Meet the Artist - Simon Gudgeon
Having studied law at Reading University (and originally practising as a solicitor), it wasn’t until he was in his thirties that he began to paint and exhibited at London’s Battersea Exhibition Centre in 1992. It waseven later still, when he reached the age of 40, before a spontaneous purchase of artist’s clay lead him into his successful career as a sculptor.
A Brief History of Father's Day
This day of celebration for fatherhood is said to date back to the early 1500s when the Catholic Church supported its celebration on Saint Joseph's Day, otherwise known as 'The Feast of Saint Joseph'. The day reveres the "Nourisher of the Lord" (as referred to in Catholicism) or "the putative father of Jesus" (as known in Southern European tradition), and so was a fitting time to mark appreciation for Fathers.
How Art Can Elicit an Emotional Response
You may have experienced the power of a piece of music, a film, a photograph or painting to make you feel something, from joy or despair to excitement, and even distaste. Indeed, it is frequently argued that the generation of an emotional reaction is fundamental, and even the reason for, creating art.
Aesthetic responses to art have historically been considered basic stimulus responses, but more recent studies, in which celebrated art historian Alexander Nemerov has been involved, suggest that these emotional responses are actually more complex.
