This flower wishes to fade
Paul Klee: “This flower wishes to fade”
1939 Watercolour on paper
The sculpture I’ve been thinking about recently
Came across this 1330 sculpture in a Northumberland church recently – a Knight’s Tomb. He looks very restful, great face, and I like the shield, very protective, but I guess a little redundant…
Two weeks until The Hepworth Wakefield opens on 21 May
Work on the gallery progresses now at speed with only two weeks until we open on 21 May. Getting the River Calder and its weir cleared out and Hepworth’s Family of Man installed in the garden. Ready now for the architectural photography to happen. Collection installed, Tate loans installed (Mondrian, Gabo, Hepworth, Nash, Brancusi, Nicholson) Eva Rothschild’s show installed, Turner’s painting of Wakefield’s Chantry Chapel has also just arrived from The British Museum.
Christmas break
Just finished reading Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom while recovering from the grindingly tedious flu that’s doing the rounds. It was an engaging book – and actually could have been longer to flesh out all the characters properly. Not the Great American Novel but still very satisfying and gripping.
Moved straight on to Alexandra Harris’s Romantic Moderns published by Thames and Hudson – it’s a fascinating and very handsomely produced book – since reading so much on the Kindle I’ve rediscovered the physical beauty of some books.
This book reminds me of why my tastes are what they are – growing up in Brighton and the Sussex countryside has had an ongoing influence on my aesthetic outlook – the dialogue between modernity, nature and the ancient past is always meaningful to me.
Listening to Jason Moran’s 10 on Blue Note – very exciting new life for the jazz piano trio and what it can achieve. I love hearing the endless permutations and rhythms possible – the sound of surprise.
Watched Toy Story 3 last night with the kids – heartening that such a beautifully animated and intelligently written film can still be made. Wholly entertained and captivated by it.
Hiatus over
Haven’t bothered writing anything for a long while. Dealing with all the political and money madness with regard to everything in the UK,
and the arts in particular – this government know ‘the cost of everything and the value of nothing…..’
Hugely enjoying some exceptionally great recent ECM albums Paul Motian’s latest, Lost in a Dream, and Michael Formanek’s The Rub and Spare Change, as well as Jason Moran’s 10 on Blue Note – jazz has an exciting future on these records (OK downloads in my case).
Enjoying my new Kindle – and of course its content – reading Room by Emma Donoghue about a kidnapped woman and her child born in captivity – exciting and weird. I love the simplicity of the Kindle device – hate all that ‘functionality creep’ that my iPhone has – wastes far too much time. Would like more fonts on it though – I favour Baskerville.
Barbara Hepworth, Summertime
I love this elegant Hepworth sculpture situated in front of the house at Roche Court.
Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sargent
Here’s my favourite painting in the National Gallery of Scotland. It was on the cover of one of the first very expensive art books I ever bought as a teenager. I think it was £50.00 in 1984. I’ve always loved Sargent’s effortless facility with paint, it’s so fresh and sumptuous. Lady Agnew looks to be a mixture of dreamy, dozy and cocky – I like the slightly vacant stare and raised left eyebrow. The pose is great, relaxed, sexy and self-assured.
