Back on the Chain Gang

was a great Pretenders song and is an indication I'll be blogging again after a break (not too sure why I broke)

 Lots has been happening including a holiday (on Guernsey) and the annual BEAT Art Trails, so will try and catch up on these and make some political/philosophical points 

Go and see it!

Also some pictures of places I've been and things I've seen.


If you're in London I'd recommend a visit to Tate Modern to The Clock by Christian Marclay - liking the idea and the execution.


And here's a Tweet..

Ealing West London's Art trail -BEAT 2018 was a brilliant success and great to have these 2 fantastic collage reminders of the 2 weekends from the super talented (and hard working) photographer Damian Walker who visited almost every venue and caught nearly all the participants! pic.twitter.com/d7ihLuO4LM

What Politicians do ..

After a few hours pottering around 1932 Kevin and I went and had a quick look at some of the exhibits there that are used to cite the commencement of what we might call modern/contemporary art -the two defining items at Tate Modern being Duchamp's Fountain and Man Ray's Cadeau.

Can you iron me a shirt please?

[Sadly, perhaps both of these are not 'originals' - but then that's a contentious label to attach to Duchamp's 'readymades'.]



As we wandered and listened in to an enthusiastic guide I was reminded that we'd come to a place (in history) where we see Art as what Artists do and what we see in Galleries - and perhaps this could be seen as a little reductionist and lazy?

James at the Fountain (looking like a figure made by Duane Hanson) 

What I'm bringing myself to say here is that Politics is what Politicians say and that taking their outrage and statements as anything further than that can disappoint and lead to dissolution - The furores around at the moment are something that people themselves will need to deal with and navigate solutions to - our P.M.  (cutting Police numbers) and  our current Foreign Secretary in HM's government (mucking up statement on 'alleged' Russian assassination attempt)   more likely a cause of concern than a cure to the problems? (discuss).

{and I'm not saying another of the current breed of Westminster politicians is going to do much better}

West Ealing- This used to be Burger King - what on earth is 'Star Burger?' (another Readymade?)

Hooked

I suppose I'm getting a bit hooked on these 'phone' panoramas - so let's get yesterdays one  out of the way (from a quick Tate Modern visit).

Panoramas - I love 'em 

In fact yesterday was the last part of Moral Philosophy (more on that in the next day or two) - sufficient to say that some light relief and a change of direction  was needed.

Having taken journey to St Paul's trip across the wobbly bridge and the strains of Leonard Cohen penned Hallelujah being played on the accordion started a  lifting of spirits.

St Paul's -A source of awe 

A  busker performs

Once inside the Tate Modern I looked at works I was familiar with and new ones too.

I'd become acquainted with work of US artist Richard Tuttle both at Tate Modern a few years back - this new work was on (to me) a more human scale and nice to look around it - although the full 360 degree was not possible.

System VI - White Traffic by Richard Tuttle (2011)

Amongst the other work I was excited to see was that of Japanese artist Kazuo Shiraga which was very striking - having found out a little about it I guess it could be related in some ways to 'Action paintings' - I really like it (interesting too that he spent some time as a Buddhist Monk).

An abstract that is not obviously from Japan

The Tate is very well curated and the work of Eduardo Paolozzi really works well with the Russian artist Viktor Pivovarov nearby.

Work from a favourite of mine The Scottish-Italian artist  Paolozzi - City of the Circle and the Square 

Part of Viktor's Apartment 22 collection

Also great to see again the work I'd visited with James (on another CityLit course)  a few months back and eavesdrop on a guide explaining the connection with immigrant labour.

Los Moscos (again)

Also took a look again at two significant (dear we say Iconic?) pieces-

Fountain and Cadeau.

On a pedestal 

Any old iron (y)

Last days of 'Monument' by Susan Hiller at Tate Modern (1st Courage)

Being at Philosophy Class on Thursday was making me consider how we choose things - I chose to go to Tate Modern after the class ands saw something which made me think (and reflect).

Monument by US (but  London based) artist Susan Hiller  made me reflect even more on the ideas of Aristotle  about life- specifically  what is courage?

The work is a mixture of Monuments to those who lost their lives in heroic endeavours  and a taped commentary from the artist that one listens to while sitting in front of the commemorative statements (one for each year of the artist's life at the time she assembled it).

The work is on display until tomorrow!

Description of the work

Take a seat and listen.

Monument So sad - but also 'Heroic' and touching

And to look forward to

Deceit and Manipulation over 'Trade Deals' 

Okay - so what is it with Mrs May's visit to China that is so irritating to me?

I'll tell you - Mrs May doesn't make anything for export (as far as I know) - the impression that we're given by our Press and Broadcasters is that her visit to China is connected with Brexit and she's showing how a Britain outside the EU can jet over and sell items that the Brussels Bureaucrats are stopping up.



1) When you go and buy (for example a car) you make the decision I'd like that car and it's at a price I think offers a fair exchange - I won't be buying if from Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe (or German Chancellor Angela Merkel or whoever..) - a Trade Delegation can help reinforce a Country's status with the hosts but it's the product or service that's more significant.

2) The other point is that the UK is unable to make deals until the terms of the negotiations around leaving the EU are agreed - so deals are now under terms of EU.


No sure why this is not really revealed in coverage

I suppose in some ways the visit is about Brexit  but not the way the Conservatives would like you to think -the Tory Cabinet needs to sort out their stance and start leading their party ad more importantly the country.

[ Oh yes and good work from Mathew Parris in Today's Times and I'm not usually a fan of lots of people agreeing with each other  but some 'sense' being spoken in HoC here - Anna Soubry really is playing a blinder on this issue her speech very moving and shows - I think a decent woman doing what she thinks is right for her constituents - would that others too showed such courage and followed their conscience. ]

Things

Well as they say Christmas has pretty much come and gone, for many people the ambition is solely to get through it for others it's a time of creating great memories, next thing is to get our energy levels up and prepare for the New Year..

Doors I have known

Odd as I look back on my blog (from nearly 8 years ago) I see a picture of Nick Clegg (Now Sir Nick) - we've been through quite a bit since then, perhaps we'll get another  change at the top in 2018?

[Also interested to see reference to Ringo and a knighthood from even further back - perhaps there's a lesson in this for would-be Knight David Beckham. ]

So for me 2017 I started a project to collect (pictures of) 365 sequential front doors (and managed 105- ish, which isn't too bad) and I bought a new Camera by saving and putting aside  a pound or two every day.

I have managed to spend quite a lot of time at The National Gallery (and the two London Tates too) am hoping to get more from Gallery visits in the New Year.

Bruce Nauman at Tate Modern -
Run From Fear Fun From Rear (1972)

I have again exhibited (and sold) some photo's so that has felt good.



Also keeping alive an interest in Philosophy, I'm going to do another course on this in 2018 and am drawn to find out more about two Frenchmen, Michel de Montaigne (his essays)  and  Xavier de Maistre (who wrote a travel book Voyage Autour de Ma Chambre about his room).




I also have News from Nowhere to read (I typically start the year reading then get overtaken by me own personal existential crisis.

Amazing and Free- London's National Gallery

What about 2018 - well I'm going to have a good long think about what  I fancy proclaiming as my mission/target - watch this space!

[Interesting to see the #FPBE hashtag on Twitter about Brexit, as is so much these days, feeling admiration for both Lords  Heseletine and Adonis.]

The End of Looking at Paintings at Tate Modern (or the beginning?)

This week was the final session of The Looking at Paintings and we wound it up at Tate Modern

Sickert at Tate Modern -Ennui (1914)

bringing us into the 20th Century.


It was nice to be at Tate Modern it is (by it's nature) less stuffy than The National Gallery but there are (despite what are esteemed course leader Julia said) lots of traditional-ish paintings, we did see a sneaky sculpture but stayed away from the edgy performance stuff.


 It was nice too to keep seeing more connections we breezed past another Sickert and even another Meredith Frampton (which featured the same vase as we saw in 'Trial and Error' last week) This one was titles  -Portrait of a Young Woman.

One of the group takes a look at
'Portrait of a Young Woman (1935)'

Tate Modern is well stocked with Picasso and we saw both influences in his work  of Matisse and the fashionable (at the time) African masks.

Picasso showing his influences

We were able to see Picasso through his cubist journey  and we took a look to at a Lee Krasner painting - Gothic Landscape, it seems close to an abstract but is not quite.

  Krasner was the lover of Jack the Dripper/Jackson Pollock and was  was eclipsed by the larger than life Pollock.

Gothic Landscape 

The standout for me though was the surrealists and the skill (and importance)  of Dali was very clear

Metamorphosis of Narcissus. Dali (1937)

For sure I feel better equipped to look at Paintings (critically) and along with what I've been exposed to on other courses I'm beginning to get some feel for the flow of works in terms of 'isms' and chronology

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 

Final date at Tate Modern (CityLit) and Photographs as Art - part 1 (70)

Last Tuesday was part 6 (of 6) of the City Lit Art course led by James Mansfield and with it came the chance to consider some of the questions that had been raised when we started our Odyssey.

It was nice to have amongst the group people who had got something from the course but still had issues around much of what is described as Art (now).

It is not (for me) enough that over a hundred years ago the 'public' and Art establishment questioned impressionism  or (even that) 50 plus years ago 'Pop art' challenged what was currently considered fine art - there id for many of us something that does set apart Art from 'self-indulgence'.

One of the big challenges that (for want of a better term) Fine Art is still coming to terms with is 'Photography' and the accompanying query 'What is Art Photography?' (as opposed perhaps to   documentation)

Louise Lawler's photos's might creep into the Tate Modern as they're about fine art  and might be called 'Playful' or even 'Post Modern' they certainly show a high degree of craft are well composed, presented and are by 'an artist'.

Rest on the flight into Egypt against Sunlight  ..

A work that 'Samples' Lichtenstein 

(Annoyingly)   untitled 2004 

We also took a look at an artist (another Louise this one Bourgeois) who pretty much spanned the 20th century - uncomfortable being labelled a Woman artist (rather than just an artist) her work  was in a number of areas including Sculpture and hanging work

Not every one liked this

This artist has her own room (and there are a number of reasons one feels for this- but that's a whole new area!)

Some of her work made part of our group uncomfortable - notably those with 'cages'.

I'm not excited or touched by what she does but do like her Spiders.

Unmistakably Louise 

Sculpture can use soft materials too.

Referencing pictures of 'Cornucopias'  

Reminded me of Duchamp 

A 'cold' picture 

Back to the photography (and I'll return again soon too) - a final (smaller) group activity was to look at some Photographs which were presented as art - here are two we looked at  -this made me think that Art Photography largely positions itself by reference to art works - here the first certainly gave me a reminder of Duchamp's Étant donnés: 1º la chute d'eau, 2º le gaz d’éclairage

Another works looked like  a Hopper .

Like a Hopper - but in a TV studio

The other art we looked at was by Hito Steyerl and was one I'd seen at the ICA  ( I also saw a piece of work at The Whitechapel Gallery) - odd and annoying in terms of showing in a loop so you do not join at the 'beginning. 

And we're talking about over £90 (only a penny over)

Doors

Best Road sign so far (and it's Papal) 

It's looking familiar

More Paolozzi and (66)

Okay so today was the last day of the CityLit Introduction to Tate Modern (more on that later), as a result I was in the exhibition space and able to look at some more of the work of Eduardo Paolozzi who is fast becoming an (even bigger)  interest of mine.

Tapestry (1966)

The Tapestry is just one example of the varied forms that work from Eduardo who remained un-pigeon-holeable

Intriguingly the work was commissioned by Robert Fraser gallery which had links with the then culturally searching Beatles.

Nearby is a selection of Robot inspired sculptures so beloved by Eduardo

'City of the circle and square' (1964)  on the right  - Robots are a Theme that was often revisited by Paolozzi

I like this curtain in the same room it's by Beatriz Gonzalez and is about her home country of Colombia and the corruption that was prevalent at the time of the work -seems to me rather a clever way to disguise a confrontational work.

Interior Decoration (1981)

Now £84.07 - getting there

Doors

Woodfield Road is in Pitshanger area of Ealing

The door doesn't suggest a vicarage - like the logs though.