Unfortunately I have been unable to paint for the last few weeks but the enforced rest has meant that in that time I have been plunged into a mixture of absorbing experiences. They started with an excellent television documentary by Simon Schama on Rembrandt, to coincide with the exhibition at the National Gallery, and went on to include a brush with the music industry, listening to Kate Bush on vinyl (“The Kick Inside”), a brilliant Australian TV drama series called “The Code” and lastly a visit to two exceptional art exhibitions. All of them were exciting and demonstrated amazing creativity .
Prompted by Simon Schama’s TV presentation, I went to the National Gallery to see “Rembrandt -The Late Works”. He was probably the greatest ever portrait artist and what he accomplished in his last 20 years with faces, hands and the human form was phenomenal. Such a level of perfection is something that I can only dream about. The manipulation of oil paint on canvas with brush, fingers, fingernails and thumbs, is incredible and every piece of wrinkly flesh is moulded with flamboyance and ease. Texture is often almost three-dimensional, as paint has been copiously applied by squeezing, pummelling, flicking and scraping on to the canvases. Reality is total, far more so than the kind of photo realism we see in modern painting as exhibited in the BP Awards, for example. Every feature is a miracle.
Every time I see great works like these, I always think I should go back to the basics – drawing being the most important. Here is a sketch I did some years ago from biblical paintings in the National Gallery (Rubens-Samson and Delilah).
During the same trip to London I also managed to take in Grayson Perry’s “Who are You” at the National Portrait Gallery, an exhibition of 14 portraits shown among the Gallery’s more conventional collection. His images are about identity. “Our sense of ourselves feels constant but our identity is an ongoing performance that is changed and adapted by our experiences and circumstances” says the guide leaflet. It’s a mini treasure hunt, running through several galleries, to identify all the works but, as usual with this artist/potter, I was captivated by the incredible thought processes and creative skills used to create the pots, sculpture and tapestry. For me it was a very satisfying and unusual show from a very talented and articulate person.
My recent dalliance with the music business brought me back to my last blogs about copyright and fair rewards for song-writing and performers. Judgements on music and art are always subjective and anyone investing in an act, whether record company or publisher, is taking a risk. However, the contractual arrangements between the parties must be fair and the agreement balanced and so I had to look again at the commercial exploitation and selling of new music. It was fun and rewarding and all I can do now is hope for the best and wish the band success with the venture.
Listening to Kate Bush again on vinyl was a revelation. In her interviews she says that people are her inspiration and maybe Rembrandt would have echoed these words. She pours out her innermost thoughts based on experiences from her own life and interests. Few can match her imagination and none her performances with that distinctive voice. She is unique; nobody sounds like her or thinks like her. She has touched many lives and I still believe she is possibly the greatest ever female songwriter.
Finally the drama. “The Code” was one of the most thought-provoking thrillers I have seen. It was dark and dealt with powerful themes – media manipulation, corruption by politicians, cover-ups, hacking, autism, romance, blackmail and much more; all of these ingredients were contained in an excellent storyline spread over six episodes.
All in all, a series of exceptional and very satisfying experiences!