I want to share with you a strangely satisfying day of contrasting
culture. This morning, my wife and I travelled to our nearest city, Hull, to
view some of Da Vinci’s drawings on exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery. Hull
is not noted for its culture, though both Philip Larkin and John Godber
produced some of their best work in the city. And, of course, it is the
birthplace of William Wilberforce, whose influence on world culture through the
abolition of slavery must be considered great.
To get back to the Da Vinci: A few weeks ago, we were in Paris and spent
some time in the Louvre, where, over the heads of the multitude, we saw the
Mona Lisa in its original form. It was distant, because we were unwilling to
elbow our way through the throng, and it was protected by non-reflective glass
to protect it against the assaults of the multiple flashes from the tourists’
cameras (the signs asking people not to use flash have little or no effect on
those who haven’t a clue how to actually use their cameras, of course).
Today, in Hull, we joined a much smaller number to walk in peace and
quiet around an exhibition where we could get up close to the drawings made by
Da Vinci. The subtlety of his technique, the detail captured by his eye and the
skill of his translation of reality into pictorial form were aspects I will
treasure for a long time. That we could actually examine them as closely as if
reading a book, spend uninterrupted time before each of the ten examples, study
and absorb the brilliance, was wonderful. Information boards enhanced the
experience and the gallery staff were on hand to enthuse and guide where
necessary.
An exhibition I urge you to visit if you’re anywhere near the city. It’s
on until 23 January 2013. The drawings are on loan from the Royal Collection,
by the way.
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Because we are not city lovers, we rarely visit without a specific
purpose. Today we also decided to go to the cinema to watch the latest Bond
movie. Skyfall is a very typical Bond
film with plenty of chases, improbable action scenes and occasional sexual
encounters, understated so that the films can be watched as family entertainment.
Though it’s always puzzled me that film classification allows extreme violence
to be witnessed by young children, yet prevents youngsters seeing the natural
state of human beings. Never understood why nudity should be considered bad for
children when violence and killing is apparently considered acceptable. But
that’s maybe a subject for a different post.
The film is the best of those starring Daniel Craig. There is a great
story and more interaction and narrative than the previous efforts. The film is
also full of surprises. Naturally, James wins most of his unlikely fights, defeats
his enemies and gets the girl. I won’t spoil the story for those who haven’t
seen the film. But, if you’ve been less than impressed by the previous outings
of Craig’s Bond, you will find this one a real improvement.
As I say, a day of cultural contrasts. But a very enjoyable day in spite
of, or maybe, because of, that.
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