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Book Review: Lachlan Goudie’s The Secrets of Painting
The Secrets of Painting The Hidden Art of the Masterpiece from Prehistory to Today By Lachlan Goudie Publication: 2 April 2026 384pp, 220 illustrations, 24.6 x 18.6 cm, £38.00 hardback This is a serious pleasure to read. The Secrets of Painting by Lachlan Goudie doesn’t make things difficult, and it doesn’t dilute what it knows. It holds a line between the two, and that’s precisely why it works. From the outset, it draws you in without forcing anything. You keep reading, and more importantly, you keep looking. Lachlan Goudie writes with a clarity that is harder to achieve than complexity. There’s no sense of knowledge being withheld, nor any attempt…
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Book Review: My Heart is This: Tracey Emin on Painting by Martin Gayford
My Heart is This: Tracey Emin on Painting By Martin GayfordThames & Hudson256 pages The Body That Keeps Painting At one point in My Heart is This, Tracey Emin says something that quietly shifts how you read the rest of the book. “Painting saved my life,” she tells Martin Gayford. It is the kind of sentence that might sound theatrical if it appeared on its own. But within the rhythm of their conversation, it doesn’t land that way. Emin says it while describing the period after her cancer diagnosis in 2020, when the routines that structure an artist’s life — the studio, the work, the ordinary sense of time passing…
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Book Review – The Grind by Steve Madden
Book Review – The Grind by Steve Madden The photographs in The Grind were made over three winters during the evening rush hour on London buses. That is the project’s simple structure. After finishing his morning work at the BBC, Steve Madden would return to central London when the weather turned cold, wet or usually both. He wasn’t waiting for dramatic events or decisive moments. He was waiting for condensation — the kind that fogs bus windows so completely that the interior begins to dissolve into light and colour. Anyone who has travelled through London in winter knows that surface. London carries millions of bus journeys each day, yet these…
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Photo Book Review – The Afterimage of Looking: On Lee Miller, Witness, and the Persistence of Vision
Photo Book Review – The Afterimage of Looking: On Lee Miller, Witness, and the Persistence of Vision When I first opened the book, Lee Miller, the temperature of the room seemed to shift — as if the light had turned to face her. Lee Miller was a name I thought I understood. Vogue model turned Surrealist collaborator, Man Ray’s lover in Paris, the war correspondent who walked through Europe’s ruins with a camera and a stare that could steady smoke. But this volume—edited by Hilary Floe and Saskia Flower, published by Tate Publishing in the UK and by Yale University Press in the United States—refuses the comfort of summary. It has…
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Book Review – Death and Other Belongings by Will Green
Book Review – Death and Other Belongings by Will Green Will Green’s Death and Other Belongings refuses to instruct the viewer on what grief looks like. Instead, it pulls the viewer into its atmosphere. The black-and-white photographs stay expansive yet restrained, devoid of the drama that typically accompanies grief. Green turns his camera toward what stays behind. He focuses on a chair in the garden, the fabric still creased by the weight of a body; a bee lies in the dust; apples sink into the soil. Each photograph insists that the world continues to act in its ordinary way. Green meets that continuation with steadiness and records it without ceremony. Before…
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Book Review – Sally Mann’s Art Work: On the Creative Life — A Personal Reflection
Book Review – Sally Mann’s Art Work: On the Creative Life — A Personal Reflection I have fallen completely in love with Sally Mann’s Art Work: On the Creative Life. It’s one of those rare books that seeps quietly into your life and stays there. I own three copies now — one by the bed, one on the arm of the sofa, and one that seems to wander around the house with me, always within reach. Mann’s words have become a kind of companion presence. I pick it up in passing, open it at random, and each time I find something that feels new, as if she were still speaking…
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Photo Book Review – Unveiling London’s Architectural Identity: Karin Templin’s “At Home in London: The Mansion Block”
Photo Book Review – Unveiling London’s Architectural Identity: Karin Templin’s “At Home in London: The Mansion Block” All images – Courtesy of the artist and MACK. In the bustling realm of urban architecture and visual storytelling, two distinct voices rise to the forefront, offering their unique perspectives on the intricate fabric of city life. Karin Templin, an architectural visionary and urban designer, collaborates with photographer Matthew Blunderfield to weave a narrative that delves deep into the heart of London’s architectural identity. Through their collaborative efforts and individual expertise, Templin and Blunderfield bring forth a comprehensive exploration that transcends mere buildings, capturing the essence of the city’s past, present, and future.…
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Photo Book Review – Larry Sultan’s ‘Swimmers’: A Fascinating and Immersive Dive into Emotion and Eternity
Photo Book Review – Larry Sultan’s ‘Swimmers’: A Fascinating and Immersive Dive into Emotion and Eternity All images – Courtesy of the artist and MACK. Larry Sultan, a luminary of the photographic world, left an indelible mark on visual storytelling through his captivating body of work. His exploration of the human experience and memory unfolds in his masterpiece, “Swimmers.” This comprehensive review delves into Sultan’s artistic journey, the profound context of ‘Swimmers,’ and the echoes of his legacy, marked by his passing, that resonate within the series. The review examines Sultan’s career, the emotional intricacies of ‘Swimmers,’ and the impact of his artistic choices to illuminate the profound narrative that…
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Photo Book Review – A Pound of Pictures: Alec Soth’s Eclectic Ode to the Photographic Medium
Photo Book Review – A Pound of Pictures: Alec Soth’s Eclectic Ode to the Photographic Medium “A Pound of Pictures” presents a captivating journey through the lens of acclaimed photographer Alec Soth, showcasing a new and unique collection of work produced between 2018 and 2021. This stream-of-consciousness celebration of the photographic medium takes readers on a winding road trip of imagery, capturing a diverse array of subjects that range from the enigmatic allure of Buddhist statues and birdwatchers to the carefree spirit of sun-seekers and the stoic presence of busts portraying Abraham Lincoln. Through this book, Soth reflects on the profound desire to capture and immortalise experiences through printed images,…
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Stunning Photo Book Review – Unveiling the Enigmatic: Torbjørn Rødland’s ‘The Pregnant Virgin’
Stunning Photo Book Review – Unveiling the Enigmatic: Torbjørn Rødland’s ‘The Pregnant Virgin’ In the realm of contemporary photography, Torbjørn Rødland emerges as a luminary whose work defies conventional boundaries, inviting viewers on a journey of introspection and wonder. Renowned for his distinctive approach to image-making, Rødland’s photographs resonate with layers of symbolism, emotion, and thought-provoking narratives. With a portfolio that spans diverse genres, Rødland’s exploration of the human experience captivates and challenges in equal measure. All images – Courtesy of the artist and MACK. Born in Stavanger, Norway in 1970, Rødland’s journey into the world of photography began at an early age. His formative years were marked by a…
