photo: sketchbook pages from 2015
Hello everyone, and hello October. I hope you are well and enjoying this spell of autumn before the darker days (or of you are in the southern hemisphere I hope you are enjoying spring!).
photo: The Courtauld Gallery, London.
Earlier this week I escaped from my studio and with my daughter got on a train into London. It had been too long and I wanted to visit the recently re-opened Courtauld Gallery. When I visit London these days I prefer to choose one gallery and spend time there, carefully looking. Growing up and living near London for many years I’ve been fortunate to have easy access to all the galleries and museums, so there’s no need to cram a visit. I have come to know and love places, but in the past few years have visited very little.
The Courtauld was closed for a while for renovations and re-jigging (re-jigging- not a curator’s term). It is a smaller gallery off the Strand not far from Waterloo and is one of the places that is perhaps less known to the main tourist trail, though still popular. The collection moves through the beautiful old building from the downstairs middle ages rooms and up to the twentieth century. I wanted to look at the earlier pieces in the dark downstairs rooms.
It’s never a disappointment to encounter many a gold leaf angel, nativity scene, weeping saint. There are fantastic works from central europe and especially Italy, of course - which remind me I would like so much to go to Italy one day (never been). I’m not a traditionally religious person but I have always had a very keen interest in early church art. Perhaps my lack of religion lends this a certain exoticism? But as you know, one cannot help but be in awe of the craftsmanship on display. I find early art highly inspiring, not only for its depiction of story but for the way it transformed people who would have appeared familiar to the viewer of the time. I’m particularly fond of the minor characters and supporting figures in paintings, altar screens and small devotional pieces - those distant angels, travelling pilgrims and putti. The work of this long ago past feels so familiar to me - both otherworldly and familiar - in a way I now find almost comforting. I think perhaps I am reassured to see it, still here in this troubled world and to know the humble work I make today has something owing to it.
As you move up the floors in the gallery, so you move through time. I enjoyed visiting again with Mrs Constable, one of my favourite portraits. Then we found ourselves in the Impressionist rooms - these are what the the Courtauld is most known for. I saw a few Cezanne paintings I had not seen properly before, ranted on a bit about Gauguin (my poor daughter) and made a hash of explaining Seurat and Pointillism (wary of people listening in thinking I knew what I was talking about). My daughter enjoyed the rooms themselves and especially the ceilings in the middle sections of the gallery. It is a beautiful building. We enjoyes spending time together, a day off for us both.
Back downstairs in the shop I had high hopes of stocking up on postcards. Alas they have a very limited selection and I could not find any representing the earlier works. It was all the popular Impressionists. When I asked about prints I was told bluntly that this was all done online. These days galleries fill their shops with a myriad of anything vaguely to do with art, it seems. Perhaps a postcard of a weeping angel doesn’t sell?
photo: The Bloomsbury Room at The Courtauld
A notable new space in the Courtauld is the Bloomsbury room. I enjoyed this small and thoughtful room - it felt like a living room shrine and it was odd to walk upon a specially commissioned rug. There are not many works, but I liked especially the ceramics. It’s not perhaps worth going all the way to the gallery just for this one room but it’s worth seeing.
It was good to have this part-of-a-day at the gallery and in my daughter’s company. She is always thoughtful and honest in pointing out what interests her. There is no one else I would prefer to make a gallery visit with, to be honest as I am such a fussy viewer and am best left to contemplate rather than chat about. We particularly enjoyed the temporary display devoted to fakes in the collection and hope something else like this is shown in the future.
photo: a trio of tiny paintings inspired by my visit - these will be in my shop update later (Sunday 1st Oct 7pm UK time).
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October Reading
My September reading - busy as I am, I did not get to every book in my stack, did not expect to. I dnf’ed a few. Added into the stack was Muriel Spark’s ‘Girls of Slender Means’ which was my favourite read of the month. I also enjoyed Jean Rhys’ unfinished autobiography Smile.
photo: Book I am currently reading - I must admit I was delighted by the cover when I came across it in my local secondhand bookshop. The book is one I might not have sought out but am enjoying. It is a Peacock book published in 1963 and the design really does reflect that era, I feel. The actual novel was first published in 1924. As someone interested in twentieth century writers particularly I was pleased to come across a new-to-me author.
photo: a few Victorian books to read in October for Victober.
October means, in the book community, Victober - reading Victorian literature. I have selected a few slimmer Victorian books. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle, as I haven’t read many by him. A writer published by Persephone Books (favourite publisher) is Amy Levy and so I am reading her book Reuben Sachs. Then I can’t miss out of reading one of my favourite Victorians Oscar Wilde - so I have borrowed from the library The Portrait of Mr W.H. - a book I have not read. My favourite, most favourite story by Wilde is The Self Giant. I have in mind to one day make some paintings/drawings inspired by this story. There are so many story book versions and beautiful illustrations out there - but still I will have a go, one day, one day. Perhaps I will re-read The Self Giant this month and make time to make some sketchbook pages. If I do, I will share here.
I’ve also picked out a few none-Victorian books but will write more about them another time. I’ve been waffling on today!
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A few small stories
Newspapers
At the train station, issued with new-fangled large paper tickets that do not fit easily into a wallet, I am looking about for a newspaper. There are none. There are no free Metro papers, no newspapers for sale. My daughter and I ask at the coffee kiosk and the woman says simply: no newspapers, no. Odd. No explanations. It’s as if we have asked for something Victorian, a penny scandal sheet. Is this a way of keeping the trains tidier? But as we journey into London I see people with newspapers! I refuse to look at my phone on a day out. We play a silent drawing game - I draw a basic doll shape, my daughter fills in the torso (a corset), then I fill in the skirt etc.
At Waterloo before heading home I pick up a Standard - a newspaper I remember once scouring for jobs and reading every night - now a thin shadow of its former self. I read it because it is available and regret the time wasted when I could have been enjoying a decent book - next time I bring one.
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Robin
I spy a robin on the wall below our kitchen window. It’s the first robin I have seen here. Two months and I have not seen any from my window but now here he is - turned up in bright waistcoat, bowing and calling, calling and bowing. Hello, I say and bow. Hello, so pleased you decided to come here. I begin to wonder how to draw a bowing robin. How to get that animation. There’s something humbling and magical about a robin’s bow and they way it makes me want to nod in recognition.
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Thank you for reading here, for all your comments and likes. I need to catch up with comments and replies - please bear with me! If you would like to support my writing you are welcome to buy me a coffee. Much appreciated.
Hey Cathy, I loved reading about your museum visit. Would you, if its not too much work, make a list of the paintings you loved and especially the naive ones? I’d love to take a look at them online. (And visit the museum myself when I go visit London again.) Beautiful three paintings too with the angels. ❤️ and yes, that bow a robin makes..! Thank you for letting me be a silent visitor of your life again.
I really cherish your Sunday message in my email box. I love your sensibility and perception of the world and the connection you have with your daughter. The whole thing is lovely and refreshing.