The visionary picture here (right) is by Julia Reitlinger a Russian artist who lived in Paris and studied under Maurice Denis in the 1920's. It is of her 'spiritual father' and mentor, the Russian Orthodox theologist Fr Sergei Bulgakov walking in woods near Paris.
Yesterday, I booked a ticket to see the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy when I go south in Feb. There was an exceptionally good preview of his new landscapes and trees quite unexpectedly on this week's BBCTV 'Countryfile' from East Yorkshire. Hockney now lives and paints near Bridlington, in the gently rolling Yorkshire wolds.
I am waging a campaign to deter historians and bloggers from using anachronistic terms such as 'Scotland' and 'Wales' to describe geographical locations before those countries had defined geopolitical borders, ditto using 'Welsh' for the language we all - our forefathers - spoke in these islands before 'English' developed following successive invasions (Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman) invasions. The last British kingdom, Strathclyde, flourished well into the 1100's. The excuse used by the offending author in the most recent case said that if she used the correct term 'British', or 'Brythonic' people might think she was being nationalistic. Where did this absurd political correctness originate? It must be stopped, for all the reasons George Orwell gives in various of his essays such as Keep the Aspidistra Flying. Weaselly language breeds weaselly thinking, and inspired his Animal Farm and the Big Brother double speak in 1984.
Yesterday Jan 9 2012 Marilyn Elliott represented Moffat Book Events www.moffatbookevents.co.uk at a meeting in Annan to discuss how the arts in our region will be funded and supported following the demise of the council-funded Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association. The short answer seems to be that projects are to be funded on a case by case basis, with more volunteer involvement at every stage. More after our meeting today at the Moffat and District Initiative office, to which all are cordially invited - particularly if you have ideas for fund raising.
I was going to ask if you would be going to the David Hockney exhibition when next in London, so pleased to read that you already have a ticket. From the presentation about it on 'Countryfile' on Sunday, I was absolutely "blown away" by his paintings of trees and feel sure that everyone out in the countryside and driving or walking down roads of tree-lined trees will view them in a different way. Takes me back to the beauty I enjoyed every Spring of the road between Anstye and the A23 in Spring, most of which sadly disappeared in the hurricane of 1987.
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