Art and other exhibitions

My favourite tapestry was the Pomona one that is pictured in my tweet but I agree that the Arthurian pair were also lovely. I preferred the Sleeping Beauty series to the Perseus one but the latter was very interesting, especially with it being a probably unique opportunity to see the whole series together & the use of the cartoon to fill in for the paintings that were never finished.

Gilbert and George at the Helsinki Art Museum. Always had mixed feelings about them. Their living sculpture was a funny idea but gets stale after a while (would they have become popular so quickly if they hadn't looked vaguely like Morecambe and Wise?). While I'm underwhelmed by their craft, their composition is often interesting and this exhibition features huge "public art" works with some rather gorgeous colour schemes.

It is a biggie and it was very crowded on a Sunday when I went. There are loads of manuscripts to look at, the explanations are a bit meagre and you have to shove a bit to get to see everything. I would perhaps start at the end, that is walk through to the manuscripts at the end and then go back to the beginning. But the artefacts are mainly at the beginning, or so. So if you like manuscripts then go backwards, if not bothered , then go ordained route. Don’t miss the huge book in a case on its own. Quite impressive. But imo, and as it happens I have studied the  Anglo - Saxons over the years, there isn’t enough context or explanation. There isn’t a timeline or family tree for the kings or a map. And there isn’t a way you can 'read' the scripts with translations beside. And no audio guide. These days I really do think an audio guide is essential. But that's me. The three Utrecht Psalters are something special, all together but there they come almost at the end by which time you are tired and need a sit down. After all that, I would allow  two hours for a proper look but you can go round in one. 

Two hours is enough unless you are an expert on the Anglo-Saxons (in which case you probably wouldn't be at the exhibition!). My impression was that there were fewer artefacts here than in other exhibitions at the British Library and it was difficult to approach some of the smaller books and letters as the lighting used to illuminate them is quite useful for those who need to consult their phones and see what's up on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and those other bastions of modern civilisation which, for many, are far more interesting than anything history can come up with.

Caught the Ashurbanipal exhibition of Assyrian history and relics on its last day. I would recommend it as the kind of exhibition the British Museum does so well, using the artefacts to build a picture of history and society but I can't because it's now finished. Which is a shame because the detail of some of the carvings and friezes was truly outstanding.

I haven't seen the exhibition but I'm not mad keen on the pics shown in the Graun - they look more like moody 90s fashion shoot photos with anonymous models. So saying, I didn't see these particular productions and maybe they were as cool and distant as the photos suggest! Theatre photography seems to be a very mixed bag - the promotional stills released for When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other don't do the play justice at all and I'm amazed they've managed to use such lacklustre stills from a play that takes visual cues from Cindy Sherman, Gregory Crewdson and fetish culture - you'd think it would be catnip to a photographer. Btw, Marc Brenner is always good - he really has a feel for the plays he shoots, and it's well worth having a look through his website.

The Bonnard is ok. Hardly anyone there, not enough seats, dreary audio but one or two great paintings and the rest I think his bread and butter.

A great benefit of Tate membership is that in addition to the unlimited free exhibition entry, for popular exhibitions they also open early for Member's Hours so you can see the exhibition before the crowds get there. Usually they just do this for a couple of weekends during the run but for Van Gogh it's open to members from 8AM every weekend.


www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/private-view/members-hours-ey-exhibition-van-gogh-and-britain

No I haven’t seen it, you have just whetted my tastebuds.

Also like to see the play at some point Vincent in Brixton. A very sad individual who seems to be racked by Schizophrenia. He only sold one painting in his lifetime.