Off to London earlier in the week to inspect the picture inspired by my last jigsaw (see 2nd April). It being a filthy day there were a few Bullingdons left at Vauxhall, saving me the walk across the bridge or up the embankment. Filthy enough that it took some minutes to warm up, despite being fully rigged out in gloves, wool sweater, wool scarf (from the street market near San Lorenzo in Florence, a tribute to their ancient wool industry) and duffle coat. And this time I remembered my smart new helmet. Along the embankment, across Lambeth Bridge, along the other side of the embankment, round Parliament Square, up Whitehall and onto the stand at Cockspur Street which was, as usual, full, Pushed onto St. Martin's Street behind the National Gallery where there were vacancies, clocking just 17 minutes for the whole.
Into the Canaletto Room at the National Gallery where I was able to examine 'Venice: The Grand Canal with S. Simeone Piccolo' at my leisure, the gallery being crowded but this particular picture not being particularly popular. It was a much better picture than I was expecting, amongst other things being a picture which worked close up, from across the gallery and at distances in-between. Also, as it happens, next to 'Venice: The Feast Day of Saint Roch', the subject of jigsaw 3. I report just one feature of interest, the horizontal striping of the sky, visible at close quarters. Not clear (to me anyway) whether the stripes were the result of application of paint in long strokes or of the grain of the underlying wooden panel showing through, rather in the way that joists show through the plaster of ceilings. But, in summary, the two liner at their web site gets it about right with 'impressive for the control of lighting and perspectival effects, and also for the lively representation of incidental details'.
Having decided that it was a double culture day, took my Bullingdon back from its stand out the back and made my way to Poured Lines, Bankside, this being Bullingdon speak for a stand on Southwark Street, but a name which they did not bother to tell Google about. Coincidentally, just 17 minutes again.
Into the Tate Modern, where I was pleased to find the main hall empty of art and, in consequence, very impressive. A handsomely converted space, big enough for parties to picnic on the floor without getting in anybody's way. Finding the second class saloon rather crowded decided to bite the bullet and go for annual membership which gave one access to the first class saloon where there was slightly less choice but much faster service. Decorated by smart ladies from Chicago in expensive looking fur coats. Membership also gave one access to the Lichtenstein retrospective without needing a timed ticket, a retrospective which turned out to be more interesting than I was expecting - there was content as well as dots and primary colours. But still hard to see why the chap commands such enormous prices; he must have had commercial mouth & brio of even greater size than those of our own Hirst.
Lunch at the 'Refinery' in Southwark Street (http://www.therefinerybar.co.uk/), the weather still being too foul to stray far. One of those large open plan spaces with open plan kitchen, high ceilings with pipes and miscellaneous furniture down below. Very hot on presentation and interesting ways of serving things - so, for example, the bread came in a brown paper bag rather than in the basket or bowl one might have expected. The sort of place which is just the thing just now and which, as it happens, I rather like. A good lunch, with good wine, even if the sausages in my sausages and mash were very ordinary, this despite my being spared lumps of apple and excess herbs à la Sainsbury. Mash served in an identical dish to that Wisley served their pie in (see 4th April). Like bread, we might live in the midst of great wealth and much foodie flannel, but it is still hard to get hold of a decent English sausage. Have not had anything as good as the late Porky White's (late of Chessington Road, West Ewell) for ages.
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