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Varsity Masthead

Friday 30 May 2025 | Cambridge, UK
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ARTS

  • Popular articles
  • Editor's pickVarsity’s exam season reading list
    27 May 2025
  • Bridging the distance
    2 May 2025
  • Adrianne Lenker, LinkedIn, and the importance of stillness
    13 May 2025
  • The ethics of display in the Fitzwilliam Museum
    23 May 2025
  • Varsity's exam season reading list

    Reading list

    Varsity’s exam season reading list

    Varsity‘s Arts team provides some remedial texts for exam season

    27 May 2025
    Varsity’s exam season reading list
  • The ethics of display in the Fitzwilliam Museum

    Opinion

    The ethics of display in the Fitzwilliam Museum

    Holly Higham asks how museums hierarchise history 

    23 May 2025
    The ethics of display in the Fitzwilliam Museum
  • The death of the British multicultural ideal

    Opinion

    The death of the British multicultural ideal

    21 May 2025
    The death of the British multicultural ideal
  • A portrait is worth a thousand biases

    Opinion

    A portrait is worth a thousand biases

    16 May 2025
    A portrait is worth a thousand biases
  • Adrianne Lenker, LinkedIn, and the importance of stillness

    Opinion

    Adrianne Lenker, LinkedIn, and the importance of stillness

    13 May 2025
    Adrianne Lenker, LinkedIn, and the importance of stillness
  • A Nobel laureate's year in Cambridge

    Obituary

    A Nobel laureate’s year in Cambridge

    9 May 2025
    A Nobel laureate’s year in Cambridge
  • Board of revision? Try a board game

    Opinion

    Board of revision? Try a board game

    6 May 2025
    Board of revision? Try a board game
  • Bridging the distance

    Feature

    Bridging the distance

    2 May 2025
    Bridging the distance
  • A university of one's own

    Feature

    A university of one’s own

    29 April 2025
    A university of one’s own
  • Stephen Fry's Cambridge

    Feature

    Stephen Fry’s Cambridge

    25 April 2025
    Stephen Fry’s Cambridge
  • Here is a Gale Warning: the art of disaster

    Review

    Here is a Gale Warning: the art of disaster

    Ben Birch reviews the latest exhibition at Kettle’s Yard

    25 April 2025
    Here is a Gale Warning: the art of disaster
  • A snapshot of Cambridge’s student photographers

    Feature

    A snapshot of Cambridge’s student photographers

    Niall Quinn looks down the lens of Cambridge student photography

    25 April 2025
    A snapshot of Cambridge’s student photographers
  • Dancing to someone else's tune

    Artist and Me

    Dancing to someone else’s tune

    19 April 2025
    Dancing to someone else’s tune
  • Paint the town

    Feature

    Paint the town

    16 April 2025
    Paint the town
  • Cambridge: a style guide?

    Opinion

    Cambridge: a style guide?

    11 April 2025
    Cambridge: a style guide?
  • Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism

    Review

    Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism

    8 April 2025
    Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism
  • John Berryman's Cambridge

    Feature

    John Berryman’s Cambridge

    4 April 2025
    John Berryman’s Cambridge
  • Judge a book by its cover?

    Opinion

    Judge a book by its cover?

    3 April 2025
    Judge a book by its cover?
  • What's in a name?

    Opinion

    What’s in a name?

    30 March 2025
    What’s in a name?
  • A deep dive into diaries

    Feature

    A deep dive into diaries

    24 March 2025
    A deep dive into diaries
  • 'Picturing Excess': beauty, transience, and colonial displacement

    Review

    ‘Picturing Excess’: beauty, transience, and colonial displacement

    Cameron Thomas reflects on the abundance and exploitation layered upon the canvases of Jan Davidz de Heem

    19 March 2025
    ‘Picturing Excess’: beauty, transience, and colonial displacement
  • Reframing Femininity: meet the women behind Caius' first charity exhibition

    Preview

    Reframing Femininity: meet the women behind Caius’ first charity exhibition

    Ezra Izer sits down with the organisers of a groundbreaking exhibition at Caius, challenging tradition while raising funds for Clarissa’s Campaign and Cambridge Pink Week

    14 March 2025
    Reframing Femininity: meet the women behind Caius’ first charity exhibition
  • Churchill College's unseen art

    Churchill College’s unseen art

    10 March 2025
    Churchill College’s unseen art
  • Contemplating Edward Hopper from Cambridge

    Feature

    Contemplating Edward Hopper from Cambridge

    7 March 2025
    Contemplating Edward Hopper from Cambridge
  • Echolocate: A triumph of connection

    Review

    Echolocate: A triumph of connection

    7 March 2025
    Echolocate: A triumph of connection
  • Off the Bookshelf: The Old Vicarage, Granchester

    Off the Bookshelf

    Off the Bookshelf: The Old Vicarage, Granchester

    7 March 2025
    Off the Bookshelf: The Old Vicarage, Granchester
  • Flattery, imitation, and re-creation

    Opinion

    Flattery, imitation, and re-creation

    4 March 2025
    Flattery, imitation, and re-creation
  • The alternative escape of literary romance

    Opinion

    The alternative escape of literary romance

    28 February 2025
    The alternative escape of literary romance
  • The forgotten women of the Beat Generation

    Feature

    The forgotten women of the Beat Generation

    25 February 2025
    The forgotten women of the Beat Generation
  • In conversation with Laura Wood

    Interview

    In conversation with Laura Wood

    21 February 2025
    In conversation with Laura Wood
  • The evolution of female nudity in art: pornographic or profound?

    Feature

    The evolution of female nudity in art: pornographic or profound?

    Inspired by Murray Edwards’ Women’s Art Collection, Bethany Da Costa delves into the history of the female form as a model

    21 February 2025
    The evolution of female nudity in art: pornographic or profound?
  • How did they do it?

    Feature

    How did they do it?

    Juggling criticism and creativity, Nabiha Ali reflects on the trial of personal writing during term-time

    21 February 2025
    How did they do it?
  • Cambridge's ivory towers and great gates

    Opinion

    Cambridge’s ivory towers and great gates

    21 February 2025
    Cambridge’s ivory towers and great gates
  • The Mays 33: anything is possible

    Preview

    The Mays 33: anything is possible

    18 February 2025
    The Mays 33: anything is possible
  • Daphne du Maurier's demonised Cornwall

    Opinion

    Daphne du Maurier’s demonised Cornwall

    15 February 2025
    Daphne du Maurier’s demonised Cornwall
  • Jameel Prize at the V&A: remembering home

    Review

    Jameel Prize at the V&A: remembering home

    11 February 2025
    Jameel Prize at the V&A: remembering home
  • A14 Revisited: celebrating the 40th anniversary of Cambridge's Bob Dylan Society

    Feature

    A14 Revisited: celebrating the 40th anniversary of Cambridge’s Bob Dylan Society

    7 February 2025
    A14 Revisited: celebrating the 40th anniversary of Cambridge’s Bob Dylan Society
  • I awoke and yelled, 'Carpe diem!' It was two in the afternoon

    The Agonies

    I awoke and yelled, ‘Carpe diem!’ It was two in the afternoon

    7 February 2025
    I awoke and yelled, ‘Carpe diem!’ It was two in the afternoon
  • Sylvia Plath's Cambridge

    Feature

    Sylvia Plath’s Cambridge

    7 February 2025
    Sylvia Plath’s Cambridge
  • The unique beauty of plein air painting

    Interview

    The unique beauty of plein air painting

    7 February 2025
    The unique beauty of plein air painting
  • The theft of women's art

    Opinion

    The theft of women’s art

    Emma Tenzler explores the stories of women whose art was taken from them

    4 February 2025
    The theft of women’s art
  • In defence of the arts

    Opinion

    In defence of the arts

    Emily Cushion argues that we must foreground the Arts, even if those branches lead to uncertain ends

    31 January 2025
    In defence of the arts
  • Grammar schools, Oxbridge, and The History Boys

    Feature

    Grammar schools, Oxbridge, and The History Boys

    28 January 2025
    Grammar schools, Oxbridge, and The History Boys
  • Van Gogh and his letters

    Feature

    Van Gogh and his letters

    24 January 2025
    Van Gogh and his letters
  • 'So much beautiful time': Olivia Gatwood and healing with poetry

    Feature

    ‘So much beautiful time’: Olivia Gatwood and healing with poetry

    24 January 2025
    ‘So much beautiful time’: Olivia Gatwood and healing with poetry
  • Stained glass and collegiate identity

    Feature

    Stained glass and collegiate identity

    24 January 2025
    Stained glass and collegiate identity
  • A guide to Cambridge's coat of arms

    Feature

    A guide to Cambridge’s coat of arms

    24 January 2025
    A guide to Cambridge’s coat of arms
  • The importance of chance encounters

    Feature

    The importance of chance encounters

    21 January 2025
    The importance of chance encounters
  • The 80s: Photographing Britain – 'What are you taking pictures for?'

    Review

    The 80s: Photographing Britain – ‘What are you taking pictures for?’

    17 January 2025
    The 80s: Photographing Britain – ‘What are you taking pictures for?’
  • The art of connection

    Review

    The art of connection

    15 January 2025
    The art of connection
  • Philip Roth’s American Pastoral: a despair-filled message of unconditional love

    Feature

    Philip Roth’s American Pastoral: a despair-filled message of unconditional love

    How can we exist in a world of chaos and cruelty? We must embrace it, argues Roscoe Marshall

    10 January 2025
    Philip Roth’s American Pastoral: a despair-filled message of unconditional love
  • Cesare Pavese and Me

    Artist & Me

    Cesare Pavese and Me

    Why we should read Pavese to understand ourselves

    7 January 2025
    Cesare Pavese and Me
  • Tate Modern's Electric Dreams: beyond the visual

    Review

    Tate Modern’s Electric Dreams: beyond the visual

    5 January 2025
    Tate Modern’s Electric Dreams: beyond the visual
  • Cambridge's hidden art haven

    Opinion

    Cambridge’s hidden art haven

    31 December 2024
    Cambridge’s hidden art haven
  • Varsity's anti-reading list

    Reading List

    Varsity’s anti-reading list

    28 December 2024
    Varsity’s anti-reading list
  • Buying books (and identities)

    Opinion

    Buying books (and identities)

    24 December 2024
    Buying books (and identities)
  • What on earth is Cambridge culture?

    Opinion

    What on earth is Cambridge culture?

    20 December 2024
    What on earth is Cambridge culture?
  • Postscripts: 'Perfume'

    Postscripts

    Postscripts: ‘Perfume’

    17 December 2024
    Postscripts: ‘Perfume’
  • Why you should read Rivals as literary fiction

    Opinion

    Why you should read Rivals as literary fiction

    10 December 2024
    Why you should read Rivals as literary fiction
  • Saying sweet dreams to museum fatigue in Cambridge

    Feature

    Saying sweet dreams to museum fatigue in Cambridge

    6 December 2024
    Saying sweet dreams to museum fatigue in Cambridge
  • Small Things Like These: difficult questions, no easy answers

    Review

    Small Things Like These: difficult questions, no easy answers

    Claire Keegan’s novel, and its recent film adaptation, asks whether small acts of rebellion are worth making

    4 December 2024
    Small Things Like These: difficult questions, no easy answers
  • Space Invaders: 'a deep breath away from home'

    Space Invaders

    Space Invaders: ‘a deep breath away from home’

    In her latest instalment of Space Invaders, Loveday Cookson tours the bedroom of Varsity’s own Editor-in-Chief, Grace Cobb

    1 December 2024
    Space Invaders: ‘a deep breath away from home’
  • The radical accessibility of William Morris

    Opinion

    The radical accessibility of William Morris

    29 November 2024
    The radical accessibility of William Morris
  • Lonely this Christmas: the holiday season in campus novels

    Christmas

    Lonely this Christmas: the holiday season in campus novels

    29 November 2024
    Lonely this Christmas: the holiday season in campus novels
  • Write poems, not your essays

    Guide

    Write poems, not your essays

    29 November 2024
    Write poems, not your essays
  • Yoko Ono is an experimental art pioneer – who were the Beatles, again?

    Opinion

    Yoko Ono is an experimental art pioneer – who were the Beatles, again?

    26 November 2024
    Yoko Ono is an experimental art pioneer – who were the Beatles, again?
  • Cambridge's missing novel

    Opinion

    Cambridge’s missing novel

    23 November 2024
    Cambridge’s missing novel
  • How to guess the price of art

    Feature

    How to guess the price of art

    19 November 2024
    How to guess the price of art
  • Tate head on a 'great British brand that resonates throughout the world'

    Interview

    Tate head on a ‘great British brand that resonates throughout the world’

    15 November 2024
    Tate head on a ‘great British brand that resonates throughout the world’
  • Anything goes at the Kettle's Yard picture scheme

    Feature

    Anything goes at the Kettle’s Yard picture scheme

    15 November 2024
    Anything goes at the Kettle’s Yard picture scheme
  • 'Space to breath, think, and create': Kettle's Yard's 'Paint What Matters!' scheme

    Interview

    ‘Space to breath, think, and create’: Kettle’s Yard’s ‘Paint What Matters!’ scheme

    Alice Mainwood speaks to the gallery about its open-doors exhibition for young artists

    15 November 2024
    ‘Space to breath, think, and create’: Kettle’s Yard’s ‘Paint What Matters!’ scheme
  • Booker-winning Orbital marks a new age in climate fiction

    Review

    Booker-winning Orbital marks a new age in climate fiction

    Samantha Harvey’s space novel radically uproots readers from their home planet, forcing us to regard it from a distance

    14 November 2024
    Booker-winning Orbital marks a new age in climate fiction
  • 'My pictures show me how much I've lost': Nan Goldin's photographs as memorials

    Feature

    ‘My pictures show me how much I’ve lost’: Nan Goldin’s photographs as memorials

    11 November 2024
    ‘My pictures show me how much I’ve lost’: Nan Goldin’s photographs as memorials
  • Rasheed Araeen at Heong Gallery: art's uniting force

    Review

    Rasheed Araeen at Heong Gallery: art’s uniting force

    8 November 2024
    Rasheed Araeen at Heong Gallery: art’s uniting force
  • Turner Prize 2024: the art of taking up space

    Review

    Turner Prize 2024: the art of taking up space

    2 November 2024
    Turner Prize 2024: the art of taking up space
  • The 'novel' experience of Cambridge

    Opinion

    The ‘novel’ experience of Cambridge

    1 November 2024
    The ‘novel’ experience of Cambridge
  • Ai Weiwei and destruction: vandalism or art?

    Opinion

    Ai Weiwei and destruction: vandalism or art?

    1 November 2024
    Ai Weiwei and destruction: vandalism or art?
  • The parade of the elephants 

    Feature

    The parade of the elephants 

    29 October 2024
    The parade of the elephants 
  • Cambridge and performance

    Opinion

    Cambridge and performance

    25 October 2024
    Cambridge and performance
  • Portia Zvavahera: enchanting dream visions

    Review

    Portia Zvavahera: enchanting dream visions

    22 October 2024
    Portia Zvavahera: enchanting dream visions
  • Drowning in essay deadlines? Immerse yourself in the arts

    Guide

    Drowning in essay deadlines? Immerse yourself in the arts

    Jen Price offers some tips and tricks for taking a break from your studies, and recuperating in the world of art

    19 October 2024
    Drowning in essay deadlines? Immerse yourself in the arts
  • Slowing life down in Cambridge’s tiny streets

    Feature

    Slowing life down in Cambridge’s tiny streets

    Looking for an essay distraction? Forget King’s Parade, and get lost in one of Cambridge’s many passageways, argues Niall Quinn

    18 October 2024
    Slowing life down in Cambridge’s tiny streets
  • The gaze reclaimed: female agency and the painted woman

    Opinion

    The gaze reclaimed: female agency and the painted woman

    18 October 2024
    The gaze reclaimed: female agency and the painted woman
  • Jim Ede and the life behind Kettle's Yard

    Feature

    Jim Ede and the life behind Kettle’s Yard

    18 October 2024
    Jim Ede and the life behind Kettle’s Yard
  • Intermezzo review: Sally Rooney goes for broke

    Book Review

    Intermezzo review: Sally Rooney goes for broke

    15 October 2024
    Intermezzo review: Sally Rooney goes for broke
  • Postscripts: 'old perfume ads for new c-list'

    Postscripts

    Postscripts: ‘old perfume ads for new c-list’

    11 October 2024
    Postscripts: ‘old perfume ads for new c-list’
  • What's with all the Cripps Courts?

    Feature

    What’s with all the Cripps Courts?

    8 October 2024
    What’s with all the Cripps Courts?
  • Lord Byron's freshers' week

    Feature

    Lord Byron’s freshers’ week

    6 October 2024
    Lord Byron’s freshers’ week
  • Communion in a coffee shop

    Feature

    Communion in a coffee shop

    4 October 2024
    Communion in a coffee shop
  • Postscripts: 'Clearing Out'

    Postscripts

    Postscripts: ‘Clearing Out’

    4 October 2024
    Postscripts: ‘Clearing Out’
  • Glenn Ligon at the Fitzwilliam: revelations 'all over the place' 

    Review

    Glenn Ligon at the Fitzwilliam: revelations ‘all over the place’ 

    The American artist is given the curatorial keys to the Fitz, which he uses to go to places never visited by the gallery before

    1 October 2024
    Glenn Ligon at the Fitzwilliam: revelations ‘all over the place’ 
  • 'Organised decays': Cambridge and the making of ruins

    Comment

    ‘Organised decays’: Cambridge and the making of ruins

    Amie Brian explores why we are obsessed with ruins, and why it is essential that we are

    27 September 2024
    ‘Organised decays’: Cambridge and the making of ruins
  • Feeling stupid in art galleries

    Opinion

    Feeling stupid in art galleries

    24 September 2024
    Feeling stupid in art galleries
  • Spotify audiobooks, I love you, but you’re bringing me down 

    The Agonies

    Spotify audiobooks, I love you, but you’re bringing me down 

    20 September 2024
    Spotify audiobooks, I love you, but you’re bringing me down 
  • Lu Yang's many faces of modern-day existentialism

    Review

    Lu Yang’s many faces of modern-day existentialism

    17 September 2024
    Lu Yang’s many faces of modern-day existentialism
  • Befriending the bygone, one church at a time

    Feature

    Befriending the bygone, one church at a time

    14 September 2024
    Befriending the bygone, one church at a time
  • Making a mark: grafitti and immortalising our presence

    Opinion

    Making a mark: grafitti and immortalising our presence

    8 October 2024
    Making a mark: grafitti and immortalising our presence
  • Sure, it’s rude to stare, but I can’t help my piercing eyes

    The Agonies

    Sure, it’s rude to stare, but I can’t help my piercing eyes

    6 September 2024
    Sure, it’s rude to stare, but I can’t help my piercing eyes
  • Retracing steps: why we're drawn to the literary town

    Opinion

    Retracing steps: why we’re drawn to the literary town

    3 September 2024
    Retracing steps: why we’re drawn to the literary town
  • Megan Rooney's 'Echoes and Hours' absorbs space and mind

    Review

    Megan Rooney’s ‘Echoes and Hours’ absorbs space and mind

    30 August 2024
    Megan Rooney’s ‘Echoes and Hours’ absorbs space and mind
  • Everything's coming up roses, but I can't stand the smell

    The Agonies

    Everything’s coming up roses, but I can’t stand the smell

    Joe Short pens a letter to his friend Eve, musing on his unemployed stupor and reconnection with ginger snap biscuits

    27 August 2024
    Everything’s coming up roses, but I can’t stand the smell
  • There is no such thing as 'children's' books

    Opinion

    There is no such thing as ‘children’s’ books

    India Hansra reflects on her childhood favourites, the most important books she’ll ever read

    24 August 2024
    There is no such thing as ‘children’s’ books
  • Something old, something new: discoveries in second-hand bookshops 

    Something old, something new: discoveries in second-hand bookshops 

    22 August 2024
    Something old, something new: discoveries in second-hand bookshops 
  • Varsity's summer reads

    Reading List

    Varsity’s summer reads

    19 August 2024
    Varsity’s summer reads
  • The Reading List: facing your fear of insufficiency

    Off the Reading List

    The Reading List: facing your fear of insufficiency

    16 August 2024
    The Reading List: facing your fear of insufficiency
  • James Cahill and Cambridge’s necessary inauthenticity

    Interview

    James Cahill and Cambridge’s necessary inauthenticity

    13 August 2024
    James Cahill and Cambridge’s necessary inauthenticity
  • Rest, relaxation, and still not reading 

    Comment

    Rest, relaxation, and still not reading 

    8 August 2024
    Rest, relaxation, and still not reading 
  • A brutal truth: Brutalist architecture and the humanities

    Opinion

    A brutal truth: Brutalist architecture and the humanities

    4 August 2024
    A brutal truth: Brutalist architecture and the humanities
  • An establishing shot: Christopher Isherwood in Cambridge 

    Review

    An establishing shot: Christopher Isherwood in Cambridge 

    27 July 2024
    An establishing shot: Christopher Isherwood in Cambridge 
  • Everything you should read, that you've never even heard of 

    Everything you should read, that you’ve never even heard of 

    24 July 2024
    Everything you should read, that you’ve never even heard of 
  • Memoirs of an artist's daughter

    Memoirs of an artist’s daughter

    Elsie Hayward on growing up surrounded by canvases and normalising artists

    19 July 2024
    Memoirs of an artist’s daughter
  • A love letter to my dining table

    A love letter to my dining table

    Loveday Cookson reflects on her second-year room and how it has offered her what most other college accomodation doesn’t – community

    16 July 2024
    A love letter to my dining table
  • (What) to read or (what) not to read 

    Opinion

    (What) to read or (what) not to read 

    12 July 2024
    (What) to read or (what) not to read 
  • Why do we visit artists' houses?

    Why do we visit artists’ houses?

    9 July 2024
    Why do we visit artists’ houses?
  • A 'patchwork package' of skill and creativity: The Mays 32 review

    Review

    A ‘patchwork package’ of skill and creativity: The Mays 32 review

    8 July 2024
    A ‘patchwork package’ of skill and creativity: The Mays 32 review
  • 'Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck' at The Fitzwilliam: sketches which invite discussion

    Review

    ‘Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck’ at The Fitzwilliam: sketches which invite discussion

    2 July 2024
    ‘Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck’ at The Fitzwilliam: sketches which invite discussion
  • Postscripts: 'To Keep Things Tidy'

    Postscripts

    Postscripts: ‘To Keep Things Tidy’

    28 June 2024
    Postscripts: ‘To Keep Things Tidy’
  • Space Invaders: the 'lopsided charm' of Alice Mainwood's room

    Space Invaders

    Space Invaders: the ‘lopsided charm’ of Alice Mainwood’s room

    26 June 2024
    Space Invaders: the ‘lopsided charm’ of Alice Mainwood’s room
  • Repetition and Rothko

    Repetition and Rothko

    22 June 2024
    Repetition and Rothko
  • The Reading List: the great ideas debate

    The Reading List

    The Reading List: the great ideas debate

    19 June 2024
    The Reading List: the great ideas debate

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First published in 1947, Varsity is the independent student newspaper for the University of Cambridge.

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