Search our collection of articles on art and artists
To search our collection for articles of interest, use the search window on this page or browse the entries below. These may be write-ups of Artwork of the Month talks or occasional essays written by members of the Friends. There are also a number of Q&A’s with curators and artists which can be found by searching for ‘Q&A’.
H.19 (Canticle) by John Golding
Artwork of the Month for August 2121 is a 20th-century abstract painting from York Art Gallery's collection. Intriguingly titled H. 19 (Canticle), the work is by the artist John Golding (1929-2012), who was also an art historian, curator, and educator. Professor...
The Lamp by Amy B Atkinson
Peter Gibbard, former Chair of the Friends of York Art Gallery, has chosen an evocative study of the use of light as his Artwork of the Month. 'The Lamp' is an oil painting by a little-known woman artist, Amy Beatrice Atkinson (1859-1816), who led an interesting life...
‘Refreshing the Weary’ by Robert Hannah
Artwork of the Month for July 2021 is Refreshing the Weary by Robert Hannah (1812-1909). Richard Green, Curator of York Art Gallery from 1977 to 2003, explores the fascinating details of one of the collection’s finest Victorian paintings of a modern-life subject and...
Early history of York School of Design
Simon Spier, a former bursary student of the Friends, has recently published research into the early history of York School of Design. Established in 1842, the school was one of the first provincial branches of the Government School of Design which was set up with the...
Portrait by Parmigianino
The Portrait of a Young Man with a Book by Parmigianino is our Artwork of the Month for May 2021. The painting is a treasure of the Gallery's collection and a significant example of the work of this great artist. It is also a personal favourite of Anne Hall, a...
Artist Q&A: Ealish Wilson textiles artist
Ealish Wilson is a York-based textiles artist whose work is created with traditional skills such as smocking and pleating and complemented by the tools of modern technology like digital printing. Here she is in conversation with Judith Glover, former Secretary of the...
Portrait of Charlotte Fitzroy
Artwork of the Month for April 2021 is one of the highlights of the Gallery collection, the portrait, by Sir Peter Lely, of Charlotte Fitzroy, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles II. The child is shown accompanied by an unidentified page boy. The painting was...
Stafford Pottery Plaque
Artwork of the Month for March 2021 is an earthenware plaque which is on display in the Wall of Pots at York Art Gallery. Sammi Scott, a PHD student at the University of York, explores how this unassuming tile relates to a complex history of copies, forgeries,...
Artist Q&A: Angus Vasili, printmaker
Angus Vasili is a York-based artist and printmaker whose work combines the abstractions of printmaking with the monumental forms of modern architecture. Here he describes his artistic practice to Judith Glover, a former Secretary of the Friends.
Wentworth Woodhouse Centaurs
Peter Brown, formerly Director of Fairfax House, York, writes about two beautiful sculptures in the Gallery's collection, the Wentworth Woodhouse Centaurs. Almost certainly the work of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, they were acquired by the Marquis of Rockingham in 1761 and...