{"id":1676,"date":"2015-04-02T05:42:43","date_gmt":"2015-04-02T05:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sinclairashman.com\/?p=1676"},"modified":"2026-04-16T07:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:28:47","slug":"london-calling-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sinclairashman.com\/?p=1676","title":{"rendered":"London Calling 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

The recent London trip wasn’t entirely<\/em> about my Royal Academy submission. I also took advantage of the close proximity of London galleries to get along to some interesting stuff\u00a0\u2013 at the RA, Tate Modern and the National Gallery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Richard Diebenkorn<\/h4>\n

First up was the Richard Diebenkorn<\/em> show at the Royal Academy. I had previously seen some of the artist’s work, but only in books. In reality, the paintings, prints and drawings\u00a0were far more impressive. What I responded to, in both the abstract and figurative works, was the use of colour. Diebenkorn seemed\u00a0to make appropriate, considered choices as a colourist \u2013 riotous and playful in some of the abstract images, yet restrained and cool in others. Although Diebenkorn was well aware of the work of contemporaries such as Rothko, he always went his own way, refusing attempts by others to categorise him. In my opinion, it was a wise move, allowing him the freedom to move between abstraction and figurative work at will.<\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/a><\/p>\n

Richard Diebenkorn: Seawall, 1957<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/a><\/p>\n

Richard Diebenkorn: Knife in a Glass, 1963<\/em><\/p>\n

The bold use of colour is something that I’ll be introducing more of in my printmaking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tate Modern<\/h4>\n

Also on my mini-tour were the free displays\u00a0at Tate Modern.<\/p>\n

\"Roger<\/a><\/p>\n

Roger Harris: Engine, steel and blue crystals grown from copper sulphate powder<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Painting<\/a><\/p>\n

Cy Twombly: untitled (Bacchus) 2006-8<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Nam<\/a><\/p>\n

Nam June Paik: Bakelite Robot<\/em><\/p>\n

I loved this!\u00a0The mesmerising screens showed constantly-changing video footage.<\/p>\n

Invariably, I like the work on show at The Tate, as it challenges perceptions of the accepted\u00a0view of the world, and what ‘normal’ is. Also interesting is that it appears open to any\u00a0media and material, so if the work has something interesting to say and is beautiful or\u00a0arresting, it is worthy of a place. It was also refreshing to see that the galleries were not being currently dominated by video installations. As you can probably tell, this form of ‘art’ has never connected with me, so I tend to avoid it like the plague in galleries (sorry, video artists).<\/p>\n

\"Wood<\/a><\/p>\n

Wood sculptures by Arte-Povera<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The National Gallery<\/h4>\n

Last (but not least) was another visit to an old favourite, The National. As I know the collection reasonably well, and tend to be in a bit of a hurry, I now tend to\u00a0re-visit some old favourites. These include ‘Whistlejacket’<\/em>, by George Stubbs (below). The better Turner pictures, including Rain, Steam and Speed and an intriguing self-portrait of Elisabeth Louise Vig\u00e9e Le Brun<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But, shock, horror, the self portrait\u00a0was missing! It had been carted off to the Royal Academy to be used as part of the current Rubens exhibition. How inconsiderate!<\/p>\n

\"'Whistlejacket',<\/a><\/p>\n

Whistlejacket, by George Stubbs<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Elisabeth<\/a><\/p>\n

Elisabeth Louise Vig\u00e9e Le Brun: Self Portrait in a Straw Hat<\/em><\/p>\n

I should be back in London in 2-3 months, looking at different ways to promote my prints. Then, I’ll seek out some art at some alternative different\u00a0galleries and other venues.<\/p>\n