Art, Art and More Art

Tuesday was my day to be arty in central London. I arrived right on time to meet Judy at the Photographer's Gallery to see a large (all three floors of gallery space in the building) exhibition of large-format photos by Gregory Crewdson, called Cathedral of the Pines. The photos were all taken in Becket, Massachusetts, a town of about 2000 people in the Berkshires. Like all his work, these photos were highly staged, with great attention to detail, lighting and how people were posed. His aim was to depict intimate views of the working class residents of the town, in homes or in the landscape, and primarily in emotional and/or physical isolation. I had been looking forward to this exhibition and wanted to like it, but my overall impression was "meh." Less would have been more in this case.

We next moved on to two gallery shows, one recommended by a friend and one I had found on the ArtRabbit app. The recommended one was called Playground Structure and was at the Blain Southern Gallery in Hanover Square. A group exhibition of abstracts, all the pieces were in reference to or conversation with a large photo of a kiddies' climbing structure that formed various grids, lines and angles. Judy and I both enjoyed this show a lot.

Following the ArtRabbit app,  we wove our way around hoardings and heavy construction equipment to the nearby Ronchini Gallery to see work by Samantha Bittman, who combines weaving and painting to make vivid (and a bit eye-hurty) abstracts. Her technique is to first weave her pieces, I think in a jacguard pattern but I really don't know much about weaving, and then painting over some of the individual threads. I'm looking forward to showing photos to my friend Kay, a master weaver, who I'm sure will be able to explain it to me.

Zigging and zagging through Soho and Covent Garden, Judy delivered me at Somerset House, where I learned that the tour of the crypt was cancelled because the guide was ill. I tried to do the tour a few years back, but then too it was cancelled, that time due to flooding. So, we had a leisurely lunch that fueled me for my solo wanderings in the afternoon.

My Art Pass got me in free to the Courtauld Gallery, where I saw a small exhibition by the Bloomsbury Group and then meandered through much of the permanent collection.

Now in need of another sit down, I made my way to the Coliseum to meet Barbara for tea and a catch-up, which was lovely as always.

I had just enough time afterwards to pop into the NPG to see this year's BT Portrait Award exhibition and a very small exhibition of photos by the Douglas brothers before heading back to Queen's Park for a 7 pm Pilates mat class.

Back in my Airbnb, I heated up the mini quiche I bought Sunday at the farmers' market, then slept like a log.

Stats:
All the art was totally FREE
17 pounds for Pilates

24180 steps
10.52 miles