Paula Rego at the Tate Britain review – eleven rooms of abstract excellence
At 86, Paula Rego’s career bears witness to nearly a century’s worth of political turmoil, oppression, and difficulty.
Stop and Look – Bronzino’s Allegory of Venus and Cupid (1545)
One of the most accomplished painters of the Florentine Renaissance, Bronzino’s “Allegory of Venus and Cupid” is a bafflingly beautiful work of art.
Stop and Look – John Constable’s Hadleigh Castle (1829)
John Constable’s Hadleigh Castle is not so much a landscape as a skyscape – a study of clouds and light infused with emotion.
Lost History – The Campanology of Tosca
The great Puccini transcribed the real bells of Rome into his iconic opera.
Ancient brains: a look inside the extraordinary preservation of a 310-million-year-old nervous system
Even the extremely delicate anatomy of animals, such as their internal organs, can be preserved in remarkable detail.
Lost History – The lost swords of Grunwald
In the 1400s, a pair of unsheathed broadswords were sent to the King of Poland. Over 400 years later, they disappeared never to be found.
Wordwatch: Pence
A deep dive into the linguistic history of well-known, but often little understood English words and phrases.
What To Watch This Week
The Reaction guide to what to watch this week across all streaming platforms.
Poem of the Week – To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
In this week’s poem, the speaker tells the woman he loves he would spend eternity adoring her if he could.
French Letter: Hares beware, it is almost hunting season
In this week’s French Letter, a Hare in Walter’s garden reminds him that La Chasse, the hunt, will soon be here for hunting season.
I’m missing Siena and Venice
Stuck in rain-soaked England, thoughts to turn to the glories of trips once made and to the question of why wars break out in August.
French Letter: Motorhomes are squeezing the life out of French hotels
In this week’s letter, Walter reminisces the French hotels he has frequented over the years and is unimpressed by the increasing popularity of campervans.
Books Digest – John Stonehouse, Ten Days in Physics That Shook The World and The Lock In
The Reaction round-up of what you should, and shouldn’t, be reading this week.
Cultish review – the seductive language of fanaticism
From multi-level marketing companies to CrossFit and the Manson Family, cults and cultish influence are ever present in our society.
Books Digest – Conversations on Love, Confessions of a Heretic and The Story of Work
The Reaction round-up of what you should, and shouldn’t, be reading this week.
Shuko Oda – Food for Thought
An interview with Shuko Oda, co-founder of the popular Japanese restaurant in London, Koya.
Selina Periampillai – Food for Thought
An interview with the British-born Mauritian food pioneer, self-trained chef and food writer, Selina Periampillai.
Michael McManus – Favourite Things
The playwright, campaigner and former parliamentary candidate, Michael McManus, shares his five favourite things.
Tom Newton Dunn – Favourite Things
Broadcast journalist and Chief Political Commentator at Times Radio, Tom Newton Dunn, shares his five favourite things.
Ruth Davidson – Favourite Things
The former leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Ruth Davidson, shares her five favourite things.
