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Polychrome wood enhanced by other media, circa 1671, by Saint Ferdinand Pedro Roldán (sculptor) and Luisa de Valdés (polychrome artist). Photograph: Alberto Otero Herranz
When we think of art sculpture we probably think of marble and bronze. The uniform colour of solid materials always offers a fresh lighting and can even magnify certain characteristics and mannerisms. We’ve probably all laughed at some of the modern sculptures, especially of football players, that seem to miss the mark. A cartoonish sense of impressionism has taken over the agenda with a lot of modern homages. Perhaps in years to come the seemingly skewwhiff expressions will become a source of endearment and something to remember these historical characters for. The ancient statues from antiquity are usually much more lifelike, with attention to detail reflecting the reality of the human form. We don’t know if they really looked like that, or the model at least, but we can still admire the beautiful forms offered today. When you think of painted statues, you might think of Games Workshop. The adult's and children’s war gaming phenomenon involves buying your characters and painting them before using them in the game. The setting isn’t the same as other sculptures, after-all the mass produced and plastic figurines can hardly compete with an artist’s handiwork. Yes, they are fun and it can be something for everyone to enjoy, we don’t play chess to admire the king. Painted sculpture in the art world is often termed polychrome sculpture, which means multicoloured. The art of painting and the art of sculpting can unite in the form of vivid and three-dimensional objects. In Prado, Spain, the art of polychrome sculpture is taking the forefront in a new exhibition. The Roman Catholic culture in Spain is renowned for its iconography. Images of religious figures are used to help people connect with their ideas of God and faith. Some churches see these as so-called graven images, which are forbidden, however other churches see them as essential tools for bringing people closer to the creator of everything. As the artist creates the shapes then uncovers their reality with life-like colour, the people from stories and history are almost brought back to life. Hand In Hand- Sculpture And Colour In The Spanish Golden Age is a new exhibition in the Spanish area of Prado. Including the work of Luisa Roldan, the first female polychrome sculptor in the Spanish royal court, the exhibition demonstrates the exquisite and iconic imagery multicoloured sculpture has to offer. The scenes depicted are varied, with many religious figures from various cultures making up the majority. This showing of art wants to highlight the discrimination the medium has received in recent years. Not only the gender of the artists but the art form itself has often been dismissed as not proper or an imitation of the real masters. Hand In Hand wants to put this concept to bed and show the true mastery behind the empathic and narrative depictions. Time, Timelessness, And The Ever Present Moment Of Interpretation At The Pyramids Of Giza13/11/2024 
A tourist guide rides a camel past Four Temples by Ik-Joong Kang. Photograph: Amr Nabil/AP via The Guardian
In its fourth year, the Egyptian art festival that takes place at the feet of the Pharoah's resting place, Forever Is Now showcases some of the best contemporary art the region has to offer. As the inspiration arises from the creativity of their ancestors, and the constant influx of ideas from around the world, a moment of awareness is made material by trusted artisans who best represent the movement.
As the cartography of the sand can change overnight and the patterns nature designs can reveal stunning novelty and inventiveness, the output of the day’s artists can shift and fold over on itself as various ideals and motivations make themselves known, needed, and open for exploration. For the first time in the Forever Is Now open-air exhibition, Asian participants have been included in the roster of talent to showcase their ideas and messages. The artists have been given the setting and the wealth of imagery it entails to work with, and as usual they have not let Egypt down. In their clever and intuitive reflections of the culture, aspects of the ancient civilization meet the modern day as locals and visitors can enrich themselves in the extra layers of transient time. Autumn is a great time to visit Egypt, as the summer sun has fallen back, temperatures are more reasonable. Africa is famous for being hot before anything else, so exhibiting the world’s talent during the milder months makes a lot of sense. The painstakingly produced and thought-through work of fourteen internationally renowned artists have made the cut to be exhibited this year. These include sculptures, paintings, and installations. A partially submerged chariot by Khaled Zaki, stylistically designed with a steel interpretation of a struggling horse, a clay constructed Vessel of Time by Jean-Marie Appriou, multicoloured hieroglyph temples adorned in ancient Egyptian and Modern-day Korean scripts by Ik Joong-Kang, and many more intriguing and surprising displays are situation in the UNESCO heritage site. As Egypt has been playing a role in reducing tensions between Likud in Israel and Hamas in Palestine, both of which want to destroy each other's culture, the nation’s tourism has suffered genuinely because of this. Polarised minds from both sides will see Egypt as a thorn in the side of the agenda when it comes to ironing out the creases and putting a stop to the senseless and murderous campaigns of both parties. A nation as ancient as Egypt, with its fair share of ups and downs, can stand proud and experienced in the field of international politics. We should listen to ancient cultures, especially ones that have been so successful. Although there are only a few days left for this year’s Forever Is Now exhibition, we can assume that next year will see something just as grand and equally as inspiring. Maybe it’s a good time to visit the land of sand and Pharaohs. Via The Guardian Looking to get some seasonal shopping done? You'll help out this journal at no extra cost. Here's Amazon's Deals page. Thanks. 
Replica Saraswati Hindu Goddess from Nepal's Museum of Stolen Art
If you were in possession of a once looted piece of antique culture from Nepal, would you give it back? What if there was nothing stopping you from keeping it? Put yourself in the shoes of a collector, who values their possessions on a scale that actually measures up to the “right thing to do” and often wins. It’s a tough one, we know that in the harsh reality of this world, most people would not give their antique back. After-all, Nepal is not in a position to enforce or pay for the return. So, what’s next for the rightful custodians of local heritage? A deal. A battle between the part of us descended from apes, reptiles, amphibians, and fish and the part of us descended from heaven.
Nonsense, I can imagine some of you thinking. Let’s look at it another way. Freud spoke of the subconscious and the id. The subconscious is the bit of us descended from nature, it wants and needs, it desires. The id is the part of us we have built ourselves from the most powerful wisdom we can find. Our morality and our notion of what is right comes from this, it’s in the brain because as we learn through life, our brain creates the proper connections. Pitting these brains against each other is exactly what Nepal are doing with their new exhibit. “Give Us Back Our Gods” is an exhibition that recreates a batch of artefacts that was looted between the 1960s and 80s. Each piece has been meticulously recreated and includes a description, just like the real thing would in a museum. The collection is about to go on display in Nepal, with the one purpose. To offer each highly crafted exquisite replica as an exchange for the original, no questions asked. Now, you might think that surely the real thing is much better but remember what Machiavelli said, “A man of good character is difficult to conspire against”. Imagine the replica and the story of how upon discovering the history, the family decided to exchange the piece. The story is worth a lot more than the artefact. Well, we can only hope. At least the rest of us can visit Nepal any time we like in the next few months to catch a glimpse of what could have been. A mirror image of reality, but it’s the spirit that is backwards. Or is it? If the originals were intended to appeal to Gods and these new pieces are intended to appeal to the God within us, is there much difference after all? The Museum of Stolen Art is set to open in 2026. Interested in the scene? Check out this book: The Nepal Festivals:: Articles on Nepalese Art, Culture and Deities |
CategoriesAuthorAlternative Fruit by Rowan B. Colver 
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November 2025
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