Picasso 1932 - a busy year

Yesterday met with old School friend Kevin G (we were in same class at School, 1Z - nearly 50 years ago) for one of our 'cultural days out'.

Tate was as always busy - Tourists, families and would be intelligentsia (my group) - they refitting the boiler room and it was noisy as contractors worked 'safely' to bring the old work down and prepare for the  next exhibition.

Now dismantling - last time (about 4 months ago) we played on the swings

1932 - A view of mortality 

April 23 beckons 

The plan was to meet at Tate Modern and find out what a busy boy Pablo Picasso was in his 50th year (1932).






So first thing to mention is that I (like many others I think) have a visualisation of Picasso as a bald guy with a striped Breton -esque- T shirt - in 1932 in many pictures he looked a bit like a bourgeois bank manager (and like Antonio Banderas in the Nat Geo film about him) .

 The second thing is that (like many of us) Picasso felt old at 50 but the woman (Marie-Thérèse Walter in her early 20's) who came into his life dispelled this feeling and he was reinvigorated by her presence  - producing loads of paintings, curating a retrospective and sculpture too.

Towards the end of the year Picasso's work reflects on the dearth of his sister seemingly sparked by the illness Marie Therese contracted from swimming in a dirty part of the river Marne.

While the work is somewhat variable the fact that it takes 10 rooms to  contain gives an idea of just how busy Picasso was  - the end of his marriage in this year also (perhaps) leads to the artistic rebirth which last for nearly 40 further years.

The exhibition is worth visiting - we had a break half way through as there's a lot to see (and big crowds too) - I had to keep reminding myself this was (partly as a result I think of a Curatorial exercise) - more a less one year.

It was also useful for us to remind on another how shocking some of this work would have been 85 years ago.

At Tate Modern (and Ben Wilson again)

Kevin plays on the swings 

Every few months on a fairly random basis I meet up with Kevin who is an 'old' school friend who I have known for nearly 50 years - Kevin and I have both developed the pleasurable habit of exhibition visiting so it was that last Thursday we spent the greater part of the day at Tate Modern chatting and looking.


Being a 'Friend of The Tate'  means I get the chance to visit (with a guest) all the 'paid for' exhibitions throughout the year at all the Tate venues - Tate Modern currently has two shows, Modigliani the Italian Jewish artist  who died tragically young at just 36 and an exhibition that looks at the Art of Soviet Russia   - Red Star over Russia.


The impressively enormous Turbine Hall is currently the perfect place to arrange a meet as you can watch from the swings that are part of the 'Anywhen by Philippe Parreno'.





After a cup of coffee in the Member's Lounge it was time to look around the popular works on show from  Modigliani- paintings and sculpture were available - Modigliani abandoned sculpture (noticeably African influenced) as a result of the bad effect it had on his health as a Tuberculosis sufferer the dust from the stone seriously aggravated his condition.

On until April next year

Part of the interest in Modigliani is that he was active in Paris at the time of Picasso (and he was in the same crowd) along with other Artists who were breaking new ground in the arts -Looking at his work  I felt that he was perhaps a bit of 'a one trick pony', the work on show was mainly figurative portraiture some of nudes (An early exhibition of his was closed to to the sexual nature of his work).

A great view across a brilliant city

After Modigliani we had a very acceptable snack lunch and then took in some of the new Tate Extension' things like the work of  Marina Abramovic which generally  generate provoke discussion if not unreserved admiration & the view from the top was particularly good in the late November afternoon.

Red Star Over Russia 

Challenging in many ways

The exhibition 'Red Star Over Russia' looking at Soviet Communist  Art was a very different proposition confronting a failed (most I think would say)  Utopia tinged by Torture, Mass Murder and the sublimation of the intelligentsia- Lots of examples of Propaganda  and early  mass media manipulation (Trotsky being removed from news photographs for example) - I'm not too sure that this was an exhibition for Tate Modern and certainly the comments posted outside made clear the subject and angle was not for everyone - this 100 years anniversary has a lot to answer for -  all major Museums it seems feel that they must  'comment in some way' -despite my own misgivings I do recognise that it is  important that we pay witness and observe in the hope of avoiding similar tragic mistakes in the future. 

Lightening the mood (Ben Wilson)

An example of Ben's work

After the Propaganda exhibition a walk across the Millennium bridge was areal mood lifter as we got the chance to see Ben Wilson - Chewing Gum Artist  in action (again)  - he's a lovely friendly man who despite the cold keeps his commitment to his own particular mission on the bridge - Nice one Ben.

He's really approachable and was very happy to chat and have his photo taken.

Ben Wilson, Chewing Gum Artist  and Inspirational Mood Lifter 

Meeting Kevin and (31)

This September I'll reach the time when I've know Kevin 50 years - as we meet and chat I continue to learn from and with him, yesterday we spent most of the day at London's National Gallery and our 'Major' was Australian Impressionism.

Kevin, like me has hardly changed
 in 50 years

A good talk kicked off providing the information to the exhibition we would visit later this  took in 'Nationhood'  along with the opportunity that developments in paints and practice which made Plein air painting possible first in Europe but then later around the world.


Nice to have a small  exhibition rather that a 'blockbuster' and at a 'negotiated' £5.50 it offered decent enough value - afterwards we also looked at some other 'impressionist' works like Turner's Rain,Speed and Steam (that shorthand in works on canvas for modernity and industrialisation).

Really Good- And it's a thumbs up from me for the new
 Fourth Plinth work outside London's National Gallery

Month one over and  £43.16 pence 

Doors

The end of the first month and it's been more of a challenge than I expected - I'll review and consider a little tomorrow.

A first the 'rise'

Number 31 signals the end of January 

Time at London's National Galleries Red 35

Gresham -check it out

There are quite a number of free to attend public lectures one can enjoy in London, last week I saw a sign for Gresham College and it has a pretty impressive list of sessions.

Early call at National Gallery

The opening church

So yesterday after an early morning start (it opens at 10:00 am!)  with old school friend Kevin Geraghty I went to a talk at London's National Gallery on Churches by Freelance Arts lecturer/guide Dr. Richard Stemp - Richard was a superb speaker and his last book (The Secret Language of Churches) has just gone into Paperback production

I would take issue with the Dr on his opening picture though of nearby St Martin's - I think it is far from a typical church.

After lunch at a nearby 'Spoons' we spent some time in the National Portrait Gallery - in many ways a more human sized gallery still very impressive but with the advantage of a virtual running narrative history based on significant people.

The experience of gallery visiting with a friend, particularly one who knows a fair amount about what's on show is a different one from looking alone or in a group - and very enjoyable too.

Nice too to chat with Kevin about some of the big and small things in life as we approach 60.

Red 35

There was  an amusing story from Jeremy Paxman on the subject of his 'small-talk  with Theresa May on the subject of her  footwear from a few years ago this weekend - so here are some decidedly (and not the first pair of the project) Red shoes.

Not our PM