Pendour Culture Archives -

Poetry & Paint : Rainer Maria Rilke ‘The Roses’ & Steve Joy’s ‘The Rose Of Watching’

In Poetry & Paint we pair paintings by our Pendour Artists with the poetry that inspired them.

Here, Steve Joy‘s paintings ‘The Rose Of Watching’, exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery in the eighties, are presented for the first time alongside Rainer Maria Rilke’s poems ‘The Roses’.

This special pairing is available in print for the first time in our debut limited edition book PULSE By Pendour ~ Litha 2026.

Head over to our shop, the Pendour Parlour and add a little Pendour to your place!

ABOUT STEVE JOY

Following a career in the Royal Air Force Steve Joy studied at Cardiff College of Art and Exeter School of Art and achieved an MFA from Chelsea. He was awarded a Mombusho Fellowship and completed a further MA in Kyoto, Japan.

Recipient of the Cheltenham Fellowship, Steve went on to become a Professor of Painting in Bergen and Head of the Art School in Trondheim, Norway. He was a Professor at Ecole Des Beaux Artes in Caen, France and has been a guest lecturer in Winchester School of Art (Barcelona Programme); Glasgow School of Art, Scotland; Oslo Kunstakademie, Norway, as well as a guest Curator at the Bemis Centre, Omaha Nebraska.

Steve’s work investigates the history of painting, from the Renaissance back towards Byzantium forms of artmaking, specifically Icon Paintings. Drawing on traditional materials such as gold leaf, wood, oil and beeswax, he imbues his geometric abstract works with a contemporary form of secular spirituality.

Rich colours and materiality add new dimension to enquiries set out by artists such as Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin and Frank Stella.

Steve has exhibited his evocative works throughout Europe and the United States. Notable solo exhibitions include the Serpentine Gallery, London; a major retrospective at the Joslyn Musuem, a ten- year survey at Sioux City Art Centre, the Willow Catha Foundation, USA; Bergen Art Museum, Drammen Museum, Trondheim Kunstforeningen and Haugesund Museum, Norway.

His works are held in numerous public collections including the Lincoln Centre, the New York Public Library, United States Embassy Collection, the Joslyn Museum, the McCook Art Bank, the Bemis Centre, the Orpheum Opera House, Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum, the Hoff Family Centre, April Sampson Cancer Centre, USA; The Japan Foundation, Tokyo – and of course the Pendour Art Collection.

Steve is represented by Galleries in Zurich, Switzerland; Mykonos, Greece; Kingsbridge, UK and Florida, USA.

THE ROSE OF WATCHING

First exhibited as part of Steve’s solo exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1982, the ‘The Rose of Watching’ paintings find their origin in the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926). Inspired by the poet’s rhetorical questioning and almost confessional approach, Steve’s sentinel-style paintings explore colour theory and the purity of abstraction through the lyrical lens of Rilke’s heartfelt prose.

The sensitive surface quality of Steve’s paintings reflect the purity and perfection of the rose as envisioned by Rilke. Smooth planes of quinacridone red, phthalo green, Prussian blue and bitumen brown offer a sense awe and wonder, whilst Steve’s arrangement of diptychs and a quartet echo the stanzas’ structural progression.

Presented here alongside a selection of Rilke’s rose poems, the inherent beauty and mystery of Steve’s paintings can be appreciated, even more so in our Litha 2026 edition of PULSE By Pendour for the first time in print.

II

Against whom, Rose,

Have you sought to acquire

All these thorns?

Is joy so forlorn

That it dares require

This armed thing that grows Briars?

What threat does this prevent,

This overblown barbed wire?

Your numerous opponents

I retired,

Those that were never scared.

In spite of that, summer and fall

You still wound the care

That gives all.

~ R.M. RILKE

IV

I am so aware of your

Being, Perfect Rose,

That my intents must seem a blur

With this party my heart throws.

I breathe you in as if you were just,

Rose, all of life,

And I, a perfect friend to trust

A friend alike.

~ R.M. RILKE

From The Fifth Elegy

Ah, and around this centre,

the rose of watching blooms and sheds

its petals: around this pestle, the pistil

caught by its own pollen dust,

brings forth its show fruit,

yet again, quite unawares,

sparkling with surface gloss

of artificiality.

~ R.M. RILKE, From the Fifth Elegy

FOLLOW THE PULL OF PENDOUR

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

PENDOUR PICKS

Roses For You, For Summer

‘ ATCG ‘ – Artistry, Time, Colour and Gold

Steve Joy ‘Seasons’ Exhibition at Maple Street Construct

PENDOUR CULTURE

Architecture of Silence : Exhibition Synopsis for Steve Joy’s Solo Show

LED Architects, New York City

PENDOUR CULTURE

Museum Moment : Zurbarán at the National Gallery

Linda Bell

10 - 10 - 2610 - 10 - 26

Pendour Palette : Mabon 2026

Disclaimer : This Pendour Palette post may contain affiliate links. This means Pendour may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using our links, with no extra cost to you. We love the companies featured on Pendour and are sure you will too!

STONE CIRCLE

Encircled by beach-combed pebbles this Season’s Palette embraces Autumn’s subtle tones and stand out shades.

Wave’s eco-friendly phone case made from wheat straw in Khaki calls to mind ferns, lichens and mosses as well as Italian olive and cypress trees. Earthy’s 21-free nail polish in Distressed Damson elevates this co-ordination with its warm, succulent shade of sophisticated purple as Soap Folk’s deep yellow Camomile Hand Balm rides the Harvest Moon!

Canard’s trusty Interface Notebook invites co-ordinated change between dot-com and dot-grid, screen for pen and ink, with the flick of a page and the click of lock – it’s little duck-egg blue surprise inside a reminder of summer skies!

A hessian bag from the gift shop at Stonehenge provides a historical twist to this Palette, calling to mind respect for the seasonal changes and the Winter Solstice yet to come.

For a true Harvest ritual, indulge in the scents of Alteya Organic’s hair and skin care saviours. Team up with The Silk Collection’s Eye Mask and Pillowcase in shades of Oyster, Charcoal Grey and Duck Egg Blue. A harmony to the Equinox’s calm and cosy allure.

OUR PALETTE PICKS

Pendour Pose Review : Earthy Nail Varnish – A Planet Loving Polish

Linda Bell

PENDOUR PURCHASE : Wave Case Phone Case Review

Linda Bell

→ Wave’s website

Pendour Pamper : The Silk Collection Review

Linda Bell

→ The Silk Collection website

FEEL THE PULL OF PENDOUR

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

JOIN OUR PENDOUR PALS

Join our Pendour Pals and receive the latest exhibition reviews, artist interviews and more in your inbox.

Our exclusive quarterly journal is released seasonally to align with the key astronomical events at the Summer and Winter Solstices as well as the Equinoxes.

Fill in your details below, look out for your Welcome Letter and join the PULSE party!

09 - 10 - 2609 - 10 - 26

A Harvest Hello! – For The Season Of Mabon

As summer roses fade

And cast-off their lyrical shade :

Pink, Red, Yellow, White –

An Equilibrium of light

Welcomes new tones

A path of petals, now a circle of stepping-stones.

An equilibrium of light splits ‘Sunstone’ by Steve Joy in two. A subtle line, slightly indented, carves through the canvas like a fissure in a rock. A midpoint separating top and bottom, above and below. The heavenly and the earthly.

Recalling the poetry of Octavio Paz, Antonio Machado; even the Viking’s use of Sunstones to navigate their ships under cloudy skies as well as the artist’s birthplace close to the granite-strewn tors of Dartmoor, this plane of deep Bordeaux slightly shimmers like onyx or jasper. Layers of pigment evoke the lustre of stone, a skin polished by the sun and the seasons.

Emerging out of the darkness a faint border is revealed to be etched into the ebony shade. The piece diffuses an otherworldly charm, as though a memory of a monumental stone thrown through the complex of space and time. Shadow, the Queen of Colour, casts her mark like a standing stone’s shadow records the movement of the sun.

Following the Equinox, this ‘Sunstone’ reminds us of the balance of light and darkness and the passage of time.

May this Harvest Season

bridge beauty and gratitude

with every step!

Steve Joy, ‘Sunstone’, 1988, Mixed Media on Canvas.

Provenance :

2025 Collection of the Artist;

1988 – 2025, Nicholas Logsdail, The Lisson Gallery

Discover more of Steve’s early work. We recently published Steve’s paintings ‘The Rose Of Watching’ in our 2026 Litha edition of PULSE By Pendour. Take home, for the first time in print, these artworks presented next to the poetry of Rilke – a rose infused reverie!

No products were found matching your selection.

STAY CONNECTED & INSPIRED

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

JOIN OUR PENDOUR PALS

Join our Pendour Pals and receive the latest exhibition reviews, artist interviews and more in your inbox.

Our exclusive quarterly journal PULSE is released seasonally to align with the key astronomical events at the Summer and Winter Solstices as well as the Equinoxes.

Fill in your details below, look out for your Welcome Letter and join the party!

PENDOUR PICKS

Architecture of Silence : Exhibition Synopsis for Steve Joy’s Solo Show

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

The Healing Artworks of the April Sampson Cancer Centre

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Summer Solstice Salutations

Linda Bell

03 - 10 - 2610 - 10 - 26

A Song Of Stone

I

The ‘fizz’ and ‘clink!’ of the Solent’s waves gently tickle the storm-smoothed stones of Chesil tombolo. This percussive rhythm is laced with the sounds of a choir singing, swelling up from nearby Quiddles Café. I listen to this duet composed of voice and tide, a soundscape that ebbs and flows.

The soloist soprano waivers above the haunting ‘ooo-wooo-ooo’ of the altos before the song breaks like a wave cascading into the depths an octave below.

Overhead, seagulls launch their cries into the partially sun-less sky. From this drone’s eye view, Dorset’s little Isle dangles from the sweeping coastline like a tiny earring or pendant charm. Meanwhile, the wind – whipped by salty dregs of spray – sends hats whirling, raincoats flapping and long hair slapping. A Summer’s day on Portland.

‘Written In Stone . . . Our Island Song. . .’ the choir voices proclaim, now in unison. This melodic transition harmonises with the shifting stones cackling along the tide. A melodic transition to the wind’s lonesome howl.

Performed by Island Voices, Chiswell’s celebrated community choir, this impromptu recital is the perfect prelude for viewing John Maine’s ‘Chiswell Earthworks’. With the tune of a raucous sea-shanty lilting through the soft patter of raindrops, I stride up West Weares slope to study Maine’s monumental work of art in more detail.

II

Five dry stone walls rise up from the ground, running parallel to the tideline several hundred meters below. Facing outwards and towards the choppy whitecaps of the sea, the ‘Chiswell Earthworks’ span roughly an acre at the far end of Chesil Beach and hold back the sloping, slipping land of West Weares.

Like lines etched into the verdant landscape, these hand-built trails follow the topography of the land, its riffs and gullies. The longest wall is 55 yards long and each one acts as a retainer, a structural component protecting against erosion and weathering.

Bending. Curving. Twisting. The walls’ gentle undulations stalk the slope like slithering snakes of stone. Droplets of rain mix with sea spray, glistening slivers of silver on their grey flanks. The walls seem to breathe, to move, to dance along to the Island’s Song.

Maine’s sculptural forms not only echo the curvaceous rise and retreat of the Solent’s steely hue, but the agricultural technique of terracing slopes to grow crops. The artist alludes to paddy field platforms, to climbing olive groves and even layered cliff-top gardens, almost offering an exotic appeal to this pocket of northern-hemisphere shingle.

The varying heights and staggered intervals of the ‘Earthworks’ also recall Dorset’s ancient strip lynchets, a stepped field system once commonplace in this area over 4,000 years ago.

Each terrace is made from Portland Limestone extracted from the nearby quarries. Although several of the quarries have been retired and lately revitalised as nature reserves and educational resources, the heft of stone which make up the ‘Earthworks’ gives an indication as to the scale of the mining industry on the Isle of Portland.

Forming a sort of visual timeline spreading out across the cliff, each wall is made from a different layer of geological rock strata. The primary wall of Slat represents the topmost layer of Portland Limestone; the second wall is made from Topstone and the third wall is of Roach. Whitbed, which has a slightly lower content of shell, has been utilised for the fourth wall and the fifth and lowermost wall is made of Basebed, the deepest type of Portland Limestone mined in the quarries.

Installation of the ‘Earthworks’ began 1987, however difficulty securing workers for the project meant that members of the local community came forward – volunteers, students and even prisoners – to help lay each stone, one by one. Although many doubted that the ‘Chiswell Earthworks’ would ever be completed, the last stone was finally laid in 1994.

III

Maine’s Earthworks are not just an artistic commission in stone. They are the very flesh and blood of the landscape. Excavated. Disembowelled. Shaped and reorganised by human hands. The innards of the Island laid out in organised lines, as though organs or intestines ready for inspection. A quarry dismantled and deconstructed. History is unravelled to form a visual time-scape we can climb, sit and walk on.

Revealing an embodiment of place, the artist has put a magnifying glass up to ‘slow time’, like peeling back the layers of an onion – the skin of the Earth’s crust. The accumulation of sediment and ooliths across millions of years is dissected and distilled. We are presented with a pictorial narrative of prehistoric geological processes in recognisable, structural forms.

Carrying the bulk of the centuries and the roughness of the elements, the ‘Chiswell Earthwork’ stones evoke thoughts of permanence and impermanence. A poetic otherness which although physically tangible, is almost incomprehensible relative to human lifespan.

Celebrating locality, identity and the passage of time, the artist transforms a beachside cliff into a scene that could be set in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’, or paralleled by the lonely remains of Shelly’s ‘Ozymandias’.

IV

As I stride up the slope from Quiddles Café, my heart beating a little faster, I choose a path heading to the right, where the wildflowers have been disturbed. A human sheep trail. Dodging brambles and the occasional stinging nettle, I come close to one of the mid-walls. The sculpture changes perspective, the walls concertina into each other as the uppermost terraces suddenly disappear.

A dog bounds in front of me before being called to heel by its owner. My chosen trail continues, winding its way to loop back at an undulation in the wall. Long grasses shake their golden heads, Morning Glories carpet the blocks of stone enthusiastically; poaceae seem to bury the ‘Earthworks’ so they take on the personality of a great fortress or ancient burial complex from a bygone age. Whispers of ancient civilisations – from Hadrian’s wall at the opposite end of the country, to the Great Wall of China – find their voice within this assembly of Portland stone.

I continue heading lengthways, towards the far end of this ‘Earthwork’. The immense block-like forms echo the 1920s oblong beach huts emerging from the Island’s mist-cloaked viewing point. A large piece of stone at the end of the wall forms a sort of stepped ‘seat’. A ‘look out’ – a natural armchair from which to survey the sea and sky. Wild grasses, heads heavy with seed pods, jitter in the breeze. A butterfly briefly settles on the ledge as though to bask in the sun breaking through the clouds.

This modern-day Mayan-like structure honours the sea wall built to protect the village of Fortuneswell from tidal flooding. Margaret Somerville, a local Gallerist, came up with the idea of a large-scale artwork to commemorate the completion of the sea defences and promenade as a way to reinforce the identity and sense of place on Portland.

The Earthworks were commissioned by the environmental arts organisation Common Ground as Part of their New Milestones project. This initiative invited communities to embrace landscapes of the everyday, to appreciate the scenery on their doorstep and to care for the environment of their local surroundings through permanent, and often large scale, art interventions. From its inception, the commission involved the local community to ensure their support and interest. Margaret Somerville offered a sculptor’s residency and John Maine emerged as a firm favourite for the project owing to his strong ties to the quarries on Portland.

V

From the reinforcements along the US – Mexico border; the boundaries dividing Gaza, the West Bank; neighbourhoods in Belfast; to those in Cyprus and the frontier fence splitting India and Bangladesh, John Maine’s ‘Chiswell Earthworks’ could be considered a premonition for the current border and barrier concerns of this decade. The recent proliferation of walls across the globe as statements of authority and hostility have been built and reinforced at great human, financial and ecological cost.

Yet here, on the Isle of Portland, walls of stone instead become their own place. A place where people come together, where fauna and flora thrive. John Maine has provided habitats for animals and a lasting solution to the landslides and erosion at West Weares through engaging people and place.

Even the use of Portland Limestone – which we are typically accustomed to seeing in its gleaming white form – the tiny indentations of ooliths occasionally interrupting the smooth and regal-looking surface of the streamlined Cenotaph, the magnificence of St Paul’s Cathedral and the UN Headquarters. Associated with refinement it is perhaps at first a little daunting to see Portland stone . . . at home. Its rugged, unpolished appeal more akin to the weathered skin of a Medieval drystone wall.

But it is this unexpected element which perhaps makes the ‘Chiswell Earthworks’ so memorable – so familiar to this land and yet also so striking, considering it is birthed from beneath our very feet!

Celebrating the generations of quarrymen and masons, the craftsmanship and heritage of the Isle of Portland – along with its connection to stone and the sea – the artwork itself becomes part of the fabric of the environment and the community. The upper terrace, between the first mosaic-like wall of Slat and the second wall of larger Topstone pieces has been clipped and manicured to provide an easily accessible area for social and community gatherings. Friends and families can enjoy picnics, children play and sun-seekers can appreciate the light as wave-watchers take in the views.

A landscape of the everyday has been transformed by John Maine’s ‘Chiswell Earthworks’. A song in five parts which resonates through the ages – beside the sea, beneath the sky – of, and amongst, the stones.

KEEP CONNECTED & INSPIRED

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

FEEL THE PULL OF PENDOUR

PENDOUR PICKS

Pendour Picks for a Traditional Trip to Tulum

WANDERLUST

Linda Bell

Pas de Deux : A Dance of ‘Art & Life’ – Barbara Hepworth at Fondation Maeght

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Villa Rucellai, Italy

WANDERLUST

Linda Bell

Pendour Pose Review : All Earth Mineral Cosmetics

PENDOUR LIVING

Linda Bell

01 - 10 - 2603 - 10 - 26

It Was Only The Moon : Elenor Martinsen, Solo Exhibition ‘New Patterns’

‘With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy.’

Oscar Wilde

‘I wish for the moon…for the world to be a peaceful place for all.’

Elenor Martinsen, May 2026

‘It Was Only The Moon’ accompanied Elenor Martinsen’s solo exhibition ‘New Patterns’ presented by Gallery White Box, Blackheath, London.

IT WAS ONLY THE MOON

Elenor Martinsen’s first solo exhibition in London is a tonic for troubled times. The artworks have a balanced, melodic feel – like painterly lullabies to soothe the soul. Drawing inspiration from her Nordic roots and international travels, Elenor imbues her work with the gentle and nurturing influence of the Moon.

The use of silk fibre in ‘Moon Longing’ and ‘Over The Moon’ add a physical dimension to her technique. Acrylic paint settles on the fibres suggesting a soft yet timeless appeal. Whilst silk – and at that, silk worms – have been used by artists to allude to the night and to sleep, the link here is dominant. We consider the patterns of the Moon, its cycle of crescent shapes and segments, its ability to vanish and then ride in front of the Sun, obscuring the light of day as witnessed during the recent eclipse. Elenor’s moons are full, perfect discs of wonder, generous circles of nocturne luminescence beaming above slants of bare linen angled as though rooftops or mountain slopes. The realm of the heavenly seems within our earthly reach.

A mysterious narrative is suggested in the three pastel-blue canvases of ‘Connecting’. A landscape seems to thread its way across the tryptic, as though a pattern of paint. Likewise, in ‘Go With The Flow’ we see simplified hills and rocks, evocative of the artist’s native Norway, stretching across a pink horizon line – though captured here on a scale and with a sensitivity that exudes a feeling of preciousness. An avid wild swimmer and walker, Elenor welcomes us to a secret place of her own making.

Sensitive profiles of the land are rendered with crisp straight lines, influenced by Agnes Martin’s sense of stillness. This certainly follows on in the larger painting ‘Peace and Hope.’ Precise horizontal lines are joined by light washes of grey punctuated by subtle nuances and vertical flashes of white, like partially submerged navigation markers. The landscape’s flowing forms sit like islands jutting up out of calm waters, embracing the sky as they kiss the water’s edge.

These sleeping forms and shapes of restraint seem tucked up for slumber.

Are these shorelines sleeping in the stillness?

Do landscapes dream?

The golden moon at the heart of ‘Hope’ silently shimmers between two peaks, like the tiny stars just visible betwixt the snowy altitudes of Harald Sohlberg’s ‘Winter Night In The Mountain’ – a jewel of Norway’s National Museum, exhibited several years ago in Dulwich. In Elenor’s painting the Moon takes on a similar magnetic presence. It seems to have settled in its central position, a guardian watching over the blue-swathed mountaintops.

In each work, the Moon itself becomes part of the landscape. Devoid of human interference in their abstract nature, these landscapes seem almost lonely. Yet this produces a purity echoing the presence of the Moon itself.

In ‘The Way Home, New Patterns’ the Moon has become blue, as if to signify an exceptionally rare occasion – once in a Blue Moon – or an anomaly in a pattern. This hovering sphere of swirling topaz glimmers like glass salvaged from the sea, or perhaps a beautiful gemstone – the famous Hope Diamond necklace, here adorning the horizon’s neck. This crystalline sphere becomes our planet – the blue planet, nestled in the peaceful galaxy of Elenor’s calm palette and gentle brush. Painted by the artist soon after a trip to Brazil, flying across the open expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, the title may recall Elenor’s own feelings of returning home.

The delicate ‘Y’ shapes in the work signify new growth and prosperity. A symbolic reference perhaps to the time the artist spent in the north of Norway accompanying the Sami people charting reindeer tracks, or even a reference to the embroidered threads of the mothers of Russian soldiers, silenced against their will. ‘The Way Home’ may therefore be a work dedicated to those uprooted by war, climate change and natural disaster.

In these works of deceptive simplicity Elenor herself has reached for the Moon. For its comforting presence and wizened illumination through the darkness of illness and despair. Elenor invites us to adopt new ways of looking, new ways of thinking. She encourages us to develop ‘New Patterns’ as a new form of living. Living softly – like the Moon’s quiet luminescence – to navigate the uncertain and the unknown with peace.

ELENOR MARTINSEN

Elenor Martinsen is a Norwegian visual artist and gallerist. She began painting in the eighties and had her first solo show in Barcelona in 1992. She later established a gallery in Oslo and an art centre on the shore of Lake Tyrifjorden.

Martinsen’s works have been acquired by major institutions and private collections in many countries. She continues to work with collages of wax, photography, rice paper, gold leaf, pigment and pastel.

Visit Elenor’s website here.

GALLERY WHITE BOX

Situated opposite the Hare and Billet Pond on the southwest corner of Blackheath, London, artist and curator Aleksandra Niemczyk presents contemporary and sometimes unconventional voices at Gallery White Box. Through group and solo shows, artist residencies, pop up installations, open studio events, art workshops and more, Gallery White Box’s vibrant programme supports both local and international artists.

The Gallery offers advisory to both new and existing art collections for private and corporate residencies.

Discover more here.

Elenor Martinsen : ‘New Patterns’

Presented by Gallery White Box, Hare & Billet Road, Blackheath, Greenwich, London.

Exhibition Dates : 25th September – 4th October 2026.

KEEP CONNECTED & INSPIRED

You can now subscribe to Pendour PULSE – our quarterly journal.

Aligned to the Equinoxes and Summer and Winter Solstices, PULSE features our latest Places, Picks and Pauses.

Join our Pendour Pals – sign up below, click subscribe and look out for your Welcome email to keep up to date with all things Pendour!

FOLLOW THE ALLURE OF PENDOUR

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

PENDOUR PICKS

katy Brown : ‘Enchanted’

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Pendour Pamper Review : The Silk Collection

PENDOUR LIVING

Linda Bell

Zamas Hotel Review : Where to Stay in Tulum, Mexico

WANDERLUST

PENDOUR PERFECTION * * * * *

Linda Bell

Pendour Purchase Review – The Clothes Doctor

PENDOUR LIVING

Linda Bell

01 - 10 - 2601 - 10 - 26

Pendour Pairing

In this Pairing

we bring together

Alteya Organic’s

Bulgarian Rose Water

and Zurbarán’s

‘still life of A Cup of Water

and a Rose’.

Although separated by centuries, both celebrate the enduring beauty of the rose; Alteya through scent and daily ritual; Zurbarán through paint and contemplation.

Together they invite us to pause and appreciate the quiet beauty often found in the simplest things.

A single rose next to a cup of water.

Thousands of rose petals

plucked, distilled and bottled.

A moment preserved, a scent captured.

United by the timeless symbolism of the rose, this Pendour Pairing invites us to find significance, transformation and contemplation in simplicity.

Museum Moment : Zurbarán at the National Gallery

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Pendour pamper Review : Alteya Organic’s Bulgarian Rose Water

PENDOUR LIVING

Linda Bell

20 - 06 - 2604 - 08 - 26

Summer Solstice Salutations

As the sun breaks through the darkness

in the early hours of this year’s Summer Solstice,

we greet the longest day

with gratitude and respect

for the rhythm of the Seasons.

May we find joy,

energy and abundance as the

warmth of the summer sun

brushes our lives with radiant light and

the rapturous colours of nature’s fullness.

Garlands of pink perform a spirited dance upon a veiled backdrop of luminous blue in Helen Leaver’s ‘Romantic Reverie’.

Calling to mind meadows awash with flowers basking in the midsummer sun, this pastel drenched day-dream is a lyrical meditation. A lilting breath, a thought arising, hovering across a momentary pause in the sun’s journey through the skies.

Delicate twirls and folds of paint allude to the fullness of nature’s bounty. Drips, specks and brush marks of rich pigment complete this immersive embrace – an offering to the vibrant Solstice light and the harvest yet to come.

WISHING A HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE

TO ALL OUR PENDOUR PALS !

Find out how nature inspires Helen Leaver’s paintings in our first Pendour ‘Conversation Piece’ :

A Conversation Piece With Helen Leaver

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Listen to the audio version of this ‘Conversation Piece’

KEEP CONNECTED & INSPIRED

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

PENDOUR PICKS

katy Brown : ‘Enchanted’

Solo exhibition at the Russell Gallery, Putney, London

Linda Bell

Pendour Pamper Review : Alteya Organic’s Bulgarian Rose Water

Linda Bell

Museum Moment : Zurbarán at the National Gallery

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Wintertide Wishes

Linda Bell

20 - 06 - 2609 - 09 - 26

Museum Moment : Zurbarán at The National Gallery

A single thornless rose with pink-white petals balances on the edge of a silver platter. Beside it sits a white cup of water, the curves of its two handles echoing the petals’ forms. Painted by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598 – 1664) around 1630, the scene is almost perfectly still – save for beads of moisture gathering around the base of the cup.

As though arranged upon an altar, or plain wooden table, light glances off the silver platter and the cup’s smooth surface, drawing our attention to their contrasting textures and quiet presence.

The rose seems fragrant and freshly plucked, its voluptuous petals intensified by the sombre shadows in the depths of the room. Rather than an encroaching darkness we observe a velvety dusk akin to the night sky, possibly the suggestion of a shuttered bedchamber ready for afternoon siesta. It’s like we can breathe in the rose’s soft perfume, permeating though the canvas and varnish, past the deep, aged wood of the painting’s frame.

The thornless rose was a well-known symbol of the Virgin Mary in seventeenth century Spain. Yet this deceptively simple painting may contain other layers of meaning.

The pairing of rose and water may allude to rose water, for centuries prized throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East for medicinal, culinary and ceremonial uses. Introduced to Spain through Islamic culture and first cultivated in the lush gardens of the Alhambra, the rose became woven into Spanish life, poetry and devotion. Indeed, ‘El Dia de la Rosa’ is still celebrated in Catalonia each year.

Viewed this way, the painting begins to hint at wider connections. Thousands of petals are required to produce just a cup’s worth of rose water. As such, Zurbarán could be alluding to Seville’s wealth as one of Europe’s great trading centres in the seventeenth century.

The silver platter may evoke the vast quantities of silver extracted by the Spanish from the New World, from Potosí in present-day Bolivia. Shipped on heavily laden Manila Galleons bound for Europe, silver was traded in cities such as Seville for silk and Chinese porcelain transported from Asia. Together, these humble objects speak of the flow of global exchange: of materials, craftsmanship, beliefs and ideas travelling across continents.

What first appears to be a meditation on stillness may therefore be something much larger. A rose, a cup of water and a silver plate become traces of a connected world. The elliptical forms in the work may invite further speculation. Painted just a few decades after Galileo published evidence regarding the solar system’s heliocentric nature, the arrangement almost resembles a celestial model.

Pre-Columbian civilisations in South America saw time as cyclical, rather than linear and Zurbarán’s plate may bear some resemblance to a Mayan or Aztec circular stone calendar. Silver, believed to be the Moon’s ‘tears’, held significant symbolic value for the Mesoamericans. Perhaps, then, ‘Still Life of a Cup of Water and A Rose’ also reflects the movement of Christianity and scientific thought in the seventeenth century, expressing the entanglements between the decline of one civilisation and the rise of another.

Zurbarán’s work slowly starts to feel less like a still life and more like a portrait of a world in motion. Sustained looking enables a rose and a white cup of water to become vessels of wonder. Zurbarán invites us to look beyond these humble objects and instead see an entire world.

The exhibition ‘Zurbarán’ continues at the National Gallery, London, until 23rd August 2026.

PENDOUR PAIRING

For this Pairing we bring together Zurbarán‘s ‘Still Life With A cup Of Water and A Rose’ and Alteya Organic’s Bulgarian Rose Water.

Though separated by centuries, both celebrate the enduring beauty of the rose; Alteya through scent and daily ritual, Zurbarán through paint and contemplation. Together they invite us to pause and appreciate the quiet beauty often found in the simplest things.

A single rose next to a cup of water. Thousands of rose petals plucked, distilled and bottled. A moment preserved, a scent captured. United by the timeless symbolism of the rose, this Pendour Pairing invites us to find significance, transformation and contemplation in simplicity.

KEEP INSPIRED & CONNECTED

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

PENDOUR PICKS

Museum Moment : Rose Wylie at the Royal Academy

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Lakeside Life : Chapter I ‘Winter’ – A Stay at Fritton Lake

WANDERLUST

Linda Bell

Pas de Deux : A Dance of ‘Art & Life’ – Barbara Hepworth at Fondation Maeght

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

17 - 06 - 2617 - 06 - 26

Pendour Pose Review : All Earth Mineral Cosmetics

Join Linda Bell in this Pendour Pose Review as she explores All Earth’s mineral powders – getting made-up with a hint of eco-sparkle on the way!

Disclaimer : This Pendour Review may contain affiliate links. This means Pendour may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using our links, with no extra cost to you. We love the companies featured on Pendour Living and are sure you will too!

A soft shade Foundation –

A sweep of Bronzer –

Some Burgandy along the lips,

Composes a sensual look –

A little Pink – smudged above –

A soothing base of rose –

A Pot for Life –

A silky Brush –

This just makes out an All Earth face.

A make-up brand like no other, All Earth Mineral Cosmetics present a rare opportunity to care for your skin and the planet whilst you get glammed up!

For several years now, All Earth has been my go-to foundation brand and I recently tip-toed into their offering of other skin-loving products – I only wish I had done so sooner!

With plastic free refills, ethically sourced ingredients and a strong environmental ethos, All Earth is a force for change compared to the usual make-up manufacturers we’re accustomed to.

Based in Cornwall, All Earth was funded by professional make-up artist Julie Wieczorek. She teamed up with Guy Hanson, a skin care specialist, and together they developed a range of cosmetics to support eco-friendly practices and as a tribute to Julie’s baby son, who sadly passed away at birth.

Currently, it is only possible to purchase All Earth’s beautiful make-up products online. Of course, it would be wonderful to see their gorgeously packaged make-up displayed in a real bricks-and-mortar setting, with opportunities to colour match and real life tutorials, but in the meantime, their website is highly informative with ‘How To Videos’ for each product. These not only provide excellent tips, tricks and hints but offer a good idea of what to expect when selecting your choice of mineral powder.

CUSTOMER CARE

As a small, independent, family run business, All Earth do not manufacture their products in large batches. However, this allows their impressive customer service to shine!

I received a number of personal emails direct from Julie regarding my order as there was a slight delay of 1-2 days due to an unforeseen event. As such, I had to change my delivery address which was easy to arrange. I ordered the make-up specifically to wear to a wedding (with extra time to ‘practice’) and although it still arrived in good time, Julie was so apologetic about the slight delay she even added a few extra goodies to my order! So kind!

This just goes to show the care and professionalism that a small business can offer compared to larger make-up companies.

PRESENTATION, PRESENTATION, PRESENTATION

Upon receiving my order I was blown away by the quality presentation of the gorgeously arranged make-up. Displayed as though an Easter basket or luxury hamper, the cardboard tubes of make-up were carefully arranged on a bed of plastic-free packing straw. The whole effect felt rustic and natural and showed particular attention and thought had been given to the customers’ very first impressions. Little information booklets printed onto stiff card completed the natural appeal.

Laid out like eggs in a bird’s nest, it was an absolute pleasure to unbox these fancies. You can watch our Pendour Purchase Unboxing video here :

When First Impressions are so delightful,

You know you’re in for a treat!

SPECIAL SERUM SAMPLE

As a gesture of goodwill for the slight delay, Julie kindly added a sample of All Earth’s Multi Use Facial Serum. This little jar of luminescence softens and smooths so you don’t have a care in the world!

Although it looks a little like Limoncello – channelling Mediterranean vibes! – this serum contains a nourishing base of seed oils with added Vitamin E, frankincense and lavender. The scent is quite earthy and it has a thin, inviscid quality which is perfect for applying to skin as it leaves no sticky residue or greasy feel. The handmade oil slips on and quickly soaks in to promote revitalisation.

Highly hydrating, this sumptuous serum boasts high quality, natural ingredients free from artificial fragrances, parabens and petroleum.

PENDOUR PRO-TIP

Before applying this serum, spritz a generous amount of Alteya’s Organic Bulgarian Rose Water over your face. This heavenly toner neutralises the skin’s pH and prepares it to fully absorb the radiant goodness in the Multi Use serum.

This multi use, skin loving oil can not only be used as a facial serum, but it is also an effective make-up primer as well as a mineral foundation mixer and a make-up remover – hence the Multi Use namesake!

~ The oil creates a smooth base for applying mineral powder foundation and make-up.

~ When mixed together with All Earth’s mineral foundation to create an oil-based liquid foundation, this serum promotes a deliciously dewy look.

~ And, at Cinderella hour, this lovely serum dissolves make-up to leave your skin feeling fresh, balanced and cleansed.

All Earth have joined forces with Helen Round Design – a Cornish based crafter selling a range of cosmetic accessories fashioned from natural materials. From bamboo face cloths to eco sponges, Helen Round’s aesthetic and values compliment All Earth’s environmental ethos and present the perfect way to enhance any All Earth eco make-up experience! Helen Round’s products can be used in conjunction with this Multi Use serum as blissful cleansing cloths for effective make up removal.

A HINT OF ROSE

Get ready for a trip to Bulgaria’s Summer Rose Festival!

On this occasion I placed an order for All Earth’s deliciously rose scented 3-in-1 Facial Moisturiser.

I hadn’t previously tried this cream as I was a little nervous about the inclusion of Ethylhexylglycerin (a preservative). Usually, I aim to use 100% natural products with no preservatives but considering my positive experiences with All Earth’s mineral foundation I liked the sound of this moisturiser so much that I decided to give it a whirl! And so glad that I did!

This moisturiser contains Faex Extract – a natural form of pseudo-collagen obtained from yeast with highly beneficial skin-loving properties. Known to help support the skin’s natural microbiome, this ingredient also presents an alternative to retinol. Previously, I have found products containing retinol to be quite drying so was intrigued as to how this moisturiser would feel on my skin.

Filled to the brim, this luscious moisturising cream is placed in an aluminium tin and the scent is absolutely divine! Deliciously delicate and in no way overpowering, it has a gentle fragrance a little like Turkish Delight! The white colour is attractive and it has a slight mousse-y, whipped up texture.

When applied this cream does not feel heavy or slippery – it’s a lot more buttery than I expected and has a rather silky feel.

With a powerhouse of nourishing ingredients including avocado oil, mango butter, rosehip and hyaluric acid, this 3-in-1 cream is deeply moisturising and restores the skin’s natural elasticity. Again, like the Multi Use Facial Serum, it soaks in rapidly and leaves no shininess.

Also available in a mandarin scented version to strengthen and refresh the skin, a full list of ingredients can easily be found on the All Earth website.

Like the All Earth Multi Use Facial Serum, this moisturiser is very versatile :

~ Tint with a little of All Earth’s mineral foundation powder if you’re after a look with buildable coverage and a rich, velvety Foundation! Sprinkle a little mineral colour into the cream and perhaps mix in with a pinch of All Earth Bronzer to match any complexion. An easy way to make a dreamy liquid foundation – the ideal base for any make-up adventure!

I’ve added this cream quite regularly to my morning and evening routine and have found the look and overall feel of my skin to improve dramatically. This comforting cream is really quite balancing and makes for a wonderful skin loving restorer when applied in the evening as an overnight treat.

PENDOUR PRO-TIP

Pair All Earth’s 3-in-1 moisturiser with The Silk Collection’s Sleep Eye Mask or a Mulberry Silk Pillowcase for the ultimate self-care slumber!

Vegan and free from SLS, palm oil and any artificial fragrances, this 3-in-1 cream is also a self-care wonder for sensitive skin. I always look forward to my skin care routine because this moisturiser is so calming, rich and smoothing.

During a few weeks of use I discovered that this moisturiser seems to ‘airbrush’ away fine lines and wrinkles and makes blemishes far less conspicuous. With so much healing goodness and even a chance to add a hint of colour, I think this moisturiser is probably more like a 5-in-1 cream!

This 50ml tin has lasted about 10 weeks but I do wish it were available in larger quantities, and that All Earth would produce a body cream version!

The smaller sample size of 15 ml is perfect for trying out before committing, experimenting with a different scent or if you just need a small pot to gift to a friend, or a travel size to join you on the road!

FAB FOUNDATION

Soft, fine and luscious, All Earth natural Mineral Foundations are unique blends of oxides, kaolin, allantoin, mica and silicas. All responsibly sourced and ethically packaged, these foundations continue All Earth’s ethos to care for your skin whilst providing flawless coverage.

Available in 6 shades (more coming soon!) these Mineral Foundations are very versatile and comfortable for even the most sensitive of skin.

~ Kaolin not only ensures good coverage but enables a little to go a long way.

~ The addition of Allantoin alleviates dryness and helps to regenerate skin. It offers soothing, moisturising and healing qualities.

~ The addition of zinc oxide helps to protect skin from sun damage.

~ Mica is gentle and skin safe, a naturally occurring mineral that reflects light to provide the luminous, shimmering finish All Earth is celebrated for!

All Earth’s foundations are free from bismuth and oxy-chloride minerals which about 65% of the population are allergic to.

Finely milled and sifted like icing sugar, All Earth’s mineral foundation sits on top of the skin, creating a soft, dewy veil which can be light or dense depending how much product is used.

Available in 8 g refills and 4 g shots the tone can be lightened or darkened with a little sprinkle of another shade from a 2 g sample. This makes it so easy to adjust shades for seasonal palette changes and the summer glow!

All Earth’s Foundation Powders are buildable and unlike other foundations, they does not cause irritation or ichy-ness. A little really does go a long way in terms of coverage and buidling layers despening on the desired look.

After using everyday for a week I found my skin sensitivity calmed down and and I think the beneficial ingredients in this product enhanced my ‘natural radiance.’

BE BOLD BRONZER

All Earth’s mineral bronzer comes in one universal shade. This natural-looking tan in a tube (or a Pot For Life – more on this later!) is made from the same high quality ingredients as in the All Earth Foundation.

Likewise, this product is breathable and buildable and a little really lasts a long time!

This beautiful bronzer adds a desirable glow anytime of the day – or year – and a healthy looking shot of lovely warm colour, whatever the weather . . . .

When added and blended over the cheek bones, this bronzer creates dynamic depth and dramatic dimension. The mica in the mixture catches the light to add a hint of mystery and a subtle sparkle for an eco-friendly look.

Step Out and Be Bold

With This Beautiful Bronzer!

THE FINISHING TOUCH

With added rice powder, this translucent Finishing Powder helps to control oil and sweat on the skin and provides the finishing touch to the All Earth Look! The rice powder absorbs any extra moisture caused by humidity and sweat and works to maintain the fresh appearance of make-up.

The added Sericite mica in this mineral powder helps to improve smoothness and adhesion to the skin to prevent flaking and cracking. What’s not to love?!

This finishing powder can be sprinkled in with the mineral foundation powder, or applied separately on top. It really is completely invisible and helps to stop make-up becoming too shiny.

I’ve even applied it around my eyes to help stop mascara smudging, as it prevents moisture from dissolving make up and making it run.

This finishing touch really helps to prolong the longevity of the All Earth Face!

Again like the Foundations and Bronzer, this product is plastic free and contains no hidden nasties or chemicals – just pure minerals and ingredients to support your skin.

ILLUMINATOR

This powdered Mineral Illuminator is one of my favourite products from All Earth! Sometimes I just apply a little of this without wearing foundation to add a hint of sparkle and colour when I don’t have time to put on a full face!

A gorgeous shimmery, twinkly pink colour, this delicate illuminator is like no other!

Sporting just two ingredients – mica and iron oxide, it really is a great way to enhance a natural look without questionable chemicals and additives.

The mica in this powder not only helps to reduce fine lines but supports an impeccable look.

PENDOUR PRO-TIP

Apply to the inside corner of each eye for a girly look – a natural way to draw attention to your eyes!

This illuminator powder really adds pazazz to any make-up bag – a quick and easy way to refresh and brighten your look. A ray of radiance!

PRINCESS PINK

Another new product I was intrigued to try out – All Earth’s Lip, Cheek and Eye Tint.

With meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E, these little pots of shimmering colour add subtle colour to lips, cheeks and eyelids – all without any sign of plastic! Hard set into a solid glass pot, these Mineral Creams are available in a range of shades from burgundy to salmon pink and secured with an aluminium lid.

Enticed by the moisturising ingredients and the idea of using this shimmering tint in more places than one, I opted for the Candy Pink tone – and what a princess shade! This dazzling pink is so lip–licious!

I first applied to my lips using my index finger. The solid, hard set mineral cream can require a bit of working to warm up but soon glides on. It felt very natural to apply with my finger, but the cream tints can also be applied with a small brush.

And whoa! – this felt lovely and moisturising, especially compared to other lipsticks! It really gave an elegant pop of colour to my lips and I can’t tell you how many wonderful compliments I received when wearing this tint at a wedding! It really compliments the All Earth face, it looks so natural and works so well with all the other products to create a wonderful palette.

As a lip tint, this mineral cream has a fairly good staying power and may need topping up when eating and drinking, but this is so easy and even during a busy day really feels like a moment of self care.

The tint also makes for an impressive eyeshadow – super impactful and not a tone I would usually put near my eyes, but with a little experimentation I found this shade to be so complimentary. All Earth’s mineral cream tints can be applied on the eyelids – again with a finger or a brush – and the consistency allows for easy blending with other colours or products, depending on the effect you may be after.

Although this product is designed for adding colour to the cheeks, I just dabbed a little bit of what was left on my finger onto my cheek bones. Gently rubbed in, it blends beautifully with the Bronzer for an added flash of colour!

On and I almost forgot – this product arrived in a darling little hessian bag, which would make this an ideal gift for any make-up lover!

I can’t wait to experiment with some of the other shades!

REFILL READY

One of the main reasons I was first drawn to All Earth Natural Cosmetics was the brand’s strong environmental ethos. With a desire to protect the Cornish coastline and countryside – and beyond! – All Earth have developed a rather unique refill system.

Unless specifically requested, All Earth’s Foundation, Bronzer, Finishing Powders and Blushers arrive in cardboard tubes. These are naturally biodegradable in any garden or flower pot and 100% recyclable. No single use plastic in sight!

The use of cardboard not only protects the environment from the scourge of plastic invading our lives and polluting our oceans, soil and air, but helps to save money. All Earth have really leaned into this use of cardboard as a plastic alternative, using the rustic appeal to enhance their brand aesthetic and it works a treat!

The cardboard feels great to hold and although may seem a bit strange at first, provides great protection for the powders within. Each tube has a twist top lid, so they are easy to open and empty out into the All Earth Pots for Life.

A POT FOR LIFE

All Earth’s Pots for Life offer an excellent way to store and transport mineral powders. Not only that, but they are completely eco-friendly!

All Earth Mineral Cosmetics teamed up with another company to salvage ghost nets from the seas around Cornwall. Ghost nets pose particular problems to sea life as fish, birds and mammals such as seals and porpoises can get caught in them and starve or die from injuries sustained whilst trying to escape. Micro plastics can also detach form the nets, adding to plastic pollution in the water. Ghost nets are also a challenge for coastal communities. Harvesting these nets helps to clear the oceans of dangerous pollution and places value on the salvaged plastic – all interrupting a cycle of wasteful practices!

All Earth’s Pots for Life are made from these salvaged ghost nets – the plastic is reconstituted to produce a durable and eco-friendly material. This is far more carbon efficient than using new plastic and helps to restore the health of marine ecosystems!

With a smooth black finish All Earth’s Pots for Life are completely unique in the make-up market and look and feel a little bit like carbon fibre – adding a cool, sophisticated edge to any make-up bag!

The design on the lid has a wave-like pattern and also displays the All Earth logo with the angel wings – as though a guardian angel to help protect the sea!

There is space inside the pot to keep and store mineral powders and there is a sifter lid stating that this product has been salvaged from the seas near Cornwall – a great reminder that your purchase makes a real difference to the environment every time you apply your mineral make-up! The sifter lid allows for the make-up powders to be carefully transferred into the main lid for mixing without spilling. Once a small amount is sifted into the lid, the Foundation and Bronzer powders can be mixed to create the desired shade. The shape of the lid perfectly matches All Earths Kabuki brushes for flawless application and a seamless session as you get glammed up!

I’ve had two Pots for Life – one for foundation, and another for Bronzer for about 4 years now and they have travelled everywhere with me. All over the world! They have both stood the test of time and are a comforting reminder of Cornwall even when abroad.

As always, All Earth’s thoughtful and carefully made products do more than your usual high street make-up brands and show how beauty can go hand in hand with sustainability.

A BEAUTIFUL BRUSH UP

All Earth also offers several make-up brushes which are perfect for applying mineral foundation.

The Foundation Kabuki Brush has a bowl, or dome shape specifically designed to apply and blend mineral Foundation, promoting equal coverage and allowing for buildable layers. It is vegan and beautifully made as the bristles do not fall out. My Foundation Kabuki brush is now a few years old and, like the Pots for Life, has proudly stood the test of time!

Perfectly sized to fit in the mixing lids of All Earth’s Pots for Life, the Kabuki brush allows for an impeccable and flawless finish, without spillage or wastage – a small detail but this is where All Earth really excels – they have thought of everything!

The Kabuki brush is easy to clean with warm water and a facial soap. If used regularly, the brush should be cleaned every 10 days or so to prevent the build up of bacteria.

And for more control when applying Mineral Bronzer, All Earth also have a special Bronzer Kabuki Brush. This has a flat edge to target specific areas, such as the cheek bones. The thin edge of the brush can be used to add more layers of buildable colour before blending in with the rounded Kabuki brush.

an ALL EARTH FACE

From beautiful shades to carefully sourced ingredients, All Earth Mineral Cosmetics have mastered eco-friendly and sustainable make-up. There’s no one else like them!

Their make-up is safe for sensitive skin and contains ingredients which actually work to enhance the natural radiance of the skin.

Complimenting most skin shades, All Earth’s carefully developed shades are adjustable – create a bespoke, personal shade by adding a sprinkle of colour, or mixing in with the Multi Use Facial Serum or 3-in-1 Moisturiser for a more velvety texture.

Overall, All Earth Mineral Cosmetics offer a gorgeous natural look, a pleasant and girly radiance which enhances the natural beauty of any face!

All Earth’s unique refill system allows for a make-up advenutre without costing the Earth, proving that sustainable beauty is absolutely possible. Well done All Earth!

Overall, All Earth Mineral Cosmetics

offer a light and gorgeous look,

a pleasant and girly radiance

which enhances

the natural beauty of any face!

EDEN & ECOLOGI

All Earth strives for the highest quality ingredients in their products, sourced from suppliers who also work to the same standards. All products are vegan, cruelty free and sustainably sourced with a guarantee that the mining and manufacturing chain are free from child labour.

What’s more, All Earth have also partnered with Ecologi and the non profit organisation Eden Project. These charities employ members of impoverished communities – paying individuals a fair wage – to plant trees, resulting in mass scale reforestation to spark a range of positive socio-economic benefits in many regions across the globe. As a partner, All Earth help to sponsor such projects, meaning each sale of their beautiful skin care and make-up products further contribute to helping people and the planet!

STAY CONNECTED & INSPIRED

Instagram

Pendour – YouTube

PENDOUR PICKS

Pendour pamper Review : Alteya Organic’s Bulgarian Rose Water

PENDOUR LIVING

Linda Bell

Stay In A Storybook Castle – A Review of Castello Valenzino, Umbria

WANDERLUST

Linda Bell

The Healing Artworks of the April Sampson Cancer Centre

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

Heath Hearn : ‘By This River’ – From the Tamar to the Thames

PENDOUR CULTURE

Linda Bell

16 - 06 - 2611 - 07 - 26

Fabric and Faith : A Review of ‘Zurbarán’

Wandering though the seven rooms of this exhibition it is as though we have come face to face with Shakespeare’s ‘Seven Stages of Man’. Life, death, realism and miraculous imaginings collide on canvas, shaped by swathes of pigment and thin coats of varnish.

Upon entry we first encounter Francisco de Zurbarán’s ‘The Crucifixion’. This painting was commissioned by the Dominican monastery of San Pablo el Real in Seville in 1626. Zurbarán’s work gleamed so brightly in the dimly lit monastery that when viewed through a grill, early audiences perceived the painting to be a work of sculpture; the figure of Christ illuminated, emerging like a spectre from the shadows.

Now hung on the pitch painted walls of the National Gallery – tinted especially for this occasion – a similar effect is achieved. (Despite the unfortunate mismatched lighting – too bright, too high up throughout.)

The National Gallery presents Zurbarán’s first comprehensive exhibition in the British Isles as a varied and tantalising viewing journey simply entitled ‘Zurbarán’. Hailing from Seville, this Spanish master may not be as celebrated outside of Spain as per the likes of Goya and Valazquez, yet this exhibition illustrates how his work can stir a deep response – even in our contemporary age.

Several themes run through the fabric of this exhibition. Seville of yesteryear is successfully portrayed as a major trading hub. We see how it was fortified by cultural cross-overs and Islamic entanglements and what bearing this sometimes had on Zurbarán’s choice of costume for his sitters.

Zurbarán’s father was a cloth merchant and we also learn that our son of Seville even had a hand at trading silk himself in Madrid. These factors certainly resonate with Zurbarán’s ability to capture the texture of fabric so meticulously, so illustriously – from glossy and smooth to rough and crumpled.

The stark walls of charcoal add a contemporary edge to Zurbarán’s magnificence. His subjects, often depicted in dark, mysterious settings, appear quite unsettling in their brilliantly coloured costumes – or all flesh and muscle as in the case of ‘Hercules’.

Reunited for the first time in over 100 years, an altar piece soaring 15 meters high depicts scenes from the life of Christ in exquisite detail across three panels. From the robes worn by the Magi to the Christ child’s features and the cloud of cherubs upon which Mary hovers, an extraordinary subject and story is brought to life.

As with the theatrical Crucifixion painting, in sixteenth century Seville such dazzling palettes loftily installed in places of worship would have offered a vibrancy verging on the miraculous.

In the next room we reach out in vain – we believe we could literally touch the fabric of St Francis’ cowl, its form stiffened around the saint, so long has he knelt deep in contemplative prayer. With his hands clasped together over a skull, St Francis’ face is partially obscured by shadow, adding a dimension of mystery and even foreboding. In fact, the series of paintings presented along this wall form a procession so dramatic and eerie that they could easily be film stills.

We may detect a faint itching sensation when looking at the rough, scratchy texture of St Francis’ robes. Complete with a tear upon the sleeve – single threads matted – this tiny, easy to miss detail springs the entire austere composition to life.

Meanwhile, a rich brocade of scarlet follows the valleys and curving peaks of Saint Casilda’s billowing court dress. It seems completely plausible in our mind’s eye to reach out and feel the velveteen swish of her skirt with our fingertips, so nearly it escapes the canvases’ flat plane.

We already know the hefty weight of this fabric, its dense weft and weave, all creases and folds tenderly, sumptuously rendered by Zurbarán’s brush. The Muslim princess looks our way, as though acknowledging our twenty first century gaze and confronting us in our amazement. But our amazement is not just at the beauty of her outfit!

Zurbarán captures a moment so bewitching it seems to verge towards something more from a Grimm’s fairytale than a passage in Father Butler’s ‘Lives of the Saints’. In this painting a religious transformation occurs in front of our very eyes. Upon accusation of betrayal, the bread rolls concealed within in St Casilda’s lavish skirts intended to feed Christian prisoners tumble out, turning into a cascade of red roses. A miracle indeed.

A little further along in the exhibit we may find glee at imagining our fingers plunging in and picking up the lanolin from the warm, candy-floss fleece of the lamb in ‘Agnus Dei’. Hoofs bound, balanced on a cold stone ledge, this lamb is all innocence in its snowy whiteness. Realism verging on the sublime.

Although the lamb is a well known visual metaphor for Christ, we are also presented with a scene of Zurbarán’s own invention: Jesus depicted as a child playing in a domestic interior. He has pricked his finger on a needle; Mary sits nearby and sheds tears so realistic as to take our breath away.

But it is not all works of Catholic storytelling in ‘Zurbaran’. We lick our lips at the look of the luscious oranges in ‘Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and A Rose’. Carefully arranged to create a sense of flow and a triangular composition, three distinct and separate motifs emerge from the rich sheen of the backdrop as though offerings placed upon an altar. To the left, lemons are orchestrated on a pewter platter so that they point to different directions. They lead us into the work and towards the delicate neroli blooms atop a basket of voluptuous oranges, before pointing us further towards a second reflective platter bearing a single pink rose and a white cup of water.

Generous proportions, rough, knobbly looking skins and the thought of a juicy promise tempt us to pluck and peel one of these citrus fruits, to taste the sweet and bitter piths within. An allusion to Easter and the new life of Christ’s resurrection, this seductive piece is haunted by the seriousness of a religious ceremony – yet it almost feels like a tease! A ‘zest’ of faith. Zurbarán having us on.

In the neighbouring work a segment of this piece is revisited as though a preparatory study, or a cropped detail a little like an edited photograph. The thornless rose lies quietly on a silver platter alongside the cup of water in the encroaching darkness. This stark simplicity symbolises the Virgin’s purity and would have been well understood by devout Spanish viewers in the seventeenth century. Today, this smaller painting offers an attractive minimal aesthetic as though a foretelling of contemporary works of architecture and pared down interior design.

All this is before we even turn to the veined, impossibly translucent grapes painted by Zurbarán’s son, Juan. An unexpected treat!

‘A Plate of Grapes’ was painted when Juan was merely nineteen years of age. The inclusion of this piece along with several others by Juan is a touch of curatorial flair which turns this exhibition into something more along the lines of a celebration, a homage to Zurbarán’s greatness – wholehearted and impressive – rather than a straight-up retrospective.

Further still lives of urns, only recently discovered, impart a foretelling of not only Chardin, but of Morandi, their simplicity and honesty reflected in the smooth slip of the bone china and terracotta. Equivalents to the solo saints, these still lives take on personality and storytelling even in their inanimate existence.

But it’s the final painting perhaps, following on from the ‘Colossal Head’ (evoking parallels with Chuck Close, Jenny Saville and even our selfie-centred universe) and the ghostly imprint on Veronica’s towel that Zurbarán finally reveals himself to us. An artist, with brushes at the ready, paints a canvas placed upon an easel beneath Christ’s crucifixion, a humbling yet unforgettably inventive scene.

Possibly a depiction of St Luke, could this work tell of the painter’s worth as Zurbarán saw it? Is this painting a signifier of the devotional nature of his faithful endeavours, or a cosmic imagining beyond the metaphysical? (Alternatively, could it be that Zurbarán thinks of himself as some sort of time travelling prophet?)

It is then that we are struck with the thought that what we are really seeing is the work of the first surrealist. Human scale is sized up, a colossal head mesmerises our imagination, the crucifix floats out of the darkness while the serene, silent still lives seem weirdly, oddly out of place. Even the rose on a platter seems like a foreshadowing for Dali’s meditative rose floating between heaven and earth. We experience Man not only in all his guises as once outlined in Shakespeare’s sonnet, nor solely the religious qualities and luxurious exuberances of sixteenth century Seville. Here in ‘Zurbarán’ are the threads which eventually weave their way into the visual culture of the future.