A Return to the Esoterik Collection, Macbeth, A Pair of Annual Treats, and A Bit of Bond Action

Posters at the Esoterik Caffe

A Certain Light at the Esoterik Collection

What can I say, I love being of Italian descent and I love all things Italian. So, of course, the Esoterik Collection, specializing in modern Italian art is a place I have come to love to visit. This exhibition was on the work of Antonio Calderara (1903-1978). His early works are called “an expressive, figurative style.”

The landscapes, to me, seem, very real and the depiction of a simple family scene is touching. I love his use of color and light in these early pieces.

Later, he refined his depictions of landscapes, as the Esoterik brochure put it, “to essential geometric shapes, creating images pervaded by silence and suffused with light that teetered on the brink of abstraction.”

As you can see, the top three pictures are about light and, in person, they are stunning. The bottom two, are about color and light. I loved them all. I arrived early and had the two exhibit rooms to myself. Delightful.

The artist in two poses.

All Hair Macbeth, Hail to Thee, Mighty Timelord!

Yes, David Tenant, beloved Doctor Who, stars as Macbeth in this production. He and Cush Jumbo, as Lady Macbeth were well paired in the roles and lived up to their star images. This was a dark (literally and figuratively) and very heavy production. Headphones were provided for the audience. The reason, I think, was the use of voice actors for the three weird sisters, whose voices in stereo through the headphones, added an interesting dimension to the production.

A bloody Macbeth.

If you are not familiar with Cush Jumbo, as many Americans may not be, check Britbox for any of her film or TV performances available there.

Spending Time with Friends

Every year, my friend James Grant and I try to get together to share a few pints and catch up on each other’s lives. James picked a couple of pubs near the Barbican. Here is an amusing cartoon from “The Hand and Shears,” one of the pubs we visited and an interesting painting, hanging near the bar.

And it wouldn’t be a London Sojourn without catching up with my Oneonta Alumna friend Madeline Guyon Morrow, a wonderful artist and fellow member of the Class of 1975. This year we met at the Royal Academy of Art where Madeline has been a volunteer for many years.

Remembering good times back “on the mother ship.”

Bond’s the name, James Bond!

After my visit with Madeline, I was walking back toward the Green Park Tube Station, as I walked toward the Burlington Arcade, posh shopping precinct beloved by toffs, since the days of Bertie Wooster, I remembered seeing a piece on TV about copies of James Bond’s iconic cars being on display at the arcade. Here is what I saw:

And finally

I stopped by the National Portrait Gallery and was delighted to see that a portrait by Patrick Heron, one of my favorite artists was on display and my long-anticipated portrait of Queen Camilla with the King was still on display. The Heron portrait is of author A.S. Byatt.

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