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~ a romance with art and all things British

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Monthly Archives: March 2012

Viva la France

31 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in Art, Travel, Uncategorized

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Paris, travel

Paris, as I suspected, has survived very well with out me for the past four years. But it is so good to be back.

From my room you can see the Tuileries. photo by me

It is springtime here.  The forsythia is just starting.  The Tuileries is lovely. And of course, the art…the art is alive and well. The first thing I managed to do when I arrived at Charles deGaulle airport was to find the Paris Tourist Information desk and buy my 6 day museum pass.

The Tuileries across from my hotel are lovely in the morning before the crowds take over. phot by me

After too little sleep on a fully booked Air France flight (I never think of myself as large until I try to fit in to one of those seats over the course of an 8 hour flight), I managed to catch up on my rest some and headed out this morning for coffee in the Tuileries.

The view to the Musee d'Orsay, where many of the most famous Impressionist works are. Saving that for tomorrow. Photo by me

My new favorite coffee spot. It is so quiet in the morning. Photo by me

 

The thing I truly love about Paris is that there is art everywhere, and I mean everywhere…of course it is in the museums, but it is also in the parks, on the streets and in every store window.  Each is a little gem.

Of course, I hit the mother load this morning.  I went across the park to the Orangerie to see Monet’s waterlilies in natural light.  Spectacular.

Walking with my coffee through the park, I came upon these odd little sculptures Photo by me

It seems the pigeons love the art in Paris almost as much as I do.

Interesting how the pigeons in Paris love the art also.photo by me

Every statue seemed to have a pigeon on its head, and they didn't seem to mind one bit. photo by me

 

As a matter of fact, when I went in to the Louvre, the statues seemed quite upset that they didn't have pigeons on their heads. photo by me.

Hopefully more tomorrow, if the hotel internet connection be willing.

Paris in the Spring

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, Travel, Uncategorized

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art museums, Paris, travel

I am on my way to Paris for a week, and will actually have five full days of art museums.  I had an air ticket left over from a trip I cancelled last summer that needed to be used or lost by April 5th, so My Beloved Brit generously suggested that I use it for a week of art on my own.  His attention span tends to be limited for too many museums, although he’s always willing to give it a try, and it was just too early and cold to use the ticket for our joint trip to England.

View over Paris at dusk, Benh Lieu Song, creative commons

So I am off, and I’ll try to keep you posted, internet in my Paris hotel be willing.  I’ve already researched buying my week long Museum Pass, and practiced my few phrases of   leftover high school French.

Let the adventure begin!

London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Route Animation

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in England, London, Olympics, Uncategorized

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2012 Olympic Torch Relay

The 2012 Olympics are coming! This is a fun new video showing the route of the torch through Great Britain. Can you identify some of the spots?

8,000 people will carry the Olympic Flame through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages in the UK. Lit in Greece, the torch arrives in the UK on May 18th, 2012 for the 70-day journey. Click here to see the map of where it will travel, and if it will come near you.

David Hockney, The Bigger Picture

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in Art, Books, London, paintings, sketching

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David Hockney, Royal Academy of Art

I finally got my book in the mail, which I had ordered over a month ago, on the current Hockney exhibit at the Royal Academy in London, David Hockney, A Bigger Place.  It was well worth the wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book is huge and has gorgeous color reproductions.  I had seen a few of the early works from his Yorkshire landscape series in 2006 when My Beloved Brit and I were in London and tracked them down at the Annely Juda Fine Art in London.  I had read an article about how Hockney had returned “home” after years of success in LA.  His dear friend Jonathan Silver was in the last stages of terminal cancer and these early landscapes came from the drive Hockney made back and forth from his mother’s home in Bridlington to his friends bedside in Wetherby.

We were blown away by the show at Annely Juda and these photos seem to do that earlier view justice.

Late Spring Tunnel, May 2006

It is fascinating that what I saw 5 years ago was the beginning of this new wave of pictures. We had seen his first efforts of the brightly colored rural landscapes, and I studied how he did multiple panels, something I was starting to explore.

The book helps explain what went on in those 5 years with the development of this work, and how this truly expansive and intriguing collection was born. I poured over the pages of sketches that preceded the actual paintings.

Mid-summer, East Yorkshire, 2004. Thirty-six watercolors on paper.

And am still going back to look at the full paintings again and again.

Woldgate Mist, November 2005

The book has a wealth of visual and written information on how the work formed.

It also helped me to understand how he approached his subject matter, as here where he studied the same three trees in different seasons, and in different mediums.

Autumn Thixendale, October 21st 2008 and October 28th 2008, charcoal on inkjet print on paper

Three Trees near Thixendale, Summer 2007, oil on eight canvases

 

Three Trees near Thixendale, Autumn 2008, oil on eight canvases

 

Three Trees near Thixendale, Winter 2007, oil on eight canvases

The book is organized similar to the show at the Royal Academy itself, from what the introduction claims.  This exhibition is placed in series by subject, much as I have always organized my own work.  I can understand finding an intriguing subject and going back to it again and again over time.  So where I have “waves” and “branches” and “encounters”, Hockney has “Hawthorn Blossoms”, “Tunnels” and “Winter Timber and Totems”.

And as glorious as the color reproductions are, some of my favorite work is the black & white pieces…

Timber Gone, 2008. Charcoal on paper

But beyond the pure joy of seeing the art, the book is rich in its editorial content.

There is a great discussion of Hockney’s love hate relationship with the use of photography and new technology in aiding the artistic process, versus the choice of painting directly from nature.  It supports a better understanding of how Hockney has struggled with the strategy of approaching the landscape, something I have found personally to be a challenge as well.

Nov. 26th, 2010, Woldgate Woods, 9:30 am. Digital video still

 

Painting in the fields.

And we hear from the artist himself about his anticipation to the actual show.  He knew for some time before hand that he would have the space, and worked with that in mind.  This is a layout of the room that held his iPod pieces, an amazing work comprising 51 iPad drawings and a very large painting. As he says in the Preface “All are new, and would not have been conceived without the offer of the Royal Academy’s splendid rooms.”

I am only part of the way through the reading material, although I have studied the reproductions of the art several times already.  At the moment my favorite essay is about returning to the landscape of youth, and Hockney’s ability to find a new motif for his art in his roots. The joy Hockney has in re-discovery of his boyhood haunts is compelling. He confirms what I long suspected.  Life is always a new adventure.

Margaret Drabble's contribution, "The Spirit of Place: A Certain Road to Happiness"

I have many art books, with pages and pages of gorgeous color reproductions. But I must say, this is one of my favorites for the content and editorial. It is so layered with interesting material, both visual and the written word.  I will read it cover to cover.

Mr. Darcy, easy as one two three

22 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in England, entertainment, movies, Uncategorized

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Mr. Darcy

I am on the waiting list at my local library for the new bestseller Death Comes To Pemberley, a thrilling romp with the Pride and Prejudice characters. It was recently penned by the 91-year-old detective novelist P.D. James. I can only hope I am that active and creative at 91!

The novel is set at Pemberley 6 years after the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy, two of Jane Austen’s best-loved characters from her novel Pride and Prejudice. You can just never get too much of P&P.

Over the years there have been various tv and movie adaptations of the novel, each with its own engaging cast members. And of course, Mr. Darcy is one of the greatest male romance heroes of all times, and a popular choice to focus on.

Elliot Cowan as Mr. Darcy 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were 4 very different Mr. Darcy’s on film… Peter Cushing in a 1952 TV version (can’t find a photo of him, sorry), Colin Firth in 1995, Matthew Macfayden in 2005 and Elliot Cowan in 2008 (in “Lost in Austen”, a 4 part British TV series).

Matthew MacFayden in the 2005 version

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite is the classic 6 hour BBC mini-series featuring Firth.  The story unfolds beautifully with the expansive time of the series, the costumes are appropriately lovely, and Colin Firth just hit the mark for me as the perfect Darcy.

Colin Firth in "one of the most unforgettable moments in British TV history." (The Guardian) From the BBC television series "Pride & Prejudice".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you get a chance, rent all you can and compare.  Meanwhile I’m waiting for my email from the library to see what P.D. James has to say.

Violets

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in Gardens, Uncategorized

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violets

This is a special time of year in the garden.  This week, the violets have bloomed, and I can’t resist bringing a small nosegay in to the house each day.

Don’t you just love spring.

In the garden, photo by me

Olympic Rings Are Rollin’ Down The River…and Tea For Three

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by pat in England, London, Olympics, Uncategorized

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Duchess of Cambridge, Fortnum & Mason, London. olympic rings, Summer Olympics, The Queen

Earlier this week, on February 28th, these huge olympic rings were floated down the Thames, proclaiming that there are only 150 days to go until the Summer Olympics begin in London!

Rolling Down the River. photo London 2012 Olympics official site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayor Boris Johnson announced…

“We’re creating the biggest festival of outdoor arts ever to be seen in the capital, as well as fantastic new work that will throw new light on some of our city’s lesser-known landmarks and hidden gems.”

Let the games begin!

The Queen, Camilla, and Kate went to tea today at Fortnum and Mason’s (one of my favorite spots, click here to view post) for their first ever joint “working” engagement.

Here’s the article in The Daily Mail, which has a great video at the end of the story.

Royal Tea Party, from The Daily Mail

Do you think they had a chat to coordinate their colors?  So very like spring, and the Queen is wearing the beautiful shade of blue mirroring the Fortnum & Mason famous colour.

The event is meant to officially open the “Diamond Jubilee Tea Room” at the store, but the larger purpose is to emphasize the revitalization of the Piccadilly area, one of our favorite neighborhoods when we visit London.

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