Art For Art's Sake - 10 CC (Part I)

To avoid more repeats, we'll give the Wildlife a little time to change and/or gather while turning our attentions in another direction:-

 We have no recollection if our bent for the Arts, in all of their forms, having ever been published through these pages before, but after this Post and the next in a weeks time, if not, we will never be able to make such a claim again! While still a child my mother had a passion for pianist John Ogden, particularly playing Rachmaninov, and the legendary Francis Albert Sinatra, while dad played euphonium with the Beeston (Notts) Silver Prize Band both of which certainly rubbed off on yours truly. However, as time passed, by the age of 12, it then became a case of Black Blues (Buddy Guy, Little Walter, J.B. Lenoir et al), followed in quick succession by, and in conjunction with, the White Mimics particularly John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, then :-

And my brothers back at home, with his Beatles and his Stones.

We never got it off on that revolution stuff, what a drag, too many snags!

All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople (penned by David Bowie)

and eventually

Prog Rock - which we still cannot get enough of before

before becoming seriously entranced with probably the sweetest sound ever heard and discovered via an advert for Gordon’s Gin on the TV, of all things, which with a little research was found to be the baritone / tenor duet, seemingly the only example of its kind in the whole world, from the Opera

In Un Temple Saint by Georges Bizet!

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLrPVkfCIQ

Being in the Oil Industry by that time the ear was kept very close to the ground in case of a performance of it at the Royal Opera House, London, a dream that was also fulfilled, sat in the front row of the balcony, binnoculars poised and much needed Kleenex at the ready! This single moment completely changed my style, travelling by night sleeper, to and from Aberdeen rather than flying, affording me a full day in London both ways and eventually resulting in memberships of the Courtauld Institute, Somerset House, The Strand and Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, never missing an exhibition at either during that 17 years with my 3 firm favourite works in order being the mesmorising

THE BAR (sometimes refered to as The Girl) at THE FOLIS-BERGERE

(Edouard Manet)

PEACH BLOSSOM in the CRAU

(Vincent van Gogh)

both Courtauld Gallery (Institute) - London and

THE BOAT
(Odelon Redon)

Travelling Exhibition at the

Royal Academy of Arts.

with statue (beyond the pyramid) of patron and artist Sir Joshua Rynolds.

Well I drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine,

gonna race some cat to bed. Is this concrete all around, or is it in my head?

Ooh, ooh, ooh, cus I’m a Dude man!    Bowie.

All this as a result of trawling through my Memoir (looking for inspiration on a stormy day) and finding it in Omaha, Nebraska in 2010, a beautifully clean and upbeat city with

To Be Continued!