Visual Art
savour: THE FALacé WALLS: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM The Royal Museum, Edinburgh, until Sun 5 November .0000
Behind closed doors, in a dimly lit back room, The Royal Museum boasts a vast display of Islamic treasures running from 7th Century Early Islam up to the early 20th Century. All are on loan from the State Hermitage Museum, Russia. Many have never been seen outside Russia, so this is a rare viewing opportunity indeed.
The displays are coupled with dense informative wall texts which, though time consuming, greatly enhance the viewing experience so are worth wading through. Beginning with a careful description of the key principles of Islam, the exhibition opens out into a packed space exploring the many styles produced under the dynasties that occupied Islam through the centuries. Also explained in detail are the shifting boundaries of Islamic rule and the fluctuating cultural and political relationships between continents.
In the centre a striking green and red Ottoman Army tent dominates the room. Allegedly stolen from the Turkish élite by Russian troops, it is one of the few works viewers can stand right up close to. The inside is constructed from patches of clashing intricate, linear embroideries which intentionally echoed the decadently adorned Ottoman palace walls; one can only wonder at their lavish lifestyles.
The exhibition follows Islamic tastes from desiring ‘all things Chinese’, particularly ceramics and textiles in the 8th century to the ‘Europeanisation’ of the 17th-20th centuries. Examples of miniature paintings explore western theories of Chiaroscuro and perspective including the exquisite 19th century Iranian watercolour, “Portrait of a man with a book’. 18th century pen cases coated in layers of Chinese style resin depict painted landscapes influenced by Jan van Eyck, displayed beside a similar set of adorned playing cards. Small paintings were later abandoned for western large portraits like those of extravagantly dressed 18th century
What was in your head by Smith/Stewart
Stitll l‘ithE _ rr\Sl,»'\'. LATION AND Flt. M THREAD - GROUP SHOW lngleby Gallery, until Sat 9 Sep
Thread takes as a starting; pornt the role of art in its rmmedrate envrronment, the effect a work has on the space around rt. All art, of course. Impacts on rts surrturridlnas. but the arsparate gang of artists gathered here are all placed at the centre of then practice. Some do so wrth restraint. The micro-mrnrmalrst copper squares of Carl Andre set to be shown here barely Impose themselves on the room. working wrth negalne space as much as posrtrve. Richard Wright's delicate \‘tr;t|l»tlr.t\vrrrus. erased at the exhrbrtron's end. blend precrsron and rmpermanenee. Others do not tread so auretly. John McCracken makes lavishly- lrnrshed constructions. polished to a sheen and questing towards perfection. These pieces are not so much rmposrng as SllllDIV there. concerned wrth the rdea ot a form as much as rts pinsrcal manrfestatron.
krlt‘Craeken's work \‘.’l|| likely make a good match mth the rnstallatrons of Davrd Batchelor. whose rather ramshackle. softly rriumrnated boxes. offer a very tlrtterent approach to and use of colour. More playfully. Cornelia Parker's hanging coffee pot calls to mrna‘ the krnettt‘ sculptures of the master of the mobrle. Alexander Calder. Hrs short rrrm. ‘C'r'cus'. 2n \.'.hrCh the artrst rmproxrses a show wrth hrs Wrre-tr'ame models or animals and perrerrrrers. cal! be scr'eer‘eo here.
Frnallx. thrs theme rs lrkely to resonate at lngleby Gallery more than rt nurght rn a tradrtronal whrte Cube — the gallery rtself, a domestic space replete vath fireplaces and eor'nrcrng challenges the trewer's asswnptrons abow the space it“. when work rs shown. rJ-ack Mottramr
70 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE .S—‘a‘
( ¢ ‘L
.I .- ,.’." .s 5"; - #:1599573: (ex‘tu 'J— x
Iranian tile
Qajar leader Fath Ali Shah. hung on the back wall, whose luminous dark rimmed eyes follow you round the room.
This exhibition respectfully values the relationship between culture and artifact with explanatory texts for every single object. Though the historical information is exhaustive and more than one visit may be required to take it all in, this is a fascinating glimpse into the astounding workmanship and design produced by this opulent and intellectual culture. (Rosie Lesso)
PAINTING ANNE REDPATH AND THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL City Art Centre, until Sun 22 October
Heralded as one of the frrtesst Scottish parnters of the 130th century, Anne Redpath, her Me and work, are long overdue a regrsrtatron. [*xlllllrtlrlr; personal belongrngs and ep'rernera from her stadrr, alongsrrle her sensuous still rites and landscapes. the show offers a biographrcal readrrrr; of her work lhrt, mrdht be somethrnd of a challenge gr.en Redpath's predgleraron for contradictron and rdrosynCracy: The daughter of a stern tweed designer, as well as a woman known for her vIVrd palette Redpath was a fement protestant enarhoured wrth the Catholic rco tographv an and traveller who marntarneo her strong patrrotrsrn And. despite her paSSroh for her '.'.rork. thrs hrdhly pr'olrfzs, artist even gave up the brush for 1:3 years.
Reflecting these eccentrrcrtres as; well as more subtle nuances of a dradrrall; perfected style. parntrngs by Redpath are flanked by rgarwases of content;)or'arres from Edrnbur'gh - ‘r/‘v’rliram Cro/rer, ‘.’.’rl.rarn Melagmert and erlrarn Grllres. The four were part of a large." group of artrsts who air attended l-drnburdn College of Art at the trme of the First World War; rnfluencrrig one arl’;tl‘er rn a shared vrbrant style of non-naturalrstzc space and coloar. Reopath was; ergnrfrcanl rn the (your, for develcprng bold and luxtrrrous textures ~ ner abstracted rrnpasto carrres the confidence of Mattrsse out with a rrgght suffused st,rle of Bonnar'l. Portrayrnd the back of a seated r—enrgrnatrr; ferm'e figure :ra/rrr:; out from a balcony .rsta. '\.’Vrdows rn Menton' operts up onto a lar‘dscape that shows us warm dust‘, of colour and an artrst's ‘.rew of the world dappied rn rrdht. llsla Leaver/at»
t" ‘.