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Arsenal’s power statement shows this time they have the muscle for the battle | David Hytner

Arsenal’s power statement shows this time they have the muscle for the battle | David Hytner

First-leg victory at Stamford Bridge displayed the hallmarks of another vintage Gunners team who refused to be bullied Nobody said it had to be pretty. And for large portions of Arsenal’s 3-2 win at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg on Wednesday, it certainly was not. But for Mikel Arteta and his players, there was a beauty in the physicality, the remorseless levels of aggression. Arsenal won because of what they did without the ball. Yes, there were nice moments from them in possession, most obviously Martín Zubimendi’s goal for 3-1. His gliding run from right to left inside the penalty area, especially the fake-to-shoot move that removed the Chelsea defender, Wesley Fofana, from the equation, the composure amid the maelstrom before the execution, was jaw-dropping. Continue reading...

Our American Queen review – ambition and allegiance on the eve of 1864 US election

Our American Queen review – ambition and allegiance on the eve of 1864 US election

Bridewell theatre, London Thomas Klingenstein’s account of the formidable Kate Chase’s political plotting during the civil war has dense dialogue and a limited scope ‘Sometimes she understands things better than I,” says Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of the treasury, Salmon P Chase, about his politically savvy, social heavyweight of a daughter, Kate. Kate Chase has a lot on her plate. She is helping Salmon prepare to challenge Lincoln in the 1864 elections­ – managing alliances and optics, and planning a party to announce his campaign, plus a lucrative marriage to finance it, despite her deep connection with Lincoln’s secretary, John Hay. Continue reading...

‘Bigger and lower’: bull in Dutch painting once had much larger balls

‘Bigger and lower’: bull in Dutch painting once had much larger balls

Experts at the Mauritshuis in The Hague believe Paulus Potter toned down The Bull to respect 17th-century sensibilities The Bull by Paulus Potter is one of the star paintings at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, a bucolic image of animals and a farmer. But new research suggests the painting has unexpected hidden depths: conservators restoring the artwork say the bull’s testicles were originally much larger, and appeared to have been halved in size by the artist to respect 17th-century sensibilities. Continue reading...