More from OPEN's Art class (Ealing) and Chooks sampled

Nick Pearson is quite a communicator, I missed last week's session but the notes he provides are almost as good as being there with great illustrations and references.
Lesson  6 (which I'd missed) had been about  the Baroque but it had included references to Stourhead Gardens as well commentary on the bewitching Las Meninas (by Velázquez) and a painting I've marvelled at in the National Gallery The Supper at Emmaus (by Caravaggio) -some pictures that really went to new places in representation

Green Man Café becomes Orchard Café

Well Session 7 was about 'Rococo and Revolution' and Nick who had visited Paris immediately prior to his lecture was writing it up to the wire - There was a lot about France, which was the world centre for Art at this time and where elements were distilling to create a revolutionary atmosphere - but also in there was the concept of 'The Grand Tour' and Britain's habit of importing talent and making it its own (Like Holbein and even Canaletto to an extent).


I was also delighted to see that Nick had included a personal favourite of mine the British enlightenment pioneer Joseph Wright of Derby - his use of light and the technological themes of his time that were often the subjects of his paintings sets him apart in my eyes -it's been quite a journey from the religious idolatry we started out with on the course  but there's still  quite a way to go to bring us into the 20th Century.

New Cafés and New Names 

The Green Man Café where OPEN operates from/above is now renamed Orchard Café (apparently there was an Orchard there at some time in the past) - yesterday we went to another renamed (or new) eatery in Ealing -Chooks.
New restaurants are worth trying the enthusiasm is palpable and they're really trying - also a 50% food price reduction is operating - I enjoyed my Chicken and Chips hope they do well.

...well if you want some nice Chicken and Chips at 50% off you are