At the V&A

It seems to be the case that I don't generally end up where I aim for most Tuesdays after Philosophy class (another good one - and more on that soon).

Closed again today.

I'd been aiming for the Saatchi Gallery and as far as I could see it was open but when I actually arrived it was closed for a private function (not the film).

So thinking on my feet I decided to pay a return visit to the V&A - pleasantly surprised to end up looking at Raphael's cartoons.

It's a slightly odd story as the works  (pretty much on permanent loan from The British Royal family) were actually made to guide weavers in their creation of tapestries for the Sistine Chapel commissioned by Pope Leo X.

I was slightly surprised to find that Raphael Sanzio  had actually displaced Michelangelo as the preferred artist for the 15th Century Catholic Church.

What I liked apart from the works was the room (48a)  and the ambience around them - seemed to me the sort of place that would suit the Four Season Mark Rothkos - very calming.

Paul Preaching at Athens- one of the Raphaels on show at the V&A

I also took a quick tour around the Photographic exhibition on the 3rd Floor -  couple of photographer's works caught my eyes - first another religious theme with Sian Bonnels's study of prayer (nine  pictures I think- same model demonstrating suitable ways of worship referencing Fra Angelico's work of devotional Manners of Prayer).

Let us Pray one of nine ways

The other work was less religious but (for me) equally curious, it was by Nigel Henderson a  British Proto-Pop Artist before Pop Art had been coined as a school- he took multiple photographs  of a Rat Trap with different perspectives and then combined them.

[Lovely frames and mounts too]

Nigel Henderson's 'the Rat Trap'