Art

I must admit that when it comes to Art, I’m a bit of a simpleton. What’s that? Oh. Right. Thanks for that. PIL has just informed that I’m a simpleton Full Stop! Moving swiftly along. I’m one of those blokes who has the attitude of “I know what I like.” A pile of bricks or an unmade bed are beyond my understanding. Obviously there are people who do “get it” and can see what the artist is doing but I can’t. Not that I’m critical of that kind of art. I take the attitude of “whatever floats your boat”. When it comes to what I like, I think it fairly easy to guess that I like landscapes. Not only landscapes but seascapes and I enjoy the art of people like van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and Constable. I think that Rodins ‘The Kiss’ is just about the most sensuous sculpture ever.

Some years ago PIL and I went up to London to view a Monet exhibition. I forget which gallery it was in now but I do remember being a bit disappointed. Not with the paintings themselves but the fact that there were so many people in there we were all forced to shuffle past each of the exhibits. Monet had done what I think was a very clever idea and had painted the same haystacks at different times of the day and in each of the different seasons to demonstrate (I guess) the effect of the changing light.

Monets haystacks

Of course, the paintings he did of his garden were also outstanding. The French being the cultured and sophisticated people they are decided to run a high-speed railway line straight through the middle of it!

“Il est juste un jardin. Qui donne une merde au sujet d’un stupide jardin? Il est vital pour le grand peuple francais pour echapper a Lille le plus rapidement possible comme il s’agit un cliche.”

Or, in other words, who gives a shit about a stupid garden. Lille is a dump and the people of France must be allowed to escape it as quickly as possible. Heathens!

Anyway, a few years ago PIL and I were browsing in a shop nearby to where we lived at the time and we discovered original paintings there by a chap called Ken Hildrew, a local artist. We both liked them. A lot!

One of our Hildrew paintings. ‘The Stour at Canterbury’

‘Low tide’

I believe he lives out near Exmoor now. I took photos of these paintings with my phone so they don’t show great detail or colour. If you click on them though, the pictures appears in greater detail.

Over the next couple of years we bought a number of his paintings and very nice they are too. Over the years we added paintings by other artists. None of them were very expensive.

Despite having a number by Hildrew our favourite is a water colour by a chap called Michael Chaplin. I think it’s called ‘Walking the dog’ and it is outstanding in it’s simplicity.

I wish I could paint like this. I did attempt water colours a few years ago but they weren’t very good. The word ‘Crap’ springs to mind.

I looked up the definition of the word ‘Art’ . There are many different meanings but first on the list is “the creation of works of beauty or other special significance” and I think that sums it up rather nicely. My son Greg subscribes to the National Geographic magazine and while he reads it on line, we do also receive the magazine itself and I have to say that some of the photographs inside are glorious. There are landscapes, wild life, people, buildings and photos of weather events. I think that Greg at one time, considered becoming a photographer with National Geographic. He may still yet.

Another Ken Hildrew painting I found on line

Well peeps. Time for me to go. I have an early start tomorrow morning. PIL and CJ are at the schools firework display and due to return soon. Greg is at his girlfriends while Ed is in the bath and chilling out after a hard week at work. More on all of them soon. Plus “A Muppet Christmas Carol” has just started. The best movie ever after “Space Jam”!

Have a great weekend.

More Dick soon.