Catherine Lampert

This handsome volume opens with two essays. The first essay looks at the young artist and his development; his time at art school, first Camberwell and then The Slade, and considers those who influenced him, especially William Coldstream. The second essay looks more particularly at the artist’s main body of work, and considers again the influences.

The fully illustrated catalogue section provides much additional information about the individual pieces, many being accompanied by detailed show more descriptions and interesting facts about their production, often including the artist’s own comments. The reproductions vary is size considerably, there are a good number of full-page or near full-page images, but at the other end of the scale a large number are very small. In total there are well over 400 of the artist’s works illustrated, according to the publishers this includes every known oil painting, about 80 of which are reproduced here for the first time. In addition to the paintings there are also a number of representative drawings, designs, and a few rather personal more suggestive pieces.

The book includes a chronology, bibliography, and exhibition history for each work.

A quick glance at the content might suggest there is very little information about the man Euan Uglow, but careful reading gradually provides some insight in an almost incidental manner. We learn about the man from his work, and not about the work from the man.

Having the full body of Uglow’s oeuvre to consider it becomes immediately apparent where his interests lay; the female nude predominates, still life features strongly too. There are landscapes but nothing like the quantity of the former two, mostly produced during summers away. What comes through strongly from all forms is Uglow’s strongly analytical approach, his single minded interest in his subject and his striving for perfection; yet the work is never laboured.

It is a splendid book. The essays are well written and warmly appreciative of the artist and his work. It well designed and superbly illustrated in colour almost throughout, the only complaint being that some of the images are too small. show less

Between the postwar years and the 1980s in Britain, and in particular in London, a number of figurative painters simultaneously reinvented the way in which life is represented in art. Focusing on the depiction of the human figure, these artists rendered the frailty and vitality of the human condition.

Offering a fresh account of developments that have since characterized postwar British painting, this catalogue focuses on Michael Andrews, Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, R. B. show more Kitaj, and Leon Kossoff— artists who worked in close proximity as they were developing new forms of realism. If for many years their efforts seemed to clash with dominant tendencies, reassessment in recent decades has afforded their work a central position in a richer and more complex understanding of postwar British art and culture.

Rigorous and gorgeously illustrated, the essays reflect on the parallel yet diverse trajectories of these artists, their friendships and mutual admiration, and the divergence of their practice from the discourse of high modernism. The authors seek to dispel the notion of their work as a uniquely British endeavor by highlighting the artists’ international outlook and ongoing dialogue with contemporary European and American painters as well as masters from previous generations.

This book is published to coincide with an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum from July 26 through November 13, 2016. show less

The current exhibition "London Calling" at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles is a long overdue group show of the School of London painters in the United States. Housed in a gorgeous venue not far from where R B Kitaj created his last paintings in Westwood, "London Calling" is a seismic event in the L.A. art scene. Gathering paintings, drawings, and prints of London based compatriots Frances Bacon, Lucian Freud, Leon Kossoff, Michael Andrews, Frank Auerbach and R.B. Kitaj the exhibit lets us show more into a world of vision and exploration. The paint on many of the artworks seems fresh and often the color sings.
Elena Crippa has shepherded the exhibition into a marvelous catalog. Catherine Lampert adds perspective and nuance to the book. This is a must have volume for anyone interested in figurative art. Actually this is an important addition to any library. I urge you to visit "London Calling" at the Getty and to add the book to your collection. show less

Peter Doig : [anlässlich der Ausstellung Peter Doig, Schirn-Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 9. Oktober 2008 - 4. Januar 2009 ; Tate Britain, London, 5.2. - 11.5.2008 ; Musée d'Arc Moderne de la Ville de Paris, ARC Katalog 29.5. - 7.9.2008]. Schirn-Kunsthalle Frankfurt. Hrsg. von Judith Nesbitt mit einem Text von Richard Shiff.