Salvator Rosa

If ever an artist fit the description of Romantic, it's Salvator Rosa. His paintings might date from the 17th century but they would have fit perfectly into the later artistic movement. One painting in particular brought John Martin to mind, while the witches' sabbaths inevitably conjure up Goya. In addition there are bandits and hermits, usually set amid wild landscapes (again, the Romantics would have swooned) and sometimes cocooned in such darkness that it's difficult to distinguish details (this may or may not be intentional ...) Yet the brushwork is vibrant, the vision singular and the overall impression one of strange beauty.

Exhibitions

Another Saturday, another trip to London to see a couple of exhibitions. The Vilhelm Hammershoi at the Royal Academy certainly counts as enigmatic. You would never call his paintings colourful, with a palette of black, brown and white, and it often feels like you are looking at them through a haze. Some of the interiors brought to mind Vermeer, in the arrangement of rooms and the way light falls through windows, and one painting of a woman sewing immediately made me think of the Vermeer seamstress in the Louvre. Mostly the interiors are unsettling: deserted rooms, or a solitary figure with her back to the viewer. It feels slightly voyeuristic. My favourite work was a pencil and oil sketch of boats at Christianshavn Canal, which felt less claustrophobic and controlled than the rest.
In contrast the De Bray Family exhibition at Dulwich is vibrant. I'd seen some of the portraits at the National Gallery's Dutch Portraits exhibition a while back so it was interesting to see more work by the family. Salomon's delightful portrait of the new-born twins Clara and Albert de Bray is a highlight but his sons were equally talented. Jan's group portraits of various regents in Haarlem sit alongside paintings of his own family (most of whom were to die of the plague), while both Joseph and Dirck painted still life. Dirck in particular playfully juxtaposes items in stark contrast to the cornucopias of Jan van Huysum which are on display elsewhere in the gallery.

Coming of Age: American Art 1850s to 1950s

A pleasantly surprising exhibition, especially for someone with an very glancing knowledge of American art. The Hopper (Manhattan Bridge Loop) and Pollock (Phosphorescence) don't disappoint, and there's an unusual Remington (Moonlight, Wolf) that seems a million miles away from paintings of the West: very dark, with striking specks that seem to glow in the night. I also liked the Winslow Homer Eight Bells, another dark picture, that captures a wild ocean and the sailors upon it. What was most enjoyable and made the trip to Dulwich worthwhile was the final room. I've always been under the impression that I don't like modern art and yet this room was a delight. It was mainly sculpture or to be more precise, constructions of various kinds, although the Pollock was hung there. Bets of all were the Moholy-Nagy Twisted Planes, a perspex and metal piece and my very favourite, Alexander Calder's Horizontal Spines, half artwork, half mobile. The gentle breeze made the various parts move in a thoroughly hypnotic manner and I found myself drawn back to it repeatedly. It's also the sort of piece that makes you smile, which has to be a good thing