smallhobbit | Alfred Munnings and Pinter 5

Since SM was off singing Christmas songs (of the Handel's Messiah and Berlioz Shepherd's Farewell sort) I had the Saturday morning to myself. So I went to the National Army Museum to see an exhibition of Alfred Munnings war paintings. Munnings was known as a painter who specialised in painting horses and he was commissioned by the Canadian War Office to accompany the Canadian mounted troops in the early part of 1918 to record life on the Western Front.

The paintings were excellent. He painted some of the officers, but also the ordinary troopers. When this commission was finished he was invited to go further south to see where many Canadian soldiers (frequently ex-lumberjacks) were involved in the logging process to provide the wood which was needed. Again his paintings were a fascinating insight into life at the time. And not only the horses, but the way he painted the men really captured them.

I sketched some of the paintings - the ones which spoke to me in particular ways - and then bought a pack of postcards.

In the afternoon I went to see Pinter 5. This autumn/winter the Harold Pinter theatre are putting on a season of all of Harold Pinter's one act plays. Pinter 5 comprised The Room, Victoria Station and Family Voices. My sole reason for going was seeing Rupert Graves on stage, because it's many years since he was last on stage. I didn't like Pinter before I went, and I think I like his plays even less now. But I can say I've seen Rupert Graves on stage.