Works Of Heart

The French artist Degas said "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see". The artists have certainly been busy down in this neck of the woods during the past year. Here are three 'local' pieces which have been in the news in recent days. I say 'local' - because prior to the pandemic, their locations were all close enough to visit on a Day Off. No such jaunts at the minute, but here they are anyway.

The nearest piece is at Christchurch Priory. This building dates back 900 years - and like many such buildings, has an extensive, ongoing conservation programme. Back in February 2020 a competition was announced to design some new replacement "gargoyles and grotesques" The Priory already has a number of contemporary carvings [check out Darren Bonner's pictures here]

I think it is wonderful that one of the new gargoyles represents an NHS worker in PPE. How fitting that up there among the carved saints and angels there is a 21st Century angel!

Until recently, we had an NHS angel living next door- a midwife at Southampton General Hospital. She came home very excitedly last May and told us that there was a new Banksy Mural in the corridor. It is entitled "Game Changer"

The robot and Batman toys are in the wpb, and the child's caped superheroine of choice is a nurse. He painted it as a thankyou to the staff during the first wave of the crisis. Last week, it sold for a record £16.8 million - and the money will go to health charities!

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - and a number of 'Banksy Style' paintings have been appearing up and down the country of late.

Here is Dorset, om the Isle of Portland, we have artists who are twins - Lulu and Soph, who work under the name Hendog. Lulu's son is Hen[ry] and Soph has a puppy called Dog. 

Do check out their website here for quirky gifts and cards. Hendog has produced a "Banksy-style" piece for the wall of the Winchester Community Food Pantry - a young child holding a sandwich. They left a box of groceries 'with love' below the painting.

This is their second piece in Winchester- the last was a child with a rainbow kite

Do you have any covid inspired artworks near you? And how would you feel if Banksy came and painted something on your wall?

And was Degas right? Does art help us to see the world differently?