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Christopher Allen has been The Australian’s national art critic since 2008. He is an art historian and educator, teaching classical Greek and Latin. He has written an edited several books including Art in Australia and believes that the history of art in this country is often underestimated.

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visual artsReview

Poussin, Nicolas - Landscape with Diogenes - c.1647

What art can teach us about the simple life

The time is ripe for a local exhibition of paintings from the “beggar-philosopher” subgenre, which inspired some of the west’s greatest artists

Christopher Allen

VISUAL ARTArts

Paul Newton: 'Portrait of Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness'Archibald Prize 2022 finalist, Paul Newton 'Portrait of Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness', oil on linen, 215 x 142.2 cm © the artist, image © AGNSW, Jenni Carter Sitter: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness ***This information and these images are embargoed until 11 am on 5 May 2022*** These images may only be used in conjunction with editorial coverage of the Archibald Prize 2022 exhibition, 14 May â€“ 28 August 2022, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. These images may not be cropped or overwritten. Prior approval in writing is required for use as a cover. Caption details must accompany reproductions of the images. Archiving is not permitted. Media contact: stephanie.pirrie@ag.nsw.gov.au

Virtuosity shines in lifeless crowd

The strongest portraits in the Archibald lineup have an eccentric charm or reveal something of the sitter’s personality.

Christopher Allen

visual artsReview

Houston Rogers, Portrait of Robert Helpmann as Oberon, 1954,

The business of show business

Theatrical posters – both highbrow and less so – reflect the lives and sensibilities of audiences as far back as colonisation

Christopher Allen

artReview

Beyond gender: Queer at NGV

Contemporary ideas of fluidity are not as original as they seem.

Christopher Allen

artReview

Lavinia Fontana Mystic marriage of St Catherine c. 1575 oil on copper 48.5 x 33.6 cm National Gallery of Victoria, Felton Bequest, 2021

Unearthing a female pioneer

Lavinia Fontana was not quite Europe’s first professional female painter, but she was the first woman to paint a public work of significant scale.

Christopher Allen

art reviewReview

Media Image_Cutaway_Biennale- Rivus_ Document Photography-Install- Feb 22-53 53. Foreground: Ana Barboza and Rafael Freyre, Water ecosystem, 2019-2022 (detail). Courtesy the artists & Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima. Background: Jessie French, The Myth of Nature – agaG1, 2021-2022. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the Australia Council for the Arts and assistance from the Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative. The Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and Regional Arts Victoria. Courtesy the artist & Anaïs Lellouche; Cave Urban, Flow, 2022. Courtesy the artists; Leeroy New, Flotilla, 2022. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the Australia-ASEAN Council and assistance from Mirvac and Parramatta Artists’ Studios. Courtesy the artist; D Harding, Untitled (wall composition), 2022 (detail). Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous support from the Australia Council for the Arts. Courtesy the artist & Milani Gallery, Brisbane; Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, Fishbone IV, 2019-2022 (detail). Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous assistance from SAHA Association. Courtesy the artist & Green Art Gallery, Dubai. Installation view, 23rd Biennale of Sydney, rīvus, 2022, The Cutaway at Barangaroo. Photography: Document Photography.

‘Fresh’ Sydney Biennale a triumph

Many of the works in this exhibition take us out of the neurotic introversion of contemporary academic art, especially the toxic Australian variety.

Christopher Allen

visual artsReview

Self portrait c. 1747-1749by Sir Joshua Reynoldsoil on canvasPurchased, 1858© National Portrait Gallery, London

Celebrity photos dampen otherwise excellent show

Remarkable portraits such as this could do with better company than photographs of pop celebrities.

Christopher Allen

Review

Albrecht DÃ¼rer 'Melencolia I' 1514 engraving, 23.7 x 18.5 cm Art Gallery of New South Wales, gift of Bridgestar Pty Ltd an investment company of the Late James Fairfax AC 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. ***These images may only be used in conjunction with editorial coverage of the Of Gods and monsters display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales 2022. These images may not be cropped or overwritten. Prior approval in writing required for use as a cover. Caption details must accompany reproductions of the images. No archiving. *** Media contact: stephanie.pirrie@ag.nsw.gov.au

When monsters call…

A new hang at the Art Gallery of NSW offers a fascinating insight into printmaking

Christopher Allen

Review

Installation view of Spectrum: An exploration of colour on display until 26 June 2022 at NGV International, Melbourne.Photo: Sean Fennessy

The history of colour

This exhibition is an opportunity to ponder the mysteries of colour perception and the deeper implications of language and names

Christopher Allen

Review

Katana (sword) and Scabbard by Yokohama Sukenaya of Bizen, Japan, 1800 AD

Unwrapping layers of history

New technologies can not only be used to detect forgeries but tell us stories about the people and methods behind original artefacts

Christopher Allen

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/christopher-allen/page/18