Thursday 26 September 2013

Train Landscape, Eric Ravilious

I nearly missed it because I didn't know it was there ... but when I came across Ravilious's Train Landscape in Aberdeen Art Gallery on Saturday morning, it was like greeting an old friend. I've seen so many reproductions and never realised that the original is actually a cut-and-paste collage. Well, fancy that.

Two Schoolgirls, James Cowie
Another yelp of recognition when I ran into these schoolgirls ... who couldn't be anything other than pupils of Miss Brodie, and I bet their shirts are made of silk tussore and their ink spots get dabbed by Miss Lockhart in the science room.
It was my first visit to Aberdeen and I was so delighted by this wonderful gallery that I went back twice during the weekend.
That still left time to embrace other cultural experiences ... Like my first taste of IrnBru (yuck) and my first deep-fried, battered Mars Bar (and yes, they do fry them with the cod). It had to be done.

3 comments:

mary said...

It was a nice surprise to turn a corner and find it, Sue. I could so easily have missed it. If you imagine that the seats were originally striped and the horse was a giant, you'll get a very rough idea of how the paintings are cut and pasted. But it's so well-known that it's hard to imagine it other than it is.

Cornflower said...

You're way ahead of me, Mary: despite being just 'down the coast' here in Edinburgh I've never been to Aberdeen, nor have I eaten a deep-fried Mars Bar, but I can say that Irn Bru is best left on the shelf.

mary said...

The Mars Bar was divided between five of us, Cornflower! I couldn't eat a whole one. And one mouthful of IrnBru was more than enough.
I think that half-inch on the map from Edinburgh is actually quite a long drive?