Unfamiliar St Paul’s

22 unexpected views of the cathedral

A new exhibition of ipad art

by Linda Kitson

The Oculus Exhibition Space - St Paul's Cathedral, Friday 15th November 2019 - 16th February 2020

This exhibition was inspired by artist Linda Kitson’s exploration of St Paul’s, from its furthest roof-top extremities to deep inside the structure of the dome. Her unfamiliar views capture dramatic vistas and the hidden workings of the cathedral in a colourful celebration of the architectural achievement of Christopher Wren and the place of the cathedral at the heart of the City of London. It is a part of Fantastic Feats the City of London's celebration of extraordinary architecture and engineering.

Linda Kitson (b.1945) studied at St Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Her first exhibition was of drawings of the wine chateaux of Bordeaux, but the work which first drew significant public attention was when, as Official War Artist, she accompanied the British Task Force to the Falkland Islands.  Subsequent ventures took her to France and Italy to Canada and Thailand with resulting exhibitions of remarkable landscape drawings. Domestic circumstances took her out of the country for more than a decade out of the country, and eventually out of her practice. Her return to England was a return to Art. Someone who has been, as she describes it, ‘a line draughtsman all my life’ embraced the latest technology and, with a striking change of approach, she became an expert with an iPad. With it she addressed the drama of contemporary city architecture, often under construction, in works that have all the impact of the abstract but which are, astonishingly, at the same time documentary.   In this exhibition she brings the same authority and wonder to her exploration and perception of St Paul’s Cathedral – our most inspiring of ancient monuments.