This week's art highlights showcase a diverse range of exhibitions spanning from contemporary maritime installations to classical Venetian paintings, offering viewers everything from deep-sea environmental commentary to personal explorations of millennial masculinity.
The standout exhibition of the week features Anna Boghiguian's "The Sunken Boat: A Glimpse Into Past Histories" at Turner Contemporary in Margate, running until October 26. This compelling installation incorporates decayed and broken boats, puppet-like figures, and sand to create what organizers describe as a "salty installation" that explores the sea as a crucial space in world history. The exhibition presents maritime themes through an artistic lens that connects past and present oceanic narratives.
Other notable contemporary exhibitions include Emma Critchley's "Soundings" at Tate St Ives, which runs until October 5. This multimedia presentation features dancers, deep-sea fish, and Pacific activists in a video and sound installation that addresses the current state of the world's oceans. Meanwhile, the Glynn Vivian Gallery in Swansea presents "Cliffs, Coves and Cockles: Picturing Gower" through August 31, featuring works by renowned artists including Ceri Richards and Cedric Morris that capture the romantic beauty of the Gower peninsula.
At Jupiter Artland near Edinburgh, Guy Oliver presents "Millennial Prayer" until September 28, where the artist, born in 1982, explores themes of masculinity and identity as a first-generation millennial. Additionally, Jess Blandford's exhibition at Southwark Park Galleries in London, running until September 21, offers "Tender" - a collection of sensual, poetic abstract paintings designed to add artistic depth to a park visit.
This week's featured photograph comes from Dutch photographer Merlin Daleman, who captured a striking street scene outside a sandwich shop in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, in June 2017. The image was taken one year after the UK voted to leave the European Union, as part of Daleman's broader project documenting street life across Britain's four nations. His work captures the humor, warmth, fortitude, and sense of community found in what are often described as "left behind" towns.
Significant art world developments this week include news that the Trump administration's anti-woke campaign is now targeting seven Smithsonian museums. In preservation news, Barbara Hepworth's "Sculpture With Colour" has been successfully saved for the nation. Literary connections to visual art were highlighted through revelations that Jenny Saville's paintings significantly influenced the life and work of novelist Douglas Stuart.
The art community also mourned the passing of Joe Caroff, the designer responsible for the iconic 007 logo and numerous memorable film posters. Cultural recognition expanded with acknowledgment of how Black British women have transformed the fashion landscape in the United Kingdom. International artistic activism was represented through news of an embroidery project in Mexico that honors the victims of femicides.
The week's masterpiece spotlight falls on Francesco Guardi's "View of the Venetian Lagoon With the Tower of Malghera," created in the 1770s and currently housed at the National Gallery in London. This remarkable painting presents a still, warm view of Venice's lagoon, featuring delicate cloud traceries against a blue sky and a mistiness that creates gentle, soft sunlight - making it an ideal artwork for contemplation during lazy summer days.
However, art experts note that this seemingly placid work contains revolutionary elements that were a century ahead of its time. Guardi's atmospheric treatment of light and his perception of sky and water merging anticipate the techniques later perfected by French Impressionists, particularly Claude Monet. Like Monet's work, this painting reveals hidden depths upon closer examination, with the atmosphere subtly changing to suggest approaching evening or perhaps an incoming storm, while reality itself appears to melt at the edges, creating a dreamlike quality that invites viewers to lose themselves in the scene.
