Articles
Painting
RA Exhibitions
7 months ago
The truth in Francis Bacon’s work
Ahead of the exhibition ‘Francis Bacon: Man and Beast’ Jenny Saville RA reflects on the profound impact Bacon has had on her life and work.
Artists
10 months ago
Nature and myth in art
Author, classicist and comedian, Natalie Haynes, explores the theme of nature in classical mythology, from Bernini and Giambattista Tiepolo, to John William Waterhouse RA.
RA Exhibitions
10 months ago
How to paint ‘en plein air’ like Hockney and Constable
David Hockney works outdoors to capture his vibrant spring scenes – in a tradition that goes right back to Constable and the masters of the 18th century. Artist and tutor Andy Pankhurst shares some tips to get you started…
Our Collection
> 1 year ago
In 60 seconds: Waterhouse’s ‘A Mermaid’
Spend 60 seconds exploring the dark mythology behind John William Waterhouse RA’s ‘A Mermaid’.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Virtual tour – Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul
Explore the dark territories and raw emotions distilled in the artworks of Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch in this virtual tour of our landmark exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
In 60 seconds: Lisa Wright’s ‘Porcelain Gaze’
From Thetford forest to the Medici Venus, unmask the influences behind the work of painter and sculptor, Lisa Wright.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
10 works on grief and loneliness by Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch
From ‘My Bed’ to ‘The Scream’, Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch are two artists who are able to distill pure, raw emotion into their works. Here are 10 that encapsulate those feelings of anxiety, grief and loneliness.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
From Manet to Morisot: 10 Impressionist paintings coming to the UK for the first time
Wilhelm Hansen scoured 20th-century Paris collecting Impressionist paintings – even buying one from his dentist. Now, these paintings are coming to the UK for the first time in Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: watch Picasso make a masterpiece
Filmed in 1956, ‘Le Mystère Picasso’ is a documentary capturing Picasso in full creative flow. Three of the works he’s seen making in the film are now the walls of the RA, in ‘Picasso and Paper’ – watch how one of them came to be, in this short film…
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: meet insomniac artist Léon Spilliaert
Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert was an insomniac. He wandered the streets of Brussels at night in search of inspiration. In this video, delve into the solitude and mystery that encompasses the artist’s evocative paintings.
Opinion
4 years ago
Body of evidence: a fresh look at Freud and Bacon’s early careers
The two figurative artists are at the centre of Tate Britain’s ‘All Too Human’ exhibition, but they haven’t always been so favoured. Here we look back to a time when a young Bacon and Freud were much ignored.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Podcast round-up – Charles I: King and Collector
Catch up with recordings of events surrounding our exhibition reuniting the extraordinary art collection of Charles I.
RA Recommends
> 4 years ago
Think you know Surrealism? Meet Egypt’s radical dreamers
Salvador Dalí may have made Surrealism famous, but an overlooked group of artists, writers and activists in 1940s Cairo made the movement their own. Here we look at their pioneering work, currently on show at Tate Liverpool.
RA Recommends
> 4 years ago
“Now it is out”: the 1930s painting that declared lesbian love
In 1936 British artist Gluck painted herself and her lover in a radical depiction of same-sex partnership. With a show at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery exploring her life and work, we look at the story behind the painting.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Sex, death and religion in Jasper Johns’s ‘Dancers on a Plane’
A tribute to the artist’s lifelong choreographer friend, this painting is full of symbols and allusions that aren’t immediately clear. Here, art historian Simon Wilson takes a close look at the work’s testicles, cutlery and fancy footwork.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Podcast round-up: Dalí / Duchamp
Catch up with our events surrounding the exhibition, from an introductory talk by exhibition co-curator Professor Dawn Ades CBE FBA, to a close look at a key work from the show – Dalí’s ‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross’.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Jasper Johns: 10 works to know
Over the past six decades, Jasper Johns’s paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints have left an indelible mark on art. With the RA showing a major survey of his practice to date, here’s a closer look at ten of his key works.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Podcast: Brice Marden and Gary Hume RA in conversation with Tim Marlow
The two artists discuss their new work and the status of painting today, in a discussion chaired by the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Jasper Johns: “Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it.”
This month the RA celebrates Jasper Johns as one of America’s greatest living artists – here art historian Barbara Rose explores the complex transformations of objects and images throughout his work.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Matisse’s studio: “an interior world of his own making”
With our Matisse in the Studio exhibition now open, Nicholas Watkins reveals the artist’s working practice – orchestrating objects and models in his French ateliers to explore colour, line and space.
Artists
5 years ago
Eileen Cooper: “Artists love to say they’re unique. We’re not”
With two solo shows this year, her final months as the Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools and the job of coordinating this year’s Summer Exhibition, it’s a busy time for Eileen Cooper. In the latest in our ‘As I see it’ series, the artist talks bad reviews, good dogs, and what she’ll do once all this work is done.
Artists
5 years ago
Podcast: Maggi Hambling in conversation with Tim Marlow
Painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling discusses her work with the RA’s Artistic Director, Tim Marlow.
Artists
> 5 years ago
Olwyn Bowey RA on painting, prizes and botanics
Working from her garden studio in Sussex, painter Olwyn Bowey RA has tenaciously pursued her interest in the natural world over many decades, and the results are continuing to bear fruit.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Video: In the studio with David Hockney RA
David Hockney RA talks to curator Edith Devaney about his Royal Academy exhibition ‘82 Portraits and 1 Still-life’.
Our Collection
< 6 years ago
Artist of the month: July 2016
A French-born painter famed for his detailed naval scenes, the artist had an adventurous early life, before returning to England in the 1750s to embark upon a successful artistic career and become a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768.
RA Recommends
6 years ago
The poetry of paint: an interview with Etel Adnan
For Etel Adnan, art world success came late – in her eighties. Anna Coatman met the writer and painter in Paris ahead of a major show in London.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
The portrait debate: Giorgione or Titian?
Who painted this young Venetian nobleman? When it comes to Giorgione, questions of attribution have divided opinion for centuries. We invited two experts to argue it out – read both sides then cast your vote.
Artists
> 6 years ago
How I made it, by Ken Howard RA
“I knew I had to paint it in winter,” says Ken Howard. The artist tells us how he became hooked on painting this Chelsea Square, why he had to paint it quickly and when he knew it was done.
Artists
> 6 years ago
Painting their life: Diana Armfield and Bernard Dunstan
Royal Academician Diana Armfield tells us about a creative partnership that has stood the test of time.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Jean-Etienne Liotard: a beginner’s guide
Who was Jean-Etienne Liotard? We introduce one of the most idiosyncratic figures of the 18th century, a master portrait-painter whose works are characterised by their warts-and-all realism and technical virtuosity.
Artists
> 6 years ago
Fred Cuming RA: portrait of an artist
Fred Cuming RA reflects on his long career as a painter in this short film, shot in and around his East Sussex home.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
James Ensor: a beginner’s guide
In 2016 the RA celebrates the life and work of James Ensor, whose macabre paintings of crowds and carnivals made him one of Belgium’s most prominent artists of the early twentieth century.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Giorgione’s Venice: a beginner’s guide
Coming to the RA this spring are iconic works by Giorgione, Dürer, Bellini, Titian and more, in a celebration of Venetian painting in the early 16th century. Here are six key insights into one of the most influential moments in art history.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Abstract Expressionism: a beginner’s guide
Autumn 2016 sees a landmark exhibition of Abstract Expressionism taking place in the main galleries at the Royal Academy.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Six of the best: artist-gardeners
In 2016, the Royal Academy explores the influence that gardens exerted on the evolution of art from the 1860s to the 1920s. Here we pick out six of the greatest artist-gardeners from ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’.
Opinion
< 7 years ago
Is it essential to see a painting in the flesh?
Does our perception of a painting rely on the electricity of human encounter? This week’s writers battle it out. Read both sides then vote below…
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Richard Diebenkorn: inside the show
Take a look inside our Richard Diebenkorn exhibition in these short videos presented by the exhibition’s curators.
Artists
7 years ago
Hughie O’Donoghue RA: “painting is archaeology in reverse”
The Royal Academician explains how the nature of memory and a sense of place are driving forces in his latest series of paintings.
Artists
> 7 years ago
Anish Kapoor’s new paintings at Lisson Gallery
The Royal Academician explains how his new series of paintings in silicone and resin have a close connection to his blockbuster 2009 show at the RA.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Notes to myself: Diebenkorn’s 10 rules for painting
Sometime in his later career, Diebenkorn wrote down ten points of artistic intention. Sharing them here, we also begin a new series of notes, asking artists to share their own creative wisdom.
Artists
> 7 years ago
In Memoriam: William Bowyer RA
Mick Rooney remembers his fellow Academician, the painter William Bowyer, who has died aged 88.
Our Collection
> 7 years ago
Artist of the month: March 2015
A key figure in the revival of line engraving in the 1920s, Stanley Anderson RA (1884–1966) is best known for his series of prints memorialising England’s vanishing rural crafts.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Painting on the threshold: Ian McKeever RA on Diebenkorn and abstraction
As the Academy celebrates the American master, painter Ian McKeever RA explores Richard Diebenkorn’s profound inquiry into the nature of abstraction.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Barbara Rae RA on Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn has long been hailed as a ‘painter’s painter’. Here, Barbara Rae RA reflects on the impression he made upon her when they met.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Richard Diebenkorn: a beginner’s guide
This March the RA celebrates the fascinating career of Richard Diebenkorn, one of the great twentieth-century masters of American painting.
Artists
> 7 years ago
Remembering Ivor Abrahams RA
Past President of the RA Phillip King pays tribute to his friend and colleague Ivor Abrahams RA, who has died aged 79.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Peter Paul Rubens: a beginner’s guide
The influence of the Flemish Baroque master can be seen across art history, from the portraits of Van Dyck to the prints of Picasso. Here’s a quick intro to “the prince of painters”.
Artists
> 7 years ago
The wizard of Oxfordshire: in the studio with Mick Rooney RA
Behind garage doors at his Cotswolds home, Mick Rooney RA conjures a magical world on canvas.
Opinion
> 7 years ago
Grayson Perry RA’s portraits of Britain
The Royal Academician’s major exhibition in London turns to us, the people of modern Britain, unveiling 14 new portraits that spotlight the complexities behind our identity.
Artists
> 7 years ago
Tess Jaray RA reads from ‘The Blue Cupboard’
The Royal Academician shares a chapter from her new memoir.
Our Collection
> 7 years ago
Explore the John Madejski Fine Rooms rehang
Learn more about some of the highlights of our Collection that have recently gone on show in the John Madejski Fine Rooms.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Rubens and His Legacy: the story so far
Our upcoming Rubens show is the first major exhibition to look at the Flemish master’s influence on four centuries of art history. We caught up with curator Arturo Galansino to learn about the genesis of the show.
Artists
< 8 years ago
10 minutes with… Frank Bowling RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Opinion
< 8 years ago
Painting the mystery
We take a look at the latest work from the President of the RA, whose paintings embrace the transcendent powers of abstraction.
Artists
< 8 years ago
Behind the scenes: Anselm Kiefer’s studio at Barjac
In the lead-up to his major RA exhibition this autumn, we take a look inside the artist’s huge “gesamtkunstwerk” in the south of France.
RA Exhibitions
< 8 years ago
Carlos Cruz-Diez in conversation
The legendary Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez discusses his experiments with colour and movement, and how he engages viewers with his art.
Opinion
8 years ago
Mondrian squared
Two shows shine a new light on the Dutch modern master’s work.
RA Exhibitions
8 years ago
Modern Art of South America comes to the RA
How does an art movement travel to a new continent? As the RA’s ‘Radical Geometry’ opens, Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro maps the cultural and political changes that were crucial to the development of abstraction in South America.
Artists
> 8 years ago
Living colour
We visit the converted stable where the nonagenarian artist Alan Davie RA creates his jewel-like paintings.
Our Collection
> 8 years ago
Object of the month: February 2014
Terry Setch painted ‘Smoked Out’ for the exhibition Images of Paradise held at Harewood House, Yorkshire, in 1989. The exhibition was organised by Survival International, a group dedicated to protecting the lives, culture, and land of tribal peoples.
Our Collection
> 8 years ago
Artist of the month: February 2014
George Frederic Watts RA was an influential and pre-eminent painter during his own lifetime. He became known for his portraiture and his Symbolist allegorical paintings, frequently depicting scenes from mythology, history, literature, and the Bible.
Opinion
> 8 years ago
Making Painting
A new exhibition at Margate’s Turner Contemporary pairs Abstract Expressionist Helen Frankenthaler with JMW Turner
Our Collection
> 8 years ago
Object of the month: January 2014
Joseph Farquharson RA was a landscape painter who was celebrated for his winter scenes, which he infused with a strong sense of atmosphere and mood.
Our Collection
> 8 years ago
Artist of the month: January 2014
Robert Anning Bell presented ‘The Women Going to the Sepulchre’ to the Royal Academy as his diploma work on his election as a Royal Academician in 1922.
RA Exhibitions
> 9 years ago
George Bellows: New York knock-out
New York at the start of the 20th century was a hotbed of explosive urbanisation. The RA’s exhibition of Bellow’s work explores the idea of painting from raw experience.