to the north. In 1858 Ruskin found there one of the most important subjects of his … Continue reading In Ruskin’s Footsteps at Bellinzona →

In Ruskin’s Footsteps: Three newly identified architectural subjects at Lucerne

At the end of May I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Lucerne and explore in the footsteps of John Ruskin. Among the subjects that particularly interested me were three unidentified architectural drawings. On the face of it, the chances of identifying their subjects seemed remote. Two drawings record individual timbered buildings … Continue reading In Ruskin’s Footsteps: Three newly identified architectural subjects at Lucerne →

Turner on the Rhine: Binger Loch and Mausethurm

On 10 July 2014 Christie’s in London will sell a Turner watercolour of Binger Loch and Mausethurm (lot 214, estimate £200,000 – 300,000). This is one of a series of fifty-one* watercolours that Turner made in 1817 when he made a tour of the river Rhine between Cologne and Mainz. On Turner’s return the whole … Continue reading Turner on the Rhine: Binger Loch and Mausethurm →

Turner at Sisteron: The Pont du Buech, looking west

This article is the third to explore Turner’s Sisteron subjects in the light of my recent visit to the site. Here I focus on a watercolour in the collection of the Museum of Rhode Island School of Design that records the view of the Pont du Buech from the west. The bridge spans the river … Continue reading Turner at Sisteron: The Pont du Buech, looking west →

Turner at Sisteron: Continued Observations

This article extends the exploration of Turner’s Sisteron subjects in the light of a recent visit 12-14 April. In particular I focus on a watercolour of Sisteron from the North-West that was sold at Christie’s, New York, on 5 November 2013. This was the occasion of my earlier article ‘Moonlight and its implications: Turner at … Continue reading Turner at Sisteron: Continued Observations →

Turner at Sisteron: Further Observations

This article furthers the discussion begun in the article ‘Moonlight and its Implications: Turner at Sisteron’, posted on 8 November 2013. This follows a visit to the site on 12-14 April to verify the phenomenon depicted in a Turner watercolour of 'Sisteron from the North-West'. The effect in this watercolour is that of the setting … Continue reading Turner at Sisteron: Further Observations →