Culture flash
This week's news in the arts
Culture flash: Margaret Thatcher
The Iron Lady and the arts were never the closest of bedfellows – she took her axe to them and they rebelled
Culture flash: fog
Friend to the artist, foe of the horror movie participant, fog has been all around us this week, writes Stephen Moss
Culture Flash: smoking in cars
It's pretty tricky to find any support in the arts for the proposed ban on smoking in cars, writes Steve Rose
Culture flash: St Paul's Cathedral
A landmark that gatecrashes any London photograph, St Paul's may this week be threatened by symbolism overload
Culture flash: cats
Jonathan Jones looks at our feline friends in arts through the ages
Culture flash: catwalks
This week's news in the arts
Culture flash: shopping malls
Spiritual sanctuary or dystopian disaster, the shopping mall has long been a draw for artists, writes Steve Rose
Culture flash: courtroom dramas
In our newly on-camera law courts, it's a matter of time before someone can't handle the truth, writes Steve Rose
Culture flash: autumn
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness has also inspired some of the most miserable tunes and films, writes Leo Benedictus
Culture flash: fallen dictators
This week's news in the arts
Culture Flash: exam results
Exam time and student angst have always been a rich source of creative inspiration, writes Stuart Heritage
Culture flash: heatwaves
Rising mercury is good news for suspenseful films, less so for tasteful music videos, writes Leo Benedictus
Culture flash: Olympic Games
The Olympic Games have always been a tempting subject for artists, writes Leo Benedictus
Culture flash: custard pies
More than just a slapstick prop, the custard pie is a situationist's dream, writes Tim Jonze
Culture Flash: dodgy hacks
Behind every rogue reporter lies a rogue, world war three-loving proprietor, writes Xan Brooks
Culture Flash: private detectives
From Hawaiian shirted-hunks to hardboiled noir, private detectives in the arts are a classier breed than their real-world counterparts
Culture Flash: rent
Generation Rent can take comfort from fictional characters in arrears from George Eliot through to Rising Damp
Culture Flash: volcanoes
Iceland's Grimsvötn has nothing on volcanoes in art, from Siouxsie and the Banshees' Vesuvius to Dante's Peak
