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’.
Art as Therapy
Art galleries normally organize their hangs on chronological, historical, or thematic principles, and the labels which guide our looking follow established art-historical priorities and help to determine our response. Ronald Clayton, a members of the Friends comittee,...
Artwork of the Month – July 2020
Egyptian Head Disappearing into Descending Clouds (1961) by David Hockney Peter Miller, President of the Friends, writes about this preparatory oil sketch by David Hockney, which was acquired by the Gallery in 1999, with financial support from the Friends.
Dudley Holland: The Artist and the Man
Dr Richard Keesing, who has a long association with the Friends, writes with great enthusiasm about the life and works of a favourite painter of his, Dudley Holland (1915-1956), who for a short time was Principal of York Art School. The Gallery has a fine example of...
Q&A: Lesley Birch
Lesley Birch, York-based painter, discusses her work and influences
The Portrait of Monsignor Agucchi in York Art Gallery
This essay, by Charles Martindale, Interim Chair of the Friends, is concerned with a painting in the Gallery, The Portrait of Monsignor Agucchi, but it broadens out into discussion of some more general issues: problems of attribution; changing tastes; and the nature...
Q&A: Jake Attree
Jake Attree, an artist based in Yorkshire, discusses his work
Artwork of the Month – June 2020
The John Cheere Busts in York Art Gallery (mid 18th century). Above the stairs in York Art Gallery, on the left as you go up, there are a number of 18th-century portrait busts. Moira Fulton here explains what these are, and how they come to be in the Gallery.
Q&A: Judith Glover, ceramicist
Judith Glover, ceramic artist and former secretary of the Firends, talks about her artistic practice and creative influences.
Artwork of the Month – May 2020
Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball, William Etty (1787 -1849). The painter most closely associated with the City of York is William Etty, whose statue stands outside the Art Gallery, and who is buried in St Olave’s Churchyard. Margaret May, a member of the Friends'...
Artwork of the Month – April 2020
Study for ‘Nameless and Friendless’ by Emily Mary Osborn (1828-1925). Dorothy Nott, a former Chair of the Friends, writes about a remarkable small painting in the Gallery's collection. 'Nameless and Friendless' was painted as a study for a larger work, which was...