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As I said in my last review, we went up to London to see the play because the run finished before I was having my short break in London. It turned out the same was true of the exhibition at the Tate Gallery Van Gogh and Britain. So we bought tickets for the Saturday afternoon. SM enjoyed the exhibition greatly, I was slightly less taken with it, although it was still good and I managed to do some sketching (hooray!). I suppose in some ways it felt like the idea was to display a number of van Gogh's paintings (good idea) but then they'd looked for a handle for it. The first two galleries were mostly by artists who had influenced van Gogh, so it wasn't until the third room that his paintings started to predominate. Which, together with my realisation that I like some of van Gogh's paintings, but not all, meant that it wasn't the best exhibition I've been to. However, it was worth seeing and I liked the last two galleries which showed paintings by people who had been influenced by van Gogh (including Vanessa Bell).
While we were in the Tate I went to see the other Vanessa Bell painting, together with a couple by Duncan Grant, to tie up with my reading about the Bloomsbury Set in the spring. I also saw a painting by Stanley Spencer, who I'd heard about, but don't recall ever seeing.
( Tate 1910 Gallery )
To continue with the theme of 'things finishing before I want them to' Sam Troughton was in a play at the National Theatre called Rutherford and Son. Fortunately Rutherford himself was played by Roger Allam, (and therefore the father of John Jnr, played by Troughton) so SM said he'd be happy to go and see it.
The play, written by Githa Sowerby, is set in the home of the owner of a Tyneside glass works in about 1910. Rutherford dominates the household and his three adult children and the play shows how they ultimately rebel and walk away from the house, but without any particular hope that their new lives will be successful as they are shells of what they could be. The whole cast are excellent. I've seen both Justine Mitchell (daughter, Janet) and Joe Armstrong (Martin, the work's foreman) before and really enjoyed their performances, as well as the rest of the cast.
The ending is dramatic, more realistic in its outcome than hopeful, and although the play won't get the recognition of Present Laughter, I thought it equally good, if rather different in tone. It was totally absorbing and again I'd recommend it.
While we were in the Tate I went to see the other Vanessa Bell painting, together with a couple by Duncan Grant, to tie up with my reading about the Bloomsbury Set in the spring. I also saw a painting by Stanley Spencer, who I'd heard about, but don't recall ever seeing.
( Tate 1910 Gallery )
To continue with the theme of 'things finishing before I want them to' Sam Troughton was in a play at the National Theatre called Rutherford and Son. Fortunately Rutherford himself was played by Roger Allam, (and therefore the father of John Jnr, played by Troughton) so SM said he'd be happy to go and see it.
The play, written by Githa Sowerby, is set in the home of the owner of a Tyneside glass works in about 1910. Rutherford dominates the household and his three adult children and the play shows how they ultimately rebel and walk away from the house, but without any particular hope that their new lives will be successful as they are shells of what they could be. The whole cast are excellent. I've seen both Justine Mitchell (daughter, Janet) and Joe Armstrong (Martin, the work's foreman) before and really enjoyed their performances, as well as the rest of the cast.
The ending is dramatic, more realistic in its outcome than hopeful, and although the play won't get the recognition of Present Laughter, I thought it equally good, if rather different in tone. It was totally absorbing and again I'd recommend it.
