Princess Street, Knutsford

oil on board (10 x 16")

Bank Holiday and the three Henrys

Spent a rather pleasant Monday at Tate Britain and ended up drawing in one of the Henry Moore rooms, after the most marvellous of light lunches in the members room. I thoroughly recommend the quiche lorraine and salad; simply but absolutely delicious (and if you're not a member simply ignore the stairs and head for the lift; this way one can easily sneak past the membership desk...everyone seems to do it...I thinks it's a deliberate Tate ploy to sell more cakes).

I also especially like what has been done to the Duveen Galleries. Are Phyllida Barlow's creations, entitled 'dock', good art? Probably not but they do make one smile...whilst simultaneous hoping that they might collapse.

Ceramics and Pie

A morning at the V&A continually interrupted by impromptu performance of Shakespeare; Ophelia, for example, waded through the quandrangle pond and Romeo and Juliet did their bit at the balcony in the Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery. Then, after another of those shockingly good pies was consumed for lunch, I sought the quiet sanctuary of the ceramics galleries.

Another view from a bridge

My four scraps of paper are rather less successful than last nights spectacle at the Young Vic, but I battle on and publish failures as well as successes.

A View From a Bridge

****

A stark yet powerful portrayal of what Sophocles might have produced if reincarnated to live in 1950s America. Strong performances from all and a lovely symmetry between beginning and end. Almost perfect but for the British American accents and a too puny a lad cast as Marco...no way could he empty a ship alone.

Crosby beach

A pleasant day meandering amongst the Anthony Gormley casts; my determination to produce half a dozen studies bettered by the wind and then by the rain. If you are ever in the vicinity I recommend Katie's Cafe for breakfast. If feeling brave one might even attempt the 'Big Dave' (half a pound of sausages, ten rashes of bacon, a dozen eggs, ten pieces of toast and a bucket of tea...well you get the picture).

Dante Alighieri

For all of those who've been listening to R4's adaptation of The Divine Comedy with John Hurt, I recommend a quiet moment in front of Henry Holiday's depiction of Dante, as he looks longingly at Beatrice passing by. Part of the wonderful permanent collection at the Walker.

Matisse at the Tate Modern

****
Give a man in wheelchair a pair of dressmaking scissors and some large sheets of brightly painted paper and, just over half a century later, the Tate can hold a retrospective. Simultaneously child-like  and sophisticated these cut-outs undoubtably act as a precursor  for much of twentieth century abstract art.

The Silver Tassie

***1/2 One can see why Yates criticised The Silver Tassie for it's lack of a central character and lacklustre narrative, but it's not that bad. Our hero Harry Heegan is more the whinging footballer than war hero, but there is a wonderful tension between him and his girl Jessie. Mrs Foran, who see her husband's return to the front as her renewed freedom, also adds to the sense of a gender divide. Although the music hall-like comedy duo of Simon and Sylvester carry the first act, it is the pyrotechnic of the second (take ear plugs) that stay in one's shell shocked head long after the play has ended. Soldier sing 'why are we here' to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, ridiculing the pomposity of the officer class. During the party back in Blighty, both Heegan's breakdown and heartless female sexuality are reinforced. In the final scene woman dance with puppet soliders, collapsing and limp.

Homage No.6

My opinion of Matisse continues to be polarised between awe and incredulity. How can the work be so awful and so wonderful at the same time? Then again, Henri was the only contemporary that Pablo revered so maybe I should shush...and I do especially like his goldfish.

Two more Homages to Paul

Homage to Zurbaran

Zurbaran's Agnus Dei at the Prado is one of the paintings that stick in the memory. Having been strongly influenced by Caravaggio the Spaniard's two paintings of St. Francis can be viewed closer to home at the National Gallery.

Greenwich Revisted

****
It seems a life time ago since I counted myself as one of the residents of Greenwich, and in essence things have not changed (the Naval College, Museum, Royal Observatory and park). Turner and the Sea at the National Maritime Museum is well worth a visit. In the basement the works may be starved of natural light and a little crowded together, but still one is able to gain a wonderful overview of how the work developed and how it sits with the Dutch tradition of seascapes.

The Two Richards

** (Deacon) ***(*)(Hamilton)
Hamilton, and Deacon too, are both established stalwarts of British art. Whilst the former has been an important figure both nationally and internationally, the latter's work appears disjointed and arbitrary by comparison.

Homage No.2 (to Cardinal Borghese)

On an all to brief a walk in the gardens of the Villa Borghese I remember drawing by the statue of Byron. The soaring conifers planted by the cardinal reminiscent of 'The Great Pine' by Cezanne. The huge cone, bigger than both fists, now sits upon my desk as a constant reminder of Rome.

HOMAGES

Homage No. 1 (to Durer)

To draw from a painting (indeed it might be from a sculpture, print, drawing or absolutely anything) is perhaps the only way in which some of us truly see. Often one comes aways with a heightened understanding of the work; its surface, fine details and structure. Yet sometimes one gets lost in a particular place, loosing a sense of the whole but gaining a depth of experience which might otherwise be missed. My mind wanders sometimes, tangentially, making associations with past experiences and objects. But often the process is reversed; objects cause one to think of art and of artists, the associations frequently obvious, but sometimes cryptic and seemingly inane.

This is where the idea of a 'Homage' emerged. An object (or objects) that point or hint at a painting. Perhaps they are merely a series of personal indulgences. 'Homage No. 1 (to Durer)' stemming from an Exhibition of Durer etchings at the Lady Lever Gallery. A print of Adam and Eve pointed to the painting seen recently in the Prado. Eve the temptress with forbidden fruit. The peace of the garden and innocence of man about to be forsaken for all of eternity. 

The V&A

Spent the weekend in the Victoria & Albert and even though one of the cast rooms was closed my spirits are always raised by this marvellous collection. It might be just on the edge of the twenty minute radius offered by Boris Bikes from my usual SW1 stomping ground, but the frantic peddling is well worth it...not to mention a Sunday lunch to die for.

Take a look at Ling

If this is the best of contemporary painting then the Tate curators need to get out a little more. Simon Ling's work however, is worth exploring. Confident urban snapshots and thick vibrant colours; Ling is a painter's painter.

Houghton Revisted

*****(yes it was that good)
Arrived early on a Sunday Morning to catch the last day of of Houghton Revisited, before the paintings are boxed and shipped back to the Hermitage. Was this a once in a lifetime chance to see these works in their original setting? Did Catherine the Great get the art bargain of the millennium when acquiring Sir Robert Walpole's extraordinary collection?...the answer is surely yes to both questions.

Whilst waiting for the doors to open a local woman complained she had driven twelve miles that morning and why wasn't there a restaurant open for coffee. Trumping this, a couple said they had come up from London the night before especially to see the exhibition. Then it was the turn of a short, immaculately dressed man, speaking nonchalantly in a New York drawl, they had come over the pond from New York just yesterday...all was silent. I smirked and continued to draw the swelling crowd.

Einstein seen in Liverpool

It's not often I visit the Walker and fail to draw from one of the paintings...but today it was the silhouetted bronze of Albert Einstein, set against the large gallery windows, that caught my attention.