Glasgow was Great!

And no-one could have been more surprised than I was. It didn't even rain. In fact the weather was gorgeous; blue sky, bright sun, touch of frost underfoot and that crisp autumnal air that almost but not quite makes your lungs ache when you breathe in.

It was lovely to see Son No 2  and this time he had switched on the heating before we arrived which was a relief. The Vettriano exhibition was wonderful, well worth the trip down. It was interesting because it underlined the fact that Vettriano as an artist hasn't developed. Not only does he have a unique style which is instantly identifiable, he hasn't substantially  changed he way he paints in 25 years of work. I sort of think this isn't a good thing. I don't have the training of an art critic so I don't have the vocabulary for such a discussion, but can't help feeling it's a bit lazy and unimaginative. He has let himself get stuck.

 

That said, I still like the work. Just because seeing 100+ of the paintings all at once gives you a touch of visual indigestion it doesn't mean you go off them. I like his titles and I like his colours and I like that he captures a moment in time that can send your mind skittering off in all directions making up stories for the people pictured. Story is so important to the human psyche.

 

After that it was the much dreaded meeting with the academic supervisor but actually I think we had a bit of a break through moment. It went well.

 

We didn't get time to do any shopping since that would have involved moving the car and trying to find somewhere else to park in the city centre so we opted for a late lunch back at Kelvingrove and a very quick trip around the Glasgow Boys Gallery where I got to see at long last the Henry/Hornel painting of The Druids bringing in the Mistletoe. I've loved this picture for ages, although have only ever seen it in reproductions in books so it was fantastic to see the original. Really surprised to find it square rather than rectangular. The version below really doesn't do it justice but gives some sort of idea.