Art in Focus – June 2022

28/05/2022 | Reform

Picking OlivesSliman Mansouroil on canvas, 1988

I was balancing in an olive tree, wielding a stick, beating the branches to bring the olives bouncing down onto a large ground sheet. At lunchtime I sat with the Palestinian family round a … Read More

Art in Focus – April 2022

28/03/2022 | Reform

Detail from The lamentation over the dead Christ with saints,Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, also known as Sandro Botticelli(a nickname meaning ‘little barrel’), 1499-1500

Is there a better depiction of devotion and love, of the need to cherish and … Read More

Art in Focus – March 2022

25/02/2022 | Reform

Black SquareKazimir MalevichOil on linen, 1915Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

A painting that is simply a black square. Really? This work by Kazimir Malevich caused an uproar when it was first shown in 1915. The plain black canvas (albeit now with a … Read More

Art in Focus – February 2022

28/01/2022 | Reform

Maundy ThursdayMalcolm Doney, 2019

Covid has been awful, alienating, and tragic for some but, as we’ve slowly begun to realise, it has had a few beneficial effects as well. We’ve recognised our dependence on one another and on public services. … Read More

Art in Focus – October 2021

24/09/2021 | Reform

RefugeeKate Green, charcoal on paperwww.katecgreen.wordpress.com

She stands quietly, her gaze slightly to one side. Behind her a stormy sky, a smudgy moon and light in the distance, which could be a happier time but could equally be the livid light … Read More

Art in Focus – September 2021

31/08/2021 | Reform

‘Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose’Marcus Rashford, 2021Mural by AKSE P19 www.akse-p19.com

This wall mural of Marcus Rashford in Manchester is by now a familiar image – almost an icon. Street … Read More