Klee

Off to Klee at the Tate Modern earlier in the week, an artist of whom I knew virtually nothing other than the name,

A large, nicely presented exhibition in large, well lit rooms, rather more than we needed in one sitting. And large enough for the quality to be uneven. Quite a crowd, but there was room for us all.

The first surprise was the small size of many of the pictures, the size and style making them very suitable for hanging on the walls of suburban houses, in a way that most old master paintings are not. Far too big and florid to look anything other than rather silly in a domestic setting, unless, that is, your domestic is Blenheim Palace or Houghton Hall.

They were also rather muted. Muted in the sense that they were subtle & quiet and it took some seconds to adjust to each picture, for one's eyes and brain to adjust to what it was doing. Maybe this reflected their variety, with Klee changing tack all the time.

As a former mathematician, I also thought that a lot of the pictures were apt for one, perhaps reflecting the painter's love of Bach and Mozart. And perhaps also his love & care of his lifetime catalog of his oeuvre.

Some of them reminded me of woodcuts from about the same time which do hang on our suburban walls. Also of a much more recent one called 'The Gallery, Level 2: Abstraction' by Lawrence: woodcuts might not do colour, but they can do some of what Klee does.

Interested to read that, like the Pre-Raphaelites a little before him, and as was fitting for a teacher at the arts & crafts flavoured Bauhaus, Klee was careful about the packaging and presentation of his pictures. And like Lowry a little after him, did not achieve recognition until middle age. And I noticed a pair of Lowry like feet in one of the pictures ('Burdened Children', 1930).

Moved to buy the souvenir book, but I was not impressed with the quality of the reproductions therein. They will, however, serve well enough for revision against a return visit.

Snacked on the outdoor terrace of the Members' Lounge. A good sandwich and a good view of the Shard, nicely set off by some grand and impressive cloud formations.

Visited Konditur & Cook (http://www.konditorandcook.com/) on the way home, picking up what turned out to be a very good small white loaf, of the hemispherical variety. Not very English but good and well worth the £2.20 we paid for it. I hope that their outpost in Stamford Street appearing to be shut up was not a bad sign.