Walking and poetry, yes -
poetry and books, yes -
walking and landscape, of course -
landscape and mud, inevitably -
walking and books, maybe -
books and mud, -?
poetry and books, yes -
walking and landscape, of course -
landscape and mud, inevitably -
walking and books, maybe -
books and mud, -?
It is all very much one man and his need to walk, to make marks in the landscape of his walk, to leave those marks and record them - then to step back while we are drawn in to contemplate his trail. A man with a personal passion - controlled in his use of exact geometry to make his own marks, both outdoors and indoors. Except when that passion spills out literally in the splashes of his energetic mud frescoes.
Photo from Daily Telegraph interview
Photo from Daily Telegraph interview
I had not thought about artists' book in relation to the exhibition, but was continuing my reading Johanna Drucker's The Century of Artists' Books while waiting for Tate Britain to open. I was delighted to find a whole room dedicated to Richard Long's books.
Walking and sleeping (from the V&A collection)
Walking and sleeping (from the V&A collection)
This exhibition spoke to me on so many levels because it was dedicated to the artist himself. I have found in the past that for me Long's work does not come out well when displayed with the art of others. The poetry has sometimes seemed inconsequential, the photographs hemmed in, the circles of rock facile, the annotated maps lazy, ... but together, solo, when in context, the body of work is credibly powerful and moving.
I think this happens to me more and more - the appreciation of one artist's work without the distraction of a dessert trolley of accompanying variety. But of course, having said that - the next exhibition in London which I'm planning to visit is the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition which is not just variety but ... visual chaos!
The Long has started to make a deep impression, however, and I shall be savouring the work, my thoughts and developments from them for some time.
2 comments:
I would have liked to see that exhibition and the books. It would have been fun to see something like this together - maybe next time!
I agree with you that one can get more out of an exhibition dedicated to a single artist. I found the big museums often just too overwhelming with too much work by too many artists. After awhile I zone out. But large retrospectives or historical shows on a single artist were deeply satisfying. (I'll be writing on that as I progress with our trip stories.)
Marja-Leena, I will never forget the feeling of relief when I realised years ago that the one day I was going to be in Madrid was the very day that the Prado was closed. It was of course a regret too, but how could I choose between the glories within which to concentrate on?
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