Philip Guston at Tate Modern, London

The tondo - from the Italian word for round, rotondo - is a circular painting or sculpture that became popular during the Italian Renaissance. Utilised by the likes of Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and the Della Robbia family to mostly represent religious subjects like the Madonna anche child, this format epitomised harmony and unity.

That is until, in 1937, 24-year-old Philip Guston painted 'Bombardment' in response to the news of the fascist bombings of civilians during the Spanish Civil War. Guston borrows the tondo to show the full horror of those atrocities creating a vortex of human figures and debris that appear to be ejected from the centre of the picture plane toward its edge by the devastating impact of the bombs being dropped. The artist leaves nothing to the imagination and, like Picasso did in Guernica, made in the same year, he paints a mother who holds her possibly dead child in her arms like the serene Madonnas of the Renaissance. It is all rather painfully relevant under the current circumstances.

The show at Tate Modern is a dizzying survey that takes you on Guston's journey from figurative art to abstract expressionism and, finally, illustrates his return to representational art and the visual triumph that is his oddly poignant cartoonish style.

#philipguston #tatemodern #london #figurativeart #painting #blog #artblog #beyondthecanvasblog

Philip Guston

Bombardment, 1937

© The Estate of Philip Guston

On World AIDS Day

New York City-born Frank Moore (1953-2002) was a visual artist and an activist who was involved in the creation of the Red Ribbon, which to this day symbolises support for everyone affected by HIV-AIDS. Following his HIV diagnosis, Moore's work became increasingly autobiographic, often focusing on the representation of AIDS-related issues. I am fascinated by his paintings, which combine colourful dreamscapes with an uncompromising awareness of the dark reality of his condition.

In 2022, there were an estimated 39 million people living with HIV, a staggering 23% of which have no access to treatment. In the same year, 630 000 people died from HIV-related causes and 1.3 million people have become newly infected. Since the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s, the virus has claimed more than 40 million lives.

For every like this post gets, I will donate £2 to Positive East, a London-based organisation that offers a comprehensive range of HIV support and prevention services. Like away!

#worldaidsday #whatisrememberedlives #aidsawareness #frankmoore #contemporaryart #blog #artblog #beyondthecanvasblog

© Frank Moore (1953-2002)

Pearline, 1991

Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York

Irreconcilable truce

"The Keffieh is full of poetic and political symbolism. The fishnet pattern is a symbol of collectivism and is often interpreted as the joining of hands and the olive leaf on the border, for me, symbolises peace. Also, since the 60s, the Keffieh becamea potent symbol of the Palestinian cause and was also adopted by students,anti-war and anti-imperialist movements so it became a symbol of solidarity amongst all these movements." - Mona Hatoum

We are approaching the final hours of a six-day truce during which hostages and detainees are being released and humanitarian convoys are being allowed into Gaza. It took 47 days to reach this agreement and all I can think about is what is going to happen when this truce comes to an end.

Since October 7, the latest death toll stands at 15,093 Palestinians, with at least 1,200 Israelis killed. Every hour in Gaza 42 bombs are dropped killing 15 people, 6 of them children. So, no, a truce may be a welcome breakthrough, but it cannot be enough.

#monahatoum #palestine #gaza #truce #ceasefire #savethechildren #keffieh #blog #blogger #beyondthecanvasblog

Keffieh (detail), 1993–99

Human hair on cotton fabric

© Mona Hatoum