Summer Exhibitions

Unfortunately due to family responsibilities I wasn't able to make it to the degree show, although I have seen photos of a few of the works which I really like.

I did however, see a couple of other exhibitions which I think would be interesting to share. The barbican art gallery housed a surrealist exhibition appropriately titled 'Surreal House'. It was a labyrinth of rooms showcasing films, art works and sculptures from the masters of the surrealist movement.

In one dark room I came across engravings of tradesmen by french artist, Nicholas de Larmessin, titled 'Habit de[...]'. Each title ended with an appropriate description of the surreal characters trade.

The copper plate engravings are from 'Les costumes grotesques et les metiers' or the 'Fancy Trade Costumes' series. In the series, over 70 artisans are dressed in the materials of their occupation, in this case [left] the tools of a gardener; aptly titled 'Habit de Jardinier'.

Nicolas de Larmessin II is one member of a family of printmakers and booksellers, many with the same name, leading to much confusion in attributing their work. The family had their own publishing house in Paris, where they designed and printed books, prints, calendars, and other popular works on paper.

Below I've included some of my favourite engravings from the series, the slightly more abstract ones really grabbed my attention, where body parts have been removed and replaced with tools of the trade. The quality of the engravings have a really nice feel with enough detail and character to give an insight into each characters life.