All art is characterised by time and place. Not only by the time and place of within which it is created but also the time and place within which it is being experienced.

The Georg Baselitz exhibition at the Royal Academy is fundamentally a history lesson. It provides the student an insight into the psyche of someone born, brought up and sculptured in Germany through the second half of the 20^th century.

All the pain and angst, shame, disillusionment, pride, and search for a new identity are here. Baselitz was prolific in his output of work in all forms, painting, printmaking and sculpting. This exhibition captures the essence of that output in nine rooms that maps the progression of his work in time from his early monumental figure work in the 1960’s to his reworking of previous works towards the end of the last century.

His early works, reveal acts of rebellion, against legendary German heroes and icons. In the first room we see a tree( trees and forests are deep in the German Psyche) broken, bleeding and bandaged a clear reference to his view of Germany following the war. His work is a rejection of both the eastern bloc style of Realism as well as the Abstraction of the west Baselitz was with his, in some ways, grotesque figurative work, creating a ‘new type’ of form and colour designed to shock and disturb the viewer into a state of disgust with what had befallen the country. Baselitz’s works on paper and drawings, do however, display echoes of his schooling in Florence in 1965. There are definite influences here from the great renaissance masters although the subject matter and tone is again rebellious and antagonistic.

Between 1966 and 1969 whilst living in the Rhineland Baselitz produced, what for me, is his best work, a series of so called fractured and inverted paintings. These works no doubt mimic again the state of Germany, at the time, as fractured and yet with a vision to be one. The fractured works are in some cases in triptych form and although they do not easily come together to create a whole, when studied and observed the whole does appear. The inverted pictures again seem strange and unreasonable. It is not until the viewer gives the work time that one can appreciate that the inversion somehow allows the image and expression to be free of the canvass in manner similar to a 3D effect. This is particularly effective in his falling eagle producing a painting of great power and effect.

The exhibition continues with a series of paintings known as the ‘45’ and sculptures of the Women of Dresden these works created in 1989 to mark the 45 years since the end of the second world war and the bombing of Dresden. By again concentrating on the tree symbol the artists uses deep, sharp cuts and abstract lines to act as a metaphor for the needless destruction of German cities towards the end of the war.

The artist’s paintings during the 1980’s came to more and more reflect the society of his birth. As economic stability made the west of Germany more confident and assertive the artist has lost some of the obvious bitterness and darkness of the1960’s. Now was a time, to see the light, have fun and mock the harbingers of destruction these feelings are conveyed through the irreverent paintings in room 7 with Edvard Munch (a big influence on Baselitz) seated centrally at a last supper painting. Finally in the 1990’s following the fall of Berlin Wall he breaks free and his remixes and paintings in the final gallery become a celebration of life and art with vibrant colours and a sense of optimism that is palpable.

If you wish to gain an understanding of the German condition from 1945 to the fall of the Berlin wall I suggest you visit this exhibition.

The Minstrel

If you start your visit to Kew at the main gate you will immediately have the opportunity of visiting an exhibition, about Moore’s life and work, in the Nash conservatory. The exhibition provides a preface to the works on display in the park and allows the visitor to gain an insight into Moore’s inspirations and method’s of working. It appears that Moore gained some of his inspiration from observing works at the British Museum during his early life. I had previously felt that Moore’s work was reminiscent of scenes from ancient Greece. This theme is particularly noticeable in his various Helmet studies and can also be picked up on the tour from his monumental ‘Double Oval’ 1966 no.14 at Kew. The ‘Goslar Warrior’ 1973/74 no.22 with its’ theatrical Greek Temple backdrop, echo’s this theme and appears as if it were a monument to the fallen Hercules at Troy.

The sculptures at Kew can broadly be divided into three main themes the figurative, the monumental and the ritualistic, spiritual and/or ceremonial. It is the placement and choice of all of these sculptures that makes the exhibition work in such a powerful way. The landscaping and the glass architecture of the park perfectly complement the sculptures providing a suitable context to the architectural contrasts in the sculpture.

Of the three themes mentioned the figurative is the dominant theme with thirteen of the twenty eight sculptures given over to it. Throughout his life Moore was obsessive with the reclining figure and he returns to it again and again. It is a sign of his genius that he was able to repeat the theme so many times and yet be so inventive and iconic with each study. Two of the reclining figure works stand out as exemplary examples of this form. No.7 ‘Draped Reclining Woman’ 1957/58 and the ‘Draped Three Piece Reclining Figure’ 1975 No.23. The first of these is for me the finest of all his reclining figures and although large is detailed and portrays a distinct personality. It is, without doubt, an important major work of art. The second of the two brings together another theme of Moore, the cut. In this work he plays with the reclining figure and slices through to provide the viewer with a myriad of different angles and forms to examine from the same theme.

The second of the three themes is the monumental. There are eight of these very large structures each exploring a different architectural idea inspired by a variety of scenes from nature. The idea of forms possessing internal and external shape and space is a dominant theme in these large sculptures. This is particularly shown in his monolithic ‘Large upright Internal/External Form 1981/82 No.2 this work standing in a clearing among trees on the Pagoda Vista is awesome and deserves more time than anybody can probably afford to fully appreciate it. I only wish it could remain in this site permanently. The ‘Knife Edge Two’ 1962/65 No.12 piece again plays with idea of slicing through form to create alternative planes from inside the form as well as experiencing the outer surface. This theme is continued in the ‘Large Two Forms’ 1966 No.13 and ‘Oval With Points’ 1968-70 No.17 both these seem to be drawn from animal bone forms and the space within and around bone joints. One needs to move around the sculptures to fully experience and learn from them.

It is useful to plan your walk around the sculptures before setting out otherwise you could find yourself lost and possibly missing some of the works. Allow at least three hours to adequately visit all the sites and to fully appreciate the different architectural contrasts and sculptural power and organisation on display.

Unfortunately, I arrived at the Royal College of Art, a little late on Tuesday evening, to witness the official opening ceremony performed this year by Jeremy Paxman. This was indeed unfortunate as I had always nursed a desire to meet Mr Paxman to see if his acerbic wit was as sharp in ‘real life’ as it is on ‘Newsnight’. However by six p.m. he had done his duty and decamped.

The R.C.A show was packed on this opening evening. At first, it seemed to me, that the main activity of the fifty six exhibitors was the balancing of trays with six or more flutes of champagne. Everyone, except of course, your scribe was downing copious amounts of the sparkling liquid. The admiration and sale of art, the supposed purpose of the event was secondary to the reunion of old friends and recognition of familiar faces. All in all a good time was being had by all. In retrospect I should have waited till closing time when, no doubt, I would have been able to secure a real bargain.

With some difficulty I managed to work my way between the revellers and try to take in, what was on offer. The show was set on two floors in a roughly L shaped configuration. At first I was confronted by the usual array of uninspiring prints and secondary works by leading names. I did not have to travel far however to uncover my first treasure trove, in the form of a number of exquisite bronzes by Michael Ayrton and Robert Clatworthy, at the Keith Chapman stand. These stood alongside an amazing bronze head of Winston Churchill (1946) by Sir Jacob Epstein. The work manages to convey in one look the isolation of immense responsibility, a dawning realisation of what he, Churchill, had just accomplished and a tiredness born of supreme effort. As for the Michael Ayrton mythological figures, they dominate the space in which they sit and manage supremely to convey strength and power with movement and life.

Following on from the Bronzes I was confronted by vast amounts of art, really too much to take in during a two hour visit. The highlights for me were two pieces by Gwyther Irvin, Gazebo (1961) and Collage No.VI (1957) JHW Fine Art. A wonderful example of Sandra Blow’s work on the Piano Nobile stand Colour Sequence on Blue (1982), also a very strong work by Gillian Ayres Dogger 2006, Alan Christea Gallery, a portrait of Janet Churchman by John Bratby again JHW also caught my eye. A painting by Ivon Hitchins, Terrace Pool, on the Richard Green stand which if I had indulged in the champagne, would I am sure, seemed affordable to me at £165,000.

The star of the fair was Keith Vaughan’s ‘Little Winter Sports’(1960) on Agnew’s stand (pictured). The collision of colour and shape against the palest of blue backgrounds provides the viewer with a wealth of delightful emotions. The painting was also exceptionally well framed.

I left the Fair with only one regret, the lack of work from contemporary young artists. Where was the new Damien Hirst or David Hockney? As I left, I mingled with those leaving the James Last concert at the Royal Albert Hall and for some reason, very briefly, Jack Vettriano came to mind.

'The Minstrel'

Dali and Film Tate Modern 4^th September 2007

In many ways the Tate Modern building is, to the contemporary and post-modern art world, what St. Pauls, on the opposite north bank, is to the classical tradition. The stark brick monolith with its nihilistic contents, stands in an arrogant manner, facing its god-fearing mother, while the millennium foot bridge acts to provide an umbilical flow of blood to both. I wondered if in 4000 years time, future generations, will conjecture on the use of this building, was it perhaps a temple besides the Thames where kings were buried with their artistic treasures. The chimney, being their escape route, from this world back to the stars from whence they came.

So, with this in mind, on a warm summers day, I paid a visit to head office to see the Dali and film exhibition. I should point out straight away that Surrealism is not my favourite art form. It has always seemed to me to be more interested in representing itself rather than any expression of emotion or political insight.

This exhibition has, along with another Tate surrealist gallery, full of the work Miro’, Magritte and others caused me to change my opinion somewhat. There is without doubt a real surrealist emotional impact and Dali was undoubtedly an artistic genius. The exhibition was spread over 14 rooms of which 6 were showing continuous films made by Dali. The way the films were interlaced with the rest of the exhibition enabled them to be viewed as video art, which of course is exactly what they are. Walking through the rooms I was able to get a real sense of the development of Dali as an artist and of his exploration of the fantastic, the subconscious and the unconscious world. I was though particularly taken by a large portrait of his father which certainly demonstrated his realistic, almost photographic technique.

Eye-Music: Kandinski,Klee and all that Jazz