Footnotes to a Conversation, October 24, 2022
“Beautiful Marks that Reveal the Beauty of the World”
I really enjoyed reading Spring Cannot Be Cancelled: David Hockney in Normandy by Martin Gayford and David Hockney. Hockney spent the Covid lockdown painting the scenery around his rural French home. If your only connection with Hockney is his swimming pool paintings, take another look. His landscapes are vibrant, seeking to move beyond surface impressions to the true nature of what he sees. Having viewed an exhibit of Hockney’s work in Yorkshire, I knew I’d enjoy the illustrations, but I was pleasantly surprised by what a thoughtful artist Hockney is. This comes through very clearly as he discusses his work, art, and life in general with friend and art critic, Martin Gayford. Reading the book is like participating in a conversation as they consider Hockney’s artworks and the influence of Van Gogh, Picasso, and many other artists. The book has left me with a greater appreciation of the artistic process as well as a fresh look at nature.
The Wallops
I was browsing housesitting opportunities in the UK when I came across one in Middle Wallop. I would take that one just so I could tell people I was staying in Middle Wallop – but the dates didn’t work. I did, however, look it up on the map and, as I suspected, it is part of a group of 3 Wallops – Over Wallop, Middle Wallop, and Nether Wallop. The name Wallop derives from Old English and means “the valley of springing water.” Dane Cottage in Five Bells Lane, Nether Wallop, was used as Miss Marple’s home in the village of St. Mary Mead in the BBC TV adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mysteries. [Wikipedia]
Great Art by Bad People
I don’t have an answer to this dilemma – but I do believe it’s worth considering.
“Current sensibilities demand that our artistic heroes be good people … So how do we deal with great art by bad people? … Paul Gauguin was a paedophile who took underage Tahitian girls as his sex slaves; his paintings invite the viewer to join him in gazing lustfully at these same teenagers, naked and in sexualised poses. Caravaggio, genius and murderer, produced art that makes violence beautiful. His bright spurts of blood and clear fascination with the expression on a dying face give you a taste of what it might be like to want to kill someone. He converts his audience into, at the very least, morbid rubberneckers.” [Hitler’s watercolours are best ignored, but you have to reckon with the power of Eric Gill, The Guardian]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.