Hockney...

A wonderful day was had by all, apart from a bit of a cock up on my part, when my good friend David and I hit the galleries in London. The plan was to go and see the Turner and the Masters at the Tate and then work our way up to the National Portrait Gallery for the Portrait Photographer of the Year exhibition. The rest of the day we would fill as we saw fit. Well we did the Turner exhibition and I have to say it left me somewhat cold. The idea was to show Turner's work alongside his influences. The problem for me was that in many respects Turner did not come out very well - all it demonstrated to me was that Turner had his limitations and that whilst much of his work is of the highest standards he is mortal. Still it is worth while going to see but expect crowds.

After lunch we explored the Tate and this in itself was a joy. I especially enjoyed seeing the Pre Raphaelite work after the recent excellent documentary series on the painters and the scandalously enjoyable TV drama. We walked out of this gallery and wonder a bit further into a large room and there was one of the painting I had wanted to see - the David Hockney paintings of East Yorkshire. The room has three identical paintings made up of 50 panels of a copse near to Bridlington. The first is the actual painting and the other two are digital copies on a 1:1 scale. I could wax on about these paitings for hours - just to say it made our day.

After this it was a bit of an anti climax and to an extent that is what the Portrait Photographer of the year exhibition was. I found much of the work cold and impersonal. I am not sure that using models to enact something really is a portrait but it was accepted so what do I know. Perhaps the best portrait for me was self portrait of the photographer when he had chicken pox.

So a good day out and filled me with inspiration. The journey home was entertaining as well as I got into a conversation with a young mother and her 5 month old son. She had just been to the Argentinian embassy to renew her passport as they were both travelling to Argentina in December for her brother's wedding. Good luck to her - she'll need it and what an example of the indomitable human spirit.

Annie Leibovitz

Patti Smith and Family

Annie Leibovitz

As promised my thoughts on the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  The overall impression was one of amazement.  Amazement not at the glossy Vanity Fair front covers but rather amazement at the images of her family and her long time relationship with Susan Sontag.  I really cannot say that I would have, haven't, taken images at such a distressing time.  And then to publish them for all to see.   Amazing!

As for the glossy end of the work well they are just that Glossy.   I am sure they pay the bills but they are not her best work.   To illustrate this there were two images of Demi Moore when she was pregnant.  The first was the famous one that appeared on the front cover of Vanity Fair.   The second was a much more personal shot of demi Moore and her then husband Bruce Willis.  This image was black and white of Demi's bump with Willis's hands around it.  This, to me, was more intimate   and loving whereas the Vanity Fair shot was just a publicity shot for a movie that Demi was involved in.   Interesting, the Vanity Fair shot was supposed to be private shot which Leiborvitz thought would have made a great front cover.  She was right, of course, but it still has none of the power of the more intimate shot.

Annie Leibovitz has always claimed that she prefers the images on the inside of the magazine, especially when at the Rolling Stone magazine, than the glossy front cover.  Her exhibition confirms this.   

The best display of the whole exhibition was the two walls which were like huge contact sheets.  They were made up of numerous prints which were probably no bigger than A4.    They were organised in some form of timeline and many were smaller copies of the large prints seen throughout the exhibition.   The small scale and relative relationship to time added to the effect of a great photographer working through her life.

One final question.   Why did Annie Leibovitz's mother insist on showing how flexible she was in many of the family shots?  The captions only explained so much but image after image there she was with one leg cocked up in the air.

Anyway, a very impressive exhibition and one that I was able to get a reduced rate as I am a student.   Now I knew there was a reason I am studying for an MA!