The Great Wave is a well-known piece, showing the dramatic lift of a blue ocean wave carrying a vessel through clumsy currents and natural forces. We trust the crew to keep the boat on course and to maintain stability through the rough weather but can’t help being awed by the majesty of the incomprehensible depths and their power. Another race of people from times gone by would have also known a few things about this kind of travel. The Vikings were also a sea-faring people, and they would travel across Northern Europe in longboats often traversing weather much like that shown in the Japanese woodprint of the Great Wave.  
 
The art of Japanese woodblock printing, or mokuhanga (木版画), originated in the 6-7th Century. A group of inventive Buddhists began utilising the printing ability of carved wood to reproduce sacred symbols and little texts. This was long before the European printing press had emerged as a world defining force. By the early 7th Century, the art of mokuhanga had spread from industrious religious practices to a more mainstream activity. At first they were used to reproduce books and other texts much in the same way that modern printing worked up into the 20th century when magnetic processes began to take shape.  
 
Artists began turning their attention to the process to discover what they could achieve much later in the history of woodblock printing. This began to take prominence during the 17th Century in the form of Ukiyo-e (浮世絵). Images of the Floating World are a specific type of woodblock print that didn’t only depict boats and floating objects, but landscapes, dramatic social scenes, portraits, and buildings. The postcard effect of set scenes with emotional connection gave rise to an entire new fashion in the Japanese art world. During the 18th and 19th Century the artform expanded in scope and ideal, evolving into a much-loved past-time with far reaching traditional roots. It’s images from this period that became famous for their impact and early use of pop art. 
 
Visitors to York Art Gallery can discover a wealth of Japanese woodblock printing specimens plus hundreds of other artefacts from the period and culture. You’ll be able to see real-life examples of Japanese armour and costume along with printing materials, of course there will be a huge selection of prints to admire too. Exploring the history of progression of the art form through artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro, the exhibit that runs from February 27th to August 30th 2026 will inspire and educate anyone with a passion for iconic image design.  
 
The York Art Gallery will also have an outside element; the Japanese Garden has been carefully curated by Garden Manager Steve Williams and will showcase a breadth of Japanese foliage and design ethic that will be repurposed around the wider garden once the exhibition is over.  Along with a series of workshops, talks, and interactive experiences, the showcase is expected to attract a mix of people from many corners of the art lover world and bring them together into a once in a lifetime clash of culture.  
 
 

Thankfully, the heavy industrial version of London was a fleeting glimpse in the history of the world-famous capital. The pollution and environmental damage became intolerable, and legislation trickled through that curbed new growth in favour of commercial centres instead. There is a sense of romanticism when we think of the past, and it requires unaffected eyes to truly capture the poetic beauty of times gone by. No doubt hard and miserable for many at the time, the setting of the scene with its aesthetic and atmosphere can become a truly magnificent backdrop for emotional and dramatic exploration. Sometimes, society produced a person who can see through the dark and satanic mills and witness the natural beauty of whatever it is we have created. Like those people who admire brutalist architecture, the French impressionist Claude Monet saw the fascinating allure of the man-made weather that still affects our climate to this day.  
 
Born in 1840, eight years before the third French Revolution, Monet grew up in relative tranquillity in Normandy. He spent a lot of his childhood outside where we would draw things he noticed. His mother was influential in his art career, encouraging him to express himself with his work. His father instilled a sense of business in his son who he wished would begin a business rather than paint scenery. It is possibly the combination of both of these influences that enabled Claude Monet to become a highly successful and popular painter responsible for beginning a brand –new trend in the scene. The Impressionist Movement is based on perception and interpretation. Rather than portraying beautifully accurate and scientifically relevant works, which began to be popular during the Enlightenment Period, the theme draws a lot more on atmosphere, feel, and the lens of the human mind. French Impressionism is a subset of this genre, unique to France and with thematic similarities found nowhere else. It is known for its spontaneity and mostly outdoor settings. Rather than a planned piece, French Impressionism was done on the spot, due to a sudden burst of passion to paint. Je dois peindre. 
 
When Claude Monet visited London at the turn of the 20th Century, he was immediately struck by the colours of the sky. What he called fog, which was more likely thick smog, hung about the River Thames like a ghost and as the sun shined through its vapours, it radiated in pale rainbow hues. Enamoured by the sight and captivated by the colours, the French Impressionist began to capture the scene. Taking preliminary pictures from the area, he was able to finalise a series of 21 stunning and vivid images back at home from his memory. A truly unique and time-specific capture of the geography and cultural backdrop, the River Thames was portrayed in such a way that had never been seen before. Perhaps a foreign eye was needed to see the glory within the painful story experienced at the time by those who lived there. Upon completion, the works were shown in a Paris gallery during 1904, where the contrasts between the Parisian cotton heavy industry were compared to London’s maritime and manufacturing setting. Iconic landmarks such as The Houses of Parliament and Waterloo Bridge took prominence among the hazy and ethereal tones offered by the refractive and opaque air. Monet was looking forward to displaying his works in London, however the circumstances never aligned for him. He was noted for saying London and England were hard to paint, and very interesting.  
 
Now, in a long-time-overdue culmination of culture, the series of paintings are finally going to be displayed in the city they were made in. A uniquely valuable spot at the University of London’s Courtauld Institute of Art is reserved for Monet’s Thames from 27th of September until January 19th. Founded in 1932 by Samuel Courtauld, the self-governing college specialises in art history and preservation. It seems an ideal setting to keep the ghost of the big smoke alive in all its Impressionist garb. Maybe now we can forgive those early industrialists who may have irreparably damaged our environment, and whose estates were mostly destroyed by bombs, as we have learned what we can from them and their mistakes. 
 
Maybe this year is a good year to get out and do a bit of French Impressionism for yourself. Why not take a bag of art materials on a little walk and see what leaps out and onto your page?  Browse paper, paints, and more, supporting Alternative Fruit along the way.  
 
 ​

A lucky metal-detectorist stumbled upon an ornate yet battered piece of shiny stuff when out and about in a UK field. The village of Langham in Rutland has a rich history of settlement stretching back to Anglo-Saxon days and beyond. So it’s not uncommon to find people with detectors and other gadgets in a search for the next iconic treasure. Although perhaps inconspicuous, this new find is indeed a treasure by law, thanks to the fact it’s made of gilded silver. This mix of silver and gold gild makes the item extremely precious and with its age in the equation, the artefact could be considered priceless.
 
Although it is clearly of Anglo-Saxon design and from the time of the 8th Century, the actual purpose is the object is unknown. Archaeologists cannot decide between them what it could have been used for. A small dish shaped design with an ornate edging and an animal motif on the top, the pretty object is one of a kind. Perhaps a bespoke creation made by an artisan for a particular need or simply the lesser-known version of something else that never made it past the honeymoon, the possible uses are unending. Some kind of stopper, the protective stub on a walking stick, or an ornamental counter in a collection or a game? Maybe one day we’ll find more solid examples in literature or art hiding in plain view.
 
Two almost similar items have been found in copper and with different shapes, however the craft used to create this new find is something above and beyond. Great care was taken to perfect the design and to make the object as beautiful as possible, using only the best metals. This attention to detail and glory perhaps signifies it had a religious significance, maybe it once carried anointing oil or ash. Or maybe it simply belonged to a wealthy individual who wanted to demonstrate their power by commissioning such a magnificent and unique example.
 
A drawing in the Book of Kells, an ancient version of the Bible, is said to be quite similar to the weave design on the mystery object. Others say it more resembles a image in the Lindisfarne Gospel, another early Christian text with aesthetic roots in traditional indigenous beliefs. The iconography of this pattern clearly signifies a cultural heritage and the continuation of a theme beyond the pages of a particular book.
 
What do you think it was used for? Would you be proud to have discovered this item? What would you call it?
 
Via Artnet

Want to get out there with a metal detector? Browse the kit.