Musical and Arty London

There's always something to see and do in London. Frequently there are new shows and exhibitions to view, keeping people at the centre of an ever growing art culture. In the last week I was lucky enough to view two big shows and exhibitions that are open for a limited amount of time. I have attached links to each website on the images.

Painting the Modern Garden - The Royal Academy

Impressionism has always been an art  have been interested in with the bold use of colour an technique that drastically changed the art scene. This exhibition provides an incredible range of works that has proven to be a hugely popular spectacle that has to be seen to be believed. For me the highlight of the show was the collection of Monet's water lilies featured in the showcase, especially with the reunited finale canvases that draw together three canvases to form the iconic scene of Monet's oriental inspired water garden.

Vogue 100: A Century of Style - National Portrait Gallery

This exhibition was a true visual spectacle. The exhibition contained some of the most striking images the last century has seen, beginning with the 1920s and progressing towards the 00s, with today's generation of style being displayed on a video installation at the exhibition entrance. The iconic photographs of well known faces stem across the generations, capturing the hyper glamourised fashion industry with its bold and sometimes questionable outfit choices, to the more modest images that capture their models in a more natural light, with a sense of ease as they've been caught off guard. The images that I personally found the most memorable were those of comedy legends Charlie Chaplin and Morecombe and Wise, and most prominently Naomi Campbell's cover which was used in the advertising campaign for the exhibition. I cannot truly describe it but the photograph evoked a feeling of freedom as she appears to be finding joy in the moment that must have been felt like her big break, opening her to a world of endless possibilities. I guess I related to the youthful outlook of life deeming the world to be your oyster. I would highly recommend this exhibition as it is accessible to most audiences. Even my Dad, who is not an avid art goer, enjoyed being dragged around this exhibition.

Funny Girl - Savoy Theatre

This hit show may be well known for the 1968 film featuring Barbara Streisand which is seen by many to be a tough act to follow. I am yet to see the film but was nonetheless blown away by the show, particularly by lead actress Sheridan Smith who captured the humour element of the show perfectly through her physical comedy, as well as having a powerful voice to match. I must say a beautiful moment to end the show on was Sheridan's standing ovation from the entire audience, where her tears of joy showed her true surprise and gratitude. The colourful set and well chosen cast prove an uplifting and fun atmosphere that fully immerses you into the stage world and would be a night out that you would not want to miss.

Sunset Boulevard - English National Opera

The hype around this Andrew Lloyd-Webber production was seen to be actress Glenn Close's reprisal of her role as Norma Desmond, a silent-screen film star who seeks a return to Hollywood from her secluded yet still luxurious lifestyle. Glenn Close gave a fantastic performance but I found the true attraction of the show laid within the staging and music. The orchestra were centrally placed on the stage with steel framework stairs scattered around the stage to provide height and separate spaces for the narrative. Another staging element that captured the essence of the period the show is set through the black and white images projected on to the stage from old film reels of the 1920s which plays during the orchestral musical interludes of both acts.

London Baby

Last week I went on an industry study trip to London for my university course. It's fair to say that this trip made me realise that I am on the right course. The walking tours around London and art journal studies provided a great insight into museology, where I was able to reflect on the art industry within the public and private commercial sectors. I enjoyed being able to visit new sights and areas within a city I love and have been lucky enough to visit often. This ranged from the auction houses and galleries, to the street art that adorn the side of buildings.

I guess this trip made me want to aspire more to my dream of living in the 'London lifestyle'. The lifestyle that has been portrayed on TV with people living in the gorgeous apartments with their dream jobs, admist the hustle and bustle of a busy city, while managing to maintain a thriving social life. This is the lifestyle I would like to see myself living in one day and this trip made living the 'London lifestyle' seem possible.

Walking round Flatford

Yesterday Mum and I went on a trip to Flatford to explore the local landscape of British Romantic artist John Constable (1776-1837). We started our walk from the train station and discovered the joys of British weather when we came across a muddy footpath, thanks to all the rain the night before. Thankfully I was prepared by wearing my old faithful pair of converse which I didn't mind getting ruined. While walking I was able to take plenty of photos of the scenic areas. It felt like we were walking in one of Constable's paintings. Somehow we managed not to fall over in the mud and made it to Flatford.

While in Flatford we saw picturesque scenery by the river which felt traditional of Constable's time. Buildings such as Willy Lott's Cottage were sources of inspiration for Constable and have been used in his paintings, such as the 'Hay Wain' 1821.
Despite the muddy footpaths the sun shined the whole day which allowed us to enjoy the peaceful landscape. Being there felt like we had travelled back in time. There was also a small museum which contains examples of Constable's preliminary sketches for his paintings, and his art supplies which show his original colour studies.
After a day of getting stuck in the mud and taking a trip back in time to traditional, rural Britain Mum and I decided to venture back through the mud home. On the train home there were some interesting characters which made an amusing end to the day.

Willy Lott's Cottage

Walking back to the train station

Constable's colour studies

Friday Favourites - Disney Concept Art

I have enjoyed watching Disney films from a young age. Some of my favourites are Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Mulan. I like watching the more recent Disney princess films and each Disney Pixar film.

Although I enjoy watching the films, I find it interesting to learn about the process of creating the films. I have a particular interest in the art aspect of the animation and find it fascinating looking at concept art used to help make the final scenes and characters within the films. It's good to look at the different illustration styles of the artists who work on the concept art. The examples below look at both character representation and the staging of important scenes in the films.

What is your favourite Disney film?

Art with everyday items

I found this artwork on Tumblr and thought it was clever. I liked the use of incorporating everyday objects into to simple drawings. I think this adds more character to the drawings. Unfortunately I don't know who the artist is.

 

My favourites are the globe, the cowboy and the record player. Which are your favourite?

 

Vintage London Railway Posters

This is a development from two previous blog posts where I talked about East Anglian Railway posters and my favourite places in London.

These posters prove that even though London has modernised over the decades, it is still recognisable. This shows how iconic London is. I like to look at the different styles of artwork on these posters. The bright colours make London look bold and an exciting place to visit. They represent some of London's main tourist sights such as, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London and the London Underground.
The posters also show that there has always been an interest for people from abroad to travel to London, particularly within Europe. The bottom two posters refer to the travel links from Paris.



Vintage railway posters

As I have said in previous posts I like to collect postcards. Some of my favourites are vintage railway posters. These posters are usually from the 1920s and 1930s. I looked at these posters for my GCSE Art and enjoyed paining in the colourful, art deco style. The posters look bright, cheerful and make the beautiful East Anglian coastline appealing to go to. Here I have found a collection of East Anglian Railway Posters to show you these amazing, artistic posters. If only railway posters still looked like this.

Miniature Worlds

As part of my A-level artwork I looked at miniature worlds. I found it really interesting as they can range from hand-made sets to quirky street art. I liked looking at these smaller scale pieces. I thought I would share them with you as you may not have come across these styles of art, which are fascinating and imaginative pieces.

Matthew Albanese is an artist who makes miniature sets, which amaze me everytime I look at them. The detail of these lifelike pieces are incredible.

 

You can look at more amazing artworks by Matthew Albanese here.

 

I found the pieces below on Tumblr. I like the idea of using Lego, which I'm sure we all played with as children, to make colourful street art. Although the black and white piece has been edited and manipulated on the computer, it is still a good example of technical skill

 

As I've said in previous posts I like nail art. I think it would be fun to try something like this one day.

 



2013 in pictures

I know I'm a bit late but I want to wish you a happy new year. I can't believe it's now 2014. For me 2013 was a year full of changes and new experiences. The year had it's good and bad moments, so I thought to summarise 2013 I would share some of my favourite memories.

In March I went on a school trip to London to go to the Churchill War rooms and watch Warhorse at the theatre. This was just before I left High school and started exams. I had an amazing time with my friends and was the last school trip that all of us went on together. It had it's funny moments that we still laugh about.

The second photo is from my trip to London to see an exhibition of Roy Lichtenstein's artwork at the Tate. It is still one of my favourite places I have been to in London. I wrote a post about my trip here.

The bottom left photo represents leaving High School. It was strange leaving High School as I was used to seeing the same people each day of school for five years. I had been at school with some people every year since I was four years old. The idea of us all going our own way and finishing High School was sad, but also exciting as it was the start of a new chapter.

My High School prom was great. I was part of prom committee and I think all the planning was worth it. The bottom right photo is one of my favourite photos from prom. It is a photo of me and two of my friends in the car, travelling to prom. I think we all look really happy. I wrote about my prom here.

In the summer I celebrated my sixteenth birthday. I didn't want a big party so I spent my sixteenth birthday at a caravan site by the beach with my family. It was brilliant.

There are plenty of good memories from the summer, and far too many photos to include in this post. After I finished my exams I had a longer summer holiday than past years. It was a good way to relax after a stressful, but fun six months. I spent time with friends and family which was important. Also thanks to the amazing change in British weather I was able to make a few trips to the beach.

In September I started sixth form. Even though there is a lot of work, I can say that I am really enjoying sixth form. I am with old and new friends and studying subjects I enjoy. Although thanks to school work I don't have much of a social life. The bottom left photo is of me and my friends taking part in sixth from Halloween fancy dress. It is the only photo I have of most of my sixth form friends.

The last photo represents NCS (National Citizenship Service) which is a scheme I took part in from October to December. I enjoyed taking part in NCS as it gave me the opportunity to meet new people, try new things and improve my confidence. I met people from different schools and had the chance to take part in various activities, including climbing, quad biking, raft building, rifle shooting and many more. We even had to cope with a power cut for over 24 hours. Also I was able to take part in organising a charity fundraiser at a local football club.

These are just some of my highlights from 2013. I hope that 2014 brings it's own good memories which I can write about next January.

I hope 2013 was a good year for you. Let's make 2014 an even better year.

Lichtenstein A Retrospective

Back in April this year Mum and I went to London. While we there we visited an exhibition at the Tate Modern which had an extensive collection of work by the artist Roy Lichtenstein. I was studying Lichtenstein for my GCSE art project and wanted to see his work.

I can honestly say that it was one of my favourite places I have been to in London. It is a shame that it was only a temporary exhibition. I enjoyed walking around the exhibition, listening to the audio guide and being able to have a proper look at the artwork. Looking at the artwork in front of you is completely different to looking at a photograph of the piece.

You could clearly see every detail of the artwork, from the bright, bold colours to the sharpness of the lines and shapes.  On his famous painting, 'Look Mickey' you could see Lichtenstein's original pencil marks.

Also there was a programme on BBC Four, presented by Alistair Sooke, which looked at the exhibition. It was a fantastic programme. The programme offered an in-depth look at Lichtenstein's work where Alistair Sooke and guests talked about the appeal of Lichtenstein's work, his influence on artists today and the controversy surrounding his work.

This exhibition gave me a better understanding of Lichtenstein and his artwork. It contained work from every decade of his career. Not only did it show some of his most famous work but also showed his less well known artwork. There were pieces in the artwork that I would not have thought was Lichtenstein's style.

I wanted to share this with you because I am really interested in art and this was the best exhibition I have seen. I hadn't started a blog when I went in April so I thought I would share my thoughts now. There is so much more I could say, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear me rambling on for ages.

'Look Mickey' 1961