From Cornwall I went to London where I saw loads of art, visited some of my Canadian friends (who live there for now, but have promised to come home one day), and got in touch with my deeply spiritual side, by which I mean The Force.
I stayed with my Uncle in Highgate most of the time, but spent a few nights with J- and L- too. Here is a picture of a wall in the Highgate tube station. The "faith" in the corner is fitting because George Michael lives in Highgate, just a hop and a skip from where my Uncle lives; and because I love George Michael (yes, Arrested Development George Michael Bluth too, as it happens) and in fact bought a copy of his brilliant record Listen Without Prejudice in a charity shop in Leicestershire because it is really good looking. The entire 12 x 12 cover is a reproduction of Weegee's picture of the crowded beach at Coney Island. Sadly, I have not seen his highness in my Highgate wanderings, but I did see Queen Natalie Portman when I was in New York! And yes, she is heavenly in real life, and totally cool in a grey t-shirt, jeans and flats. Silver-ish flats if you must know, space boot silver because she is out of this world. Oh, and you think I'm being nerdy now...just wait!
I saw a lot of great art in London. Ed Ruscha's new drawings of busted glass were a highlight. He is a complete inspiration. These drawings were new and fresh, yet totally recognizable as his work. At the Tate Modern I saw the big crack in the turbine hall. It was supremely executed. The best part was seeing the school kids sit down and put their legs down the crack.
I also went to the gallery area of Bethnal Green with my former student Tessa, but it was pretty much closed and in between shows. Bethnal Green was bombed heavily by the Germans during the blitz. People in Highgate could see it burning from the Heath. The rebuilding means you get a lot of interesting architectural juxtapositions. I think this one works well.
Since the galleries were mostly closed, it gave me time to investigate the Nissan Figaro, a cute little car that has been catching my attention while visiting these green and pleasant shores. They were made for the Japanese market for just two years, so all the ones in the UK have been imported from the land of the rising sun. Here is Tessa trying one on for size. She is now in grad school at Slade. In painting, in case you missed seeing the paint on her jeans.
So after seeing some trendy galleries, the venerable Tate Modern, and the blue chip art galleries of the West End I was pretty saturated. But the best was yet to come: Star Wars - The Exhibition! True story. It was an amazing exhibition. Partly because I am such a fan (a.k.a. geek), but mostly because of the original Ralph McQuarrie drawings, the storyboards and the models. Really great source material for my drawing project, too.
This storyboard image should be called the Resurrection of the Everyman. To my eyes, the way Han Solo is glowing reminds me of the way Tintoretto painted Christ. May the Force Be with You
5 comments:
Hi BP, I'm a friend of PP's and have been reading your blog since last Thursday. Your entries have been like little vignettes that help me narrate some things I've been noodling lately. I've been thinking about education, creativity, and forming minds. Take for example your observations about the "big crack" in the Tate Modern. My 8 year old son would be one of the kids you saw with his legs dangling in the ruptured space. My son who doesn't read for pleasure but builds entire galaxies out of lego and draws like a protege of Tintoretto...with that creativity, it's easy to fall through the cracks of the standard curriculum. What I pray for him is a teacher with 5% Dave Hickey in the DNA strands, or maybe like you, but he's the wrong gender for Havergal. Hickey said: "Grading is impossible, because it insults and destroys an artist's Soul. The alternative of blindly handing out Bs does likewise." Your segment about the "sign painting buddy" was also poignant. I envy that precision of attention. And that's what I hope for Luca: to find his "task" in life like your "sign painting buddy", spun gold flowing from his fingertips. I liked to see the word "giving" on that sign. Thank you for your blog entries. Keep them coming.
Alex
Yay! It was so great to have B here in London. I would just make one comment -- the pictures of the crack in the Tate make it look more impressive than it was.
i on the other hand totally loved the image of Louise Bourjois's spider against the darkening skyline of St. Paul's -- COOLIO... maybe i'll post the pic on my blog
I found this website of a couple on a year off... I think the recommendation section is neat... check it out B.
the force--yay!
cal
This is the kind of thing I try to teach people. Can I expect a sequel?
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