Visual & Decorative Arts Blog

The elegant figures and geometrical, bold designs of Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990) – better known by the French pronunciation of his initials, Erté – are instantly recognisable and have left a lasting legacy in the art and fashion industries. Much of Erté's success stems from the sheer range of materials his works encompass, with his sinuous shapes and vibrant designs gracing not only magazine covers and book illustrations, but also jewellery, furniture, textiles, stage sets and costumes. Hailed as 'the father of Art Deco', the designer produced more than twenty thousand designs during his long life, and as a keen experimenter, he was growing in fame and continuing to sample new mediums for his art well into his nineties. Today we'll be taking a tour of the myriad forms his iconic, sleek designs took and how his eagerness to learn new techniques kept him and his work at the forefront of the design world.

Even when he was just a teenager, Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) showed signs of great talent. He was 14 years old when a relative encouraged him to take the examination for entering the Kunstgewerbeschule (the Viennese School of Applied Art) under the tutelage of principal Rudolf Eitelberger von Edelberg who believed in the idea of a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total art work in which all forms of art would be united and equally respected. This credo is omnipresent in Klimt's tremendous pieces of work that combine painting, metalworking and crafts to create the unique, transcendent style we know him for.

Street art – or grafitti – has got to be the quintessential art for the masses. It is free to view as part of our environment, is often created by self-taught artists and is a global, democratic phenomenon. These artists want to paint about issues important to all of us, about real life, about visceral, emotional views and feelings that strike at the heart of what it is to be part of society. It is ephemeral art that is in continual development and flux, reflecting the changing nature of life and society and thus has long been a source of politically motivated messages, representing criticism, resistance and anger – it can be a powerful tool in such cases.

Helen Oxenbury (born in 1938) was the stuff of great illustration art from a very early age, according to her father at least. He was the first to encourage his daughter as he saw great talent in the sketches she would pile up in their home in Felixstowe, England.

For full-on spectacle, our 2016 calendar made in conjunction with the Royal Observatory Greenwich is right up there. Boasting the sensational shots of talented photographers from around the world, we've compiled twelve of the most stunning images of the night sky around. Today's blog shows off a few of these incredible shots, plus comes with a bit of info on how you might capture your own.

The much-loved world of Moominvalley and its rich set of characters have captured the imagination and hearts of generations of children and adults alike. Our previous blogposts have covered the development of the comic strip by the endlessly creative Tove Jannson, and also celebrated the release and initial reviews of the feature film Moomins on the Riviera. In this post we’re going to explore a little of what makes Jansson’s quirky illustrated characters so universally charming, and see how these unique drawings are still able to communicate with their audience today.

Full Moon at Seba, c. 1837−42

In our last blog we talked about the origins of Japanese woodblocks and ukiyo art. We ended with the foundation of the Utagawa School, which was where Hiroshige, one of the greatest masters of woodblock art, took his first steps.

This year celebrates the 800^th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. As an emblem of freedom and people’s rights, it is an object steeped in significance, with a relevance well beyond its time and place. Describing the document’s birth as a ‘practical solution to a political crisis’, the British Library’s recent exhibition celebrated the historical repercussions since the 13^th century document was first sealed.

The Art Deco movement reached its apotheosis in the 1920s and 1930s. Instead of taking roots in historical influences it became an embodiment of the modern and the contemporary. Art Deco was originally synonymous with a luxury that limited it to the higher social classes, however mass production soon made it available to the middle classes that were emerging at the time. The style really took off in the United States but it was also the first truly global fashion, having found its way into all forms of design and into societies all over the world.

In the 20^th century the power of the propaganda poster was unprecedented. Art pieces were plastered around cities, reinforcing the ideals of political regimes, especially those of communist parties found in Russia and China.