Our first full day in London we decided to go to The Courtauld Gallery.
This is a must on our London list, as it should be for any art lover. Today’s visit featured two special exhibits as well as many rooms filled with treasures from their collection. One special exhibit involved pencil and chalk drawings by Johnathan Richardson. In his final decades this artist drew countless self portraits and a few portraits of his son. These drawings are exquisite and explore the different moods available in a single subject.
The second special exhibit was of unfinished works. It is always interesting to see art work in process and get a sense of how the artist developed his paintings. Here are few examples from that exhibit.
Okay, Manet’s A Bar at the Follies-Bergere is not unfinished, but I couldn’t resist. This is among the top 3 of my favorite paintings. Manet plays with perspective and reality, but manages to make it believable at the same time. I could spend hours looking at it. This painting is an education.
After leaving The Courtauld we walked through the embankment parks along the Thames. People, buskers, flowers, birds, and other sights fed our senses.
Finally it was home and a dinner salad. Now that I’ve completed my post it’s time to practice ukulele and perhaps do some drawing or painting.
Paul
Travels With Picasso 