Wikio - Top Blogs - Religion and belief
Showing posts with label surrealism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surrealism. Show all posts

Saturday, 20 June 2026

International Times: Vitality and Magic

My latest exhibition review for International Times is on 'Hulda Guzman: Please awake – asked Nature kindly' at Turner Contemporary:

'Surrealism and Magic Realism have both had infuential Latin American expressions. The Caribbean islands and Mexico City were all ‘places of convergence and relay for Surrealism’ (including the work of Frida Kahlo and Leonora Carrington), while Magic Realism was a term originally used in relation to the fantastical elements of European Romanticism and the religious aspects of novels by Fyodor Dostoevesky before becoming a descriptor for the Neue Sachlichkeit paintings of 1920’s Germany and then the strapline for the novels of South American writers, starting with Jorge Luis Borges.

The paintings of Hulda Guzmán find their own significant space within this web of influences and prior expressions.'

My earlier pieces for IT are: an interview with the artist Alexander de Cadenet; an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece, an interview with the poet Chris Emery, an interview with Jago Cooper, Director of the the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a profile of singer-songwriter Bill Fay, plus reviews of: 
Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

IT have also published several of my poems, including 'Spencer Reece at Bemerton' which is based on the visit that I made to Bemerton in 2026 with Spencer Reece, 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem. Also published have been three poems from my 'Five Trios' series. 'Barking' is about St Margaret’s Barking and Barking Abbey and draws on my time as a curate at St Margaret's. 'Bradwell' is a celebration of the history of the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the Othona Community, and of pilgrimage to those places. Broomfield in Essex became a village of artists following the arrival of Revd John Rutherford in 1930. His daughter, the artist Rosemary Rutherford, also moved with them and made the vicarage a base for her artwork including paintings and stained glass. Then, Gwynneth Holt and Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones moved to Broomfield in 1949 where they shared a large studio in their garden and both achieved high personal success. 'Broomfield' reviews their stories, work, legacy and motivations.

To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.

I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems.

'Five Trios' is a series of poems on thin places and sacred spaces in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:
These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joni Mitchell - Sweet Bird.


Friday, 2 May 2025

Max Blake: Adventures in Joy

 











































At tonight's Unveiled, our fortnightly Friday night arts & performance event at St Andrew's Wickford, we heard Max Blake talk about his wonderful exhibition 'Adventures in Joy'.

Adventures in Joy: An exhibition by Max Blake
2 May – 25 July 2025
St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN


St Andrew’s is usually open: Sat 9am-12.30pm; Sun 9.30am-12 noon; Mon 2-3.45pm; Tue 1-4.30pm; Wed 10am-12 noon; Fri 10am-1pm. https://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html

“Adventures in Joy” presents the most recent work produced by artist and cleric Max Blake. It includes some of the work he has developed though his studies of Icons, as well as his experiments in a more abstract and surreal direction. Max explores his own deep imagination, which is fed by his wide knowledge of religion and reflections amongst other things.

As a man of faith, much of his work expresses an exploration of the Christian faith. Over recent years, Max has studied Byzantine and Coptic Iconography and he has used this study to develop his own interpretations of the icon. Much of Max’s work is highly detailed and the viewer can find many hidden details, people, faces and shapes in his work. This creates a joyful adventure for the eye through bright and vivid worlds. Max uses a range of media including oil paints, inks and coloured pencils.

Max Blake was born in East London in the early 50s and then grew up in Basildon. After graduating as a teacher, Max taught art in secondary schools across south Essex. He also worked with children with anxiety and children with special needs. He was ordained deacon followed by priesting in the early 2000s. Although he is now retired, Max still works as a retired priest with Permission to Officiate in the United Benefice of Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan.

As well as artwork Max has also illustrated book covers and books for children. He continues to exhibit his vibrant work in various locations, including the Well House Gallery in Horndon on the Hill and St Catherine’s Church in East Tilbury. https://www.wellhousegallery.co.uk/art/max-blake

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Methuselah - My Poor Mary.

Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Artlyst: Leonora Carrington Still Relevant - Firstsite Colchester

My latest exhibition review for Artlyst is on ‘Leonora Carrington: Avatars & Alliances’ at Firstsite Gallery:

'As is clear from this exhibition, the many visionary elements of her work, including her feminism, ecological awareness, interest in spirituality outside of organized religion, and understanding of a world without boundaries, not only result in the creation of extraordinary artistic and personal worlds but connect to key themes and challenges in contemporary society. Her cousin and friend, Joanna Moorhead, has said “The themes that were important to her, as long ago as the 1940s, are the themes that are important to all of us today – especially the natural world, our place in it, and the interconnectedness of everyone and everything.” By offering us a holistic view of Carrington’s life and work, this exhibition fully demonstrates the truth of that statement.'

Interviews -
Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

Artlyst: Surrealism Outside The Usual Story – Tate Modern

My latest review for Artlyst is on Surrealism Beyond Borders at Tate Modern:

'Surrealism rejects oppressive rationalism by seeking to liberate the mind from outdated modes of thought and behaviour. As poet Urkhan Muyassar explained, the Surrealists sought to free the ‘mysterious moments’ of human creativity from a ‘superimposed’ reasoning to reach repressed thoughts, or ‘what lies behind reality. Surrealism aims to travel beyond reason and therefore contains a substantive body of work exploring spirituality, mysticism and religion in all their many and varied forms ...

These works – fascinating in their own right and profoundly absorbing when brought together – demonstrate that a deep dive into the spirituality of Surrealism would prove to be a revelatory exhibition, particularly when one also remembers the spiritual imagery and influences in the work of others included here, such Jean Arp, Joseph Cornell and Salvador Dalí.'

Check out also my Artlyst piece on Salvador Dalí The Enigma of Faith.

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -
Articles -
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Francis Poulenc - 5 poèmes de Max Jacob.