There is an excellent (and therefore crowded) exhibition at the Royal Academy (on until mid November). One reason it is so good is that it is not just paintings hung blankly on the wall. There are paintings and objects and furniture and, our favourite, huge black and white photographs. Here is Matisse in the Studio (the name of the exhibition) by Cartier-Bresson. This is why we all love Charleston or Monk’s House or even the exterior of Fred Elwell’s house in Beverley so much: you get a picture of the artist in their environment, at home, and that adds immeasurably to the finished work.