Bronzes at the Royal Academy

I feel so lucky to be able to view two great exhibitions in London in one day. From the traditional halls of the Tate Britain, it was a short drive to the ultra conservative enclave of the Royal Academy.

Perhaps it is this amazing tradition that can bring together bronzes across the centuries and from across the world, literally. The unique and exciting perspective of this exhibition was that bronzes were arranged thematically, from antiquity to the present, across themes of the Human Figure, Animals, Groups, Objects, Reliefs, Gods, Heads and Busts.

I was so impressed to see side by side works from ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan periods, together with some rare survivals from the Medieval period. The Renaissance was well represented as were the modern artists from the 19th century to today. I really enjoyed seeing bronzes by Rodin, Picasso, Jasper Johns, Moore and Bourgeois.

Historically, it is impressive to see the role of bronze as an artistic medium for over five millennia. I learned that bronze is actually an alloy consisting mainly of copper, with lesser amounts of tin, zinc and lead. I also enjoyed learning about the universality of the complex processes involved in making bronze. It was great to watch reconstructions of how models are made, cast and finished by a variety of different techniques. I was totally impressed to see so much history and creativity across cultures and history together in one place.