MATTHEW HAWKINS relishes the valiant defiance of two gay Scottish painters whose example resists both collectors’ taste and historical fiction
Patterns of Russia: History, Culture and Spaces
Accessible and informed insights into the ‘lands of the Rus’
ENGAGING ACCOUNT: (L to R) Isaak Levitan, Eternal Peace, 1894; Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir, detail of the surprisingly unthreatening Last Judgement fresco by Andrey Rublyov and Daniil Chorniy, 1408; St Petersburg, south bank of River Neva, with the dome of St Isaac’s cathedral, 1818–58
Essays on contemporary Latin American feminism, a poetry debut by a queer Texan of Mexican heritage, and a lush volume of tango and milonga drawings
JOHN McINALLY welcomes a rigorous class analysis of the history and exploitation of sectarianism by the Scottish ruling elite
The bard pays homage to his two muses: his wife and his football club
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by an incoherent show that fails to question stereotypical assumptions about the Soviet Union
WILL STONE, JAMES WALSH and MARIA DUARTE review Souleymane’s Story, Sunlight, Good Fortune, and After The Hunt
A SERIES of reflections on the interrelationships between culture, history and place, Patterns of Russia makes no attempt to be comprehensive. It is a surprisingly personal account but nonetheless interesting for that.
Its author, Robin Milner-Gulland, writes in a relaxed and conversational style, covering the huge subject matter in a pleasurably engaging and jargon-free fashion.
Influences from different civilisations over the past two millennia are skilfully referenced throughout, highlighting the multicultural areas of influence that eventually created the “lands of the Rus.”
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