Family and fine art
To the Salisbury to met Toby and Mum. Good to see Toby now entering the more relaxed section of his holiday. Judicious coffees for Toby and I as it was early. Mum had a cider as she was thirsty, and said feeling more relaxed than she had for a while. We sat in there catching up with various bits of news, while we sat near to Paul O'Grady and (I think) Brenda Blethen. I naturally ignored them and Toby and Mum hadn't known them anyway. We wandered through Covent Garden and made our way to Somerset House for we were being piloted by the hidden hand of Romy, who had suggested we go to a restaurant in Somerset House called Tom's Kitchen Restaurant. Turned out it was excellent, and we had gin and tonic and some excellent fare. I had pollock and chips, after a crab cake starter. Amazing how the humble chip can be elevated to an artform in the right hands, gorgeously fluffy inside and crunchy crisp on the outside.
From here, and a tad subdued after a large gin and tonic, we browsed in the Courtald Gallery. I think this is one of my favourite places to see art in London. There are some fantastic pieces there, but you don't get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of work as you do in some places. Lorraine and I came here a few years ago, and I was struck this time, as well as last, by Two Dancers on a Stage by Degas. Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère is even better seeing it again, and you can see why these paintings are so celebrated. I also love the Reubens Moonlit Landscape too. It's thanks to Mum taking us to museums and galleries when we were kids I think that Toby and I have a keen Crane-brothers style sense of the aesthetic.
After this improving afternoon of culture we sauntered down The Strand to The Coal Hole pub and had a cheeky beer in there, before we went down into the tunnels, and Mum and Toby headed north to watch MASH, and I followed the call of the seagull south to Brighton. Stupidly, I managed not to take any photos, which is annoying. But a really interesting day, and great to spend time with Mum and Toby.
Below Reubens' Moonlit Landscape.
From here, and a tad subdued after a large gin and tonic, we browsed in the Courtald Gallery. I think this is one of my favourite places to see art in London. There are some fantastic pieces there, but you don't get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of work as you do in some places. Lorraine and I came here a few years ago, and I was struck this time, as well as last, by Two Dancers on a Stage by Degas. Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère is even better seeing it again, and you can see why these paintings are so celebrated. I also love the Reubens Moonlit Landscape too. It's thanks to Mum taking us to museums and galleries when we were kids I think that Toby and I have a keen Crane-brothers style sense of the aesthetic.
After this improving afternoon of culture we sauntered down The Strand to The Coal Hole pub and had a cheeky beer in there, before we went down into the tunnels, and Mum and Toby headed north to watch MASH, and I followed the call of the seagull south to Brighton. Stupidly, I managed not to take any photos, which is annoying. But a really interesting day, and great to spend time with Mum and Toby.
Below Reubens' Moonlit Landscape.
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