As a regular visitor to art galleries, I noticed the scarcity of old paintings by female artists. In this rather cheekily titled book, the author explains the reasons for so few artworks by women in our museums and galleries.
She illustrates women’s artistic talent and the incredible and often physically violent struggles they have endured in order to be recognised.
I learned so much, and it’s rekindled my determination to keep riding my motorbike! Now, you may think motorcycle travel and art history have nothing in common, but not so! There is still a belief that women are not as capable or talented as men in all fields. And I still find people are often surprised that, as a woman, I achieved a round-the-world, seven-year motorcycle journey.
How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the twentieth century? And what is the Baroque anyway?
Guided by Katy Hessel, art historian and founder of @thegreatwomenartists, discover the glittering paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance, the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth-century United States and the artist who really invented the "readymade." Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of postwar artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Have your sense of art history overturned and your eyes opened to…
One morning, desperate to find a new rear tire in Cartagena, Colombia, I almost rode onto the film set that, overnight, had transformed the street outside the romantically crumbling hotel I was staying at. Years later, I watched the film and was transfixed. Only recently have I read the book.
This is a historical novel set in a time of great hardship, and it describes a country I enjoyed riding through on my journey through South America. Márques has a magical way of describing events, and although this book, as its title suggests, is a love story, in no way is it over-romanticized.
In fact, it is brutally descriptive in parts, but through it all, the main character never lets go of his heart’s desire.
There are novels, like journeys, which you never want to end: this is one of them. One seventh of July at six in the afternoon, a woman of 71 and a man of 78 ascend a gangplank and begin one of the greatest adventures in modern literature. The man is Florentino Ariza, President of the Carribean River Boat Company; the woman is his childhood sweetheart, the recently widowed Fermina Daza. She has earache. He is bald and lame. Their journey up-river, at an age when they can expect 'nothing more in life', holds out a shimmering promise: the consummation of…
If I didn’t already own a paddle board, I would have to acquire one, having picked up this book. Jo has explored the rivers, lakes, lochs, canals, harbors, coasts, and beaches of England, Scotland, and Wales and discovered ideal waterways for paddleboarding.
The photographs are tempting enough, but her sheer delight at the places she describes so beautifully drove me to make a list of places to visit on my motorbike.
Stand-up Paddleboarding in Great Britain is the essential companion to anyone curious about one of Britain's most exciting water sports. Providing details on how to get started in stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) in a safe and environmentally friendly manner, this guide then suggests over 30 incredible places to SUP in England, Scotland and Wales.
Enthusiastic paddleboarder Jo Moseley captures the joy of SUP by weaving together her experiences with suggestions for your own adventures. These routes will inspire you to gaze at fell tops from Derwent Water, drift along the Afon Teifi, stroll along the Isle of Mull's Calgary Bay or…
Read this, and you'll want to go on an adventure. Jacqui's tale is not just obviously inspiring, but her story makes you think about the pleasures of nature and simplicity, about taking the time just to stand and breathe life in, something we all quite wrongly think we don't have the time for.
Her words reminded me of myself as a child, being inventive, imaginative, and, at times, pretty cheeky to get what I wanted. Though clearly tough and dangerous at times, her journey seemed to create joy, a self-made joy.
Nothing better. I'm a huge fan of her trip; it's made me think. I bet it will make you think, too.
