London XIV

Went to London because I just don't get down there enough, and when I do I don't get as much done as I'd like to. First stop, National Gallery to see Mary Cassatt exhibition,

and new Adolph Menzel acquisition,

and to have a bit of a look at the 18c French and Italian paintings, in order to get fired up for the Tiepolo exhibition at Courtald.

Walked there along Embankment,

The rain most considerately stopped, then sun came out and i could feel my Seasonal Affective Disorder just wafting away.

Checked out Tiepolo oil sketches,

This one is a study for the mighty Banquet of Cleopatra, for which Melbourne owes a debt of thanks to the Bolshevik revolution for delivering so economically to our tyrannically distant shores. The study was not quite as breathtaking, being about 500 times smaller than the real thing but nicely evocative nonetheless.

Walked to Tate Modern past Temple, literally revelling in the sunshine,

sat on balcony which was most charming, then had a look at Martin Kippenberger exhibition.

Quite a mixed bag there, from sketchings and doodlings to really dramatic paintings, often kitschily so to use an appropriately Teutonic term, to full room installations. Very playful, often extremely witty, frequently quite thought-provoking, though one could see why he copped a fair bit of criticism in his time. A personal favourite achievement of Mr Kippenberger's was: METRO-Net, a fictitious subway system for which Kippenberger built entrances, exits and ventilation shafts in the Yukon, Leipzig and a field on the Greek island Syros. Good stuff. Makes putting a shark in formalin look pretty pedestrian.

Went to Clapham to meet up with KnA and their housemates Neil and Kirsten who were being farewelled on their trip back to Oz via America.

They're now underway on a mighty North American odyssey which they're documenting here.

Met up with Tam for breakfast then to Tate Britain for another, proper (ie. more than 25 minutes) visit to Gothic Nightmares exhibition.

This was voted Best Painting of a Fit Guy done in the olden days.

It was a really good exhibition, with influences ranging from the Bible and classical mythology, through Norse myths, folklore, medieaval history (often via Shakespeare), others of Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies, contemporary politics (Napoleon = bad, Nelson & Wellington = good) and society, esp. the changing attitudes to religion, superstition and sexuality. Blake is the greatest and most original artistic visionary ever to spring forth from this sceptr'd isle.

Having established that, we went to Hammersmith to attempt to see the Oxford-Cambridge boatrace, which we almost achieved (kinda like Cambridge almost won); nonetheless we partook of the nautical/carnival atmosphere.

Saw the evening out in style in Clapham & Battersea, and ambled straight into work the next morning.