....Well , we got down to London last weekend to see a couple of exhibitions , a couple of painters who I really really like and who have tracked my life over the past fifty years or so . For starters ,
' Rembrandt - The Late Works ' at the National Gallery , a once-in-a-lifetime collection of sublime works including some stunning self-portraits ; the first room in particular I could have stayed in for hours.........
.........and the ' Syndics ' , a personal favourite as my father loved this picture..............
..........just to see them..............................in my personal space .
..........if only............No chance...........................
This was the queue to get in to the exhibition ...." Six only at a time , please "
...........and once you were in there........ten deep , and fighting your way though pushchairs , buggies and noisy babies into the bargain..............and this was just at 3.30pm on a weekday afternoon..........
...........apparently it was a stunning exhibition - but I really would like to have seen a bit more of the paintings..................I suppose it is inevitable , given the ' big name draw ' that it would be popular , but with timed tickets a degree more numbers control would have made the viewing a far more enjoyable experience , and the chance to view the brushwork and technique in detail was non-existent , let alone the opportunity to experience the works in peace and quiet..........And don't even get me started on the ubiquitous audio guides ; a more selfish intervention I have yet to discover .........
Fast forward ( please ) to the following morning and the Royal Academy........the Allen Jones exhibition . Having been a student at art college in the sixties ( now being heralded as ' The Golden Age ' of the art colleges ) , I was more than familiar with his work , and this was an opportunity to see a lot of works together
.
The big surprise to me , although it should have been obvious , was how good the metal cut-out sculptures looked in real life , having only ever seen them in photographs with a fixed view point. The fact that they are essentially two dimensional painted surfaces , cut and twisted into a dynamic
three dimensional form , transformed their 'cut-out' nature and imbued then with a great sense of movement and rhythm . By contrast , the three dimensional figures , perfectly formed and perfectly precise , looked curiously static by comparison.................
.......and given that most of his work is about movement....................
Saturday morning , the gallery was light , airy and pretty empty and it really was a most excellent exhibition. For a moment there I was back at art school.....................
