National Gallery Mop Up

National  Gallery in the November Sun

Well last Tuesday was the final visit to London's National Gallery for the rather excellent 2017 CityLit Course, Looking at Paintings  (still two more lessons to go but at Tate Modern and Britain).

Having visited the 'Genre's as proscribed by the French Academy  it was bit of a 'mop up' of works looking at the truly impressive Ambassadors by Holbein (complete with its own Memento Mori skull), the satisfying Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of  Martha and Mary by Diego Velasquez (nice how this connected with last week's painting of 'Fire' by Joachim Beuckelear ).

Paolo Veronese's 'Four Allegories of Love

So much to see

Little messages

Amongst the Paintings we'd not captured so far were  The Ambassadors (Holbein) was the most impressive, we also spent time looking at  Paolo Veronese's 'Four Allegories of Love' which I wasn't too sure about.

The painting is not helped by the deterioration of the smalt  and for me  it would be good to see them all  as they should have been exhibited (high on a ceiling).

Animals -Stubbs's  WhsitleJacket 

Also good to see Martha and Mary having a sulk - Velasquez 

We were also interested in Animals and Stubbs's  Whistlejacket from 1762 - oddly this painting doesn't look at all dated (perhaps because of the lack of background or other objects/people save for the horse) - Although the fashion was to show jsut the animal I can't help but wonder if it's finished.

George Stubbs was born in Liverpool and lived to the ripe old age of 81.

We took a look too at the floor mosaics at the Gallery entrance (not strictly paintings!) they are by the Russian born Artist and Poet Boris Anrep, the mosaics show 'The Labours of Life, The Pleasures of Life, The Awakening of the Muses and The Modern Virtues'.

One of Anrep's mosaics

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 

It's RHACC now (and another Ms May)

A selection of my 'Craft/Art'

The Saturday that's just gone (yesterday)  and I was at Richmond Adult Community College - recently merged with Hillcroft it's become RHACC (which for me is a much a less memorable acronym).

I was there last year and quite enjoy it despite making a small-ish net loss I hope to do it again in 2018.

Neat Table Top Easel

The 'Fair' gave me a chance to use my new Table Top Easels that I got via e-bay -I'm really please with them the Essex 242.

Plenty of visitors but perhaps not close enough to Christmas for people to be panic buying (as yet) - there's often voices at this sort of event that feel that if they were on a different stall or nearer something or other perhaps they'd sell more - I'm not sure what the secret formula is but I do have respect for High Street sellers that shift product.

This week there's been plenty of news about US President Trump and is (it seems) ill advised Tweet regarding Far Right UK political group - seems he tweeted to Theresa May (but the wrong one) - I was entertained to find that there's another one too at RHACC responsible for safeguarding.

Another Theresa May 

The Ex-Students were in the Theatre 

I was labelled as a 'Fine Art Photographer'  -I love the place

Thames Water and How should we build a life?

Please- he's gone already

Really annoyed that Thames Water continue to send post to someone who live here more than 20 years ago - not for the first time I've returned letters asking them to remove form the database - expect an explosion (literal) if any further arrives in this style- it serves to  remind me how Thames Water continues to act as badly (or worse) than a state monopoly in so many ways

A Life in the making

But The Good Life is not won by 'Degree'

Interesting to hear Micky Flanagan on  Desert Island Disc recently -quite a different background from mine and a few years younger but what he spoke of resonated - insights were there too, particularly around schooling.


I guess if I was asked to reform the UK's state educational curriculum my focus would be on preparing people to live a 'full life' rather than train them for employment - to be fair for most of my education (as a child and an adult) employment has felt peripheral even though the 'state' may have wished it other.


Be great if more focus was on where I child's interest lay and that practical were accommodated (one of the best things I got was from being a Cub Scout where I learned some basic cookery) and looking after oneself physically and mentally  - other stuff could be learnt as needed, people I know train themselves in Astronomy, History and Gardening because they want to- not just to pass a (stupid) exam, a lot of UK education system is training to pass exams (and not therefore much use  in later life).