Sir Michael John Gambon (1940–2023)

What a sad loss. 

Sir Michael Gambon was a wonderful actor with an amazing career. I will always remember him as the lovely old grandad in Charlotte Gray (a romantic war drama). His character and performance has always stayed with me.

He was excellent in Layer cake; and of course, I have especially enjoyed his turn as Dumbledore (from the Harry Potter films). He has always had a powerful screen presence. 

I've watched a few interviews on YouTube and he strikes me as a lovely man off screen.

So long sir. One of the great postwar actors.

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From today's Telegraph:

Ancient Greek art — Parthenon sculptures at the British Museum

This post focuses on the incredible sculptures of the Parthenon at the British Museum.

Speaking for myself, and I have seen these marbles a few times already; I have always been blown away by how well the British Museum have presented them. They are carefully presented along the walls in an enormous room (the size of a football pitch) with nothing in the middle.  The sculptures and friezes are along the walls. So, as you go along, your attention is focused on the story and narrative. 

The temple was built in 490BC (after the Battle of Marathon) and captures the classical highpoint of Ancient Greek art. It was destroyed, and then rebuilt by Perikles. So the ‘present version’ is actually the 2nd version (450-430BC) over the earlier one. Following the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the Parthenon becomes a church and the east pediment and metopes were destroyed. It then became a mosque for the Ottomans. The Venetians bombarding the Ottoman garrison on the Acropolis ignited gunpowder (which exploded) destroying the temple. Very soon after that Lord Elgin (as British Ambassador to the Ottomans) was concerned about the sculpture and frieze deterioration (esp. those lying on the floor), acquired legal sanction, and took them to the British Museum. So that’s a very brief history.

The Parthenon itself was devoted to the goddess Athena and was built after a key victory over the Persian Empire. At the time, the Persians controlled a vast expansive territory; and Athens and Sparta (as Greek city-states) lead their defeat. Apparently, the Parthenon used to house a huge gold & ivory statute of the goddess Athena. It seems it may have been lost in time.

Below are some beautiful sculptures - the beauty of which is ignited the renaissance.

Enjoy.

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South Frieze (sculpture by Phidias)

Two horsemen wearing a cloak over one shoulder. The drilled holes indicated some metallic reins. 

I love the horses’ manes. It’s like fire on their back.

And the skill of Phidias with regards to the horses. If you look closely, you can almost see how her carved the muscles in the uneven texture (esp. around the shoulders). Amazing.

Short tunic is worn around the waist. Bare-headed soldiers. Magnificent horses. 

So much movement and energy carved into the marble.

Here we see overlapping riders and visual depth.

To my mind, the recurring theme of Phidias, and the contemporary Greek sculptors, was treated the human body and horses as a theatrical pieces. Dressed in finery, body armour and short tunics, they are calm and reposeful. But around them the horses are terrifying in their strength and speed. Thrilling. 

You can feel the dynamism of the moment through their muscles and bones; the weapons, and the fierceness of the horses’ hoofs demolishing everything in their way.

I love the way the horses seem to be moving arched forward & frozen in time; it heightens the drama and anticipation of the moment the hoof lands on the ground. 

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More beautiful classic cars in London

I love that 70s classic look and feel. My dream car is the British MGB roadster.

Triumph 1300

Volkswagen Beetle

Nissan Figaro - 1990s

Mondrian and architectural designs - life imitating art?

I recently saw this building near London Bridge:

With regards to architecture, I wonder whether we should thank Mondrian for this kind of building exterior and design.

Our evolution in the design of buildings is probably driven by an appreciation for the harmony of purpose, utility and form.

Art as a conversation through objects.

Ancient Assyrian sculpture at the British Museum (Room 6)

This blog post concerns room 6 of the British Museum.   I recently went to see the famous lion hunt of the King Ashurbanipal II (which I've already covered) - but they were closed.

I really love the art and sculpture of the Ancient Assyrians. They're so skilful, beautifully and delicately chiselled. Every time I visit these galleries at the British Museum, I'm blown away. They rather put our vaunted Stonehenge, in England, to shame. I think it's up there with the Parthenon & the Ancient Greeks, and Ancient Egyptians. 

The art and architecture of the Assyrian civilization flourished during its imperial expansion - in present day Northern Iraq. From 1400 BC, the original city/state was around Ashur on the River Tigris. Then, there was a period of expansion (to 1000 BC) under which the empire declined. However, under the Neo-Assyrian Empire (Ashurnasirpal II & Shalmaneser III), it started to grow in international power via military campaigns. I found this terrific YouTube video that breaks down the Assyrian and Babylonian timeline. Records of Assyrian victories were inscribed on monuments - including the stelae and obelisks below.

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Gupsum Stella of Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II

The language script is cuneiform; and the earliest tablet discovered showed humans using them for record keeping, for harvests etc.

This is King Ashurnasirpal II. The description of the king reads "I am important, I am magnificent".  A humble man ...

It's beautifully carved and the King has a terrific beard.

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Eagle-headed protective spirit (from Nimrud)

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Protective spirit (from Nimrud)

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Assyrian gateways, the Lamassu

So incredible and enormous. 

I am always shocked at how ancient civilizations created such wonderful objects. I think we tend to dismiss bygone civilizations as being 'primitive' too easily.

The above statues were used at the entrance of building and were supposed to bring good fortune. The colossal figures: part human and part animal (as with the protective spirits above) were not only to adorn a building but to protect it (warding off evil spirits).

Interestingly, these Lamassu statues all seem to have 5 legs. Goodness knows what an imposing effect these must have had on visitors to the king's palace.

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Supernatural being

The monster's identity is unknown. It has bird's wings, feathers, and talons. A lion's head.

It was at the entrance of a Temple.

Leonine.

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Another protective spirit

So beautifully and meticulously carved. And I think cuneiform looks amazing in its geometry and simplicity. 

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Captured camels

A herd of camels and a woman (on the left) are part of a procession of prisoners and booty captured during one of the campaigns of Tiglath-pileser III.

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The capture of Astartu and the king in his chariot

The king is shown in his chariot. The city captured is Astartu in modern-day Jordan.

The cuneiform inscription above the King detailing his campaign:

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Captured flocks

The proportions & details are really quite beautiful. 

This is another scene which decorated the palace of Tiglath-pileser III (as mentioned above).

The campaign was against the Arabs, and shows sheep and goats captured.

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Stela of Ashurnasirpal II

Sadly, erosion damage. King Ash. is supposed to be shown worshipping.

The cuneiform is really special. It is supposed to depict yet another attack.

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Stela of Shamshi-Adad V

Another beautiful stela.  If you notice the bracelet, it almost looks like a watch. :)

This stela shows the king worshipping in front of symbols of the gods. 

Depicts his greatness & authority.

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Kurkh Stela

A beautiful limestone monument.

Once again, the king surrounded by divine symbols. And the incredible cuneiform inscription narrating his campaigns in chronological order. Found by John George Taylor.

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The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

Wow.  So ornate and incredibly decorated. And so many stories: 

Amazing exotic animals: a water-buffalo, a (supposed?) rhinoceros, and antelope.

A scene of two Assyrian officials introducing three tribute bearers.

Assyrian officials walking, a foreign groom leading a horse in rich trappings.

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Colossal guardian lion (Lion of Babylon)

Huge and striking. It depicts a ferocious mouth-opened 15-tonne lion. It is suppose to symbolize the Assyrian goddess of war, Ishtar.

Cuneiform inscription also point to the King who commissioned it: Ash. II.

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Attendant god (outside a doorway in the Temple of Nabu)

I think this is the god of writing; and I love how hands are crossed in front.

According to the museum, the cunieform exhorts the reader to revere this God (Nabu): "to not trust in another god".

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Eagle-headed protective spirit

As above.

Adorned and decorated so beautifully. 

I love how the human body is embellished - in these ancient societies - by the beauty of strong animals in the natural world.

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Human-headed winged bulls protecting the King's apartments

Entrance to the lion hunt friezes closed ... but people trying to get a look. :)

The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum

The recent scandal at the British Museum has prompted me to visit it to have a look at some important ancient art & artefacts.

Below is the Rosetta Stone of the British Museum. It's enormous, dark and amazingly well-preserved - and really quite meticulous and beautiful to look at.

There are actually several Rosseta stones. 28 to be precise, of which 21 are in Egypt. It was part of a royal decree by a Pharaoh during the Ptolemaic era of ancient Egypt (the last one). This famous one was discarded as rubbish and used as rubble to fill in a wall. The slab of rock was stumbled upon in 1799 in Rosetta (Egypt) during Napoleon's campaign - which deciphered the Egyptian script, essentially starting Egyptology. When the British defeated them shortly afterwards, it ended up at the British Museum. 

Famously, it allowed the ancient Egyptian script to be decoded for the first time. 

It bears a priestly decree issued by Pharaoh Ptolemy V in 196BC which was copied out in three languages: hieroglyphics, demotic – language of the time – and ancient Hellenistic Greek. 

My camera didn't pick up the Greek script, so I will have to visit again soon. But they are so ornate and beautiful. 

Demotic

Egyptian hieroglyphs

The main thrust of this text is about giving honours to the Pharaoh.  For example, a statute of himself was to be placed in the Temple (Edfu?); including celebrating his birthday in the Temple. 

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Returning to Egypt?

There have been calls in recent years to return the Rosetta Stone to Egypt.

I thought I would add a little bit explaining why I think is mistaken and should be politely rejected - mostly for being ahistorical. But, below are some arguments for my position.

1. It is an object of human history created by people who've been dead for over millennia. Objects of a dead civilization don't "belong" to anybody. I don't accept that merely because people are living in the same area today, that they get some special priority.
2. It shouldn't be the case that every country has to return objects from other countries. It shouldn't only be displaying "their" own stuff. (What is "theirs" - see point 4). I accept that the rules and laws governing how an object was acquired are critical.
3. Technically, it was written during the Ptolemaic era of Egypt - which was a Greek state. Nothing about this stone is Egyptian. The people who carved it are ancestors of everyone in the Mediterranean basin. 
4. Ancient Egypt has almost nothing to do with modern-day Egypt. Not the language, not the culture, not the religion, not the government. Only, somewhat, the land. And that land has been subject to invasion and assimilation by the Macedonians, the Romans, then by the Caliphate, then the Ottoman empire, and Mameluks, then a Khedivate of Egypt - before finally becoming an autonomous Egyptian Republic with a permanent borders as we tend to understand it. And, that discounts the temporary invasions by the Hyksos, the Nubians, the Assyrians, the Persians, the Sassanid, the French and the English. In fact, Narmer (the great unifior of the Upper and Lower Egypt and forger of the First Dynasty) did so via conquest and subjugation of others. So, who - among all these peoples - are the 'real' Egyptians are?

My first day at Bar School

I thought I'd share a few pics of my first day (Monday 11th) on the Bar course in London. I received a scholarship from Lincoln's Inn, thank Christ. It pays the expensive tuition fees with a tiny stipend for living expenses. Another huge thank you to the Inn.

I have to study civil and criminal procedure and advocacy related-stuff. Also, some ethics and a few other legal bits and bobs to be assessed on.

I include a mug here to show how huge these tomes are. And these are only the civil stuff. We have to sit end of year exams on them.

My friend from Cambridge is on the same course. Nice to already have a friend. (Also, wearing my Edvard Munch shirt; for street-cred purposes).

Unfortunately, I will have to cut back on the blog posting. Perhaps once a week.

The course is quite intense.

Borough Market in London

I recently went through Borough Market on Southwark Street (near London Bridge).

Sourdough, English cheese, wine and cured meats ... hmmmm.

Inspired by another blogger going through her local market, I decided to take some photos and share them on my blog.

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The Southwark Tavern, I once applied for a job here.

So many colours.

I love the light and shadow here.
Cassava is a Brazilian vegetable. 

The portrait of Noor Inayat Khan and her amazing story

I recently saw this interesting article in the paper. It lead me to discover the incredible story of a British spy during WWII of Indian/American provenance. The unveiling of this new portrait by Queen Camilla is a fitting tribute

Who is she?

She was living in London when she decided to help in the war effort in 1943. Khan - of Indian and American descent - served in the SOE (Special Operations Executive) which was set up by Winston Churchill in 1940. Operating as a spy in France, she managed to evaded capture for many months and sent vital information to the Allies. She was betrayed which resulted in her eventual arrest by the Gestapo. She escaped prison but was recaptured shortly afterwards. She was subjected to some of the most inhumane treatment by her captors. She refused to reveal - despite torture - anything to her captors, including her real name. She was sent to Dachau where, on the 13th of September 1944, she was executed. 

I discovered a book about her life. The amazon site said this:

Noor was one of only three women SOE awarded the George Cross and, under torture, revealed nothing but her name - but not her real name, nor her code name, just the name she used to register at SOE: Nora Baker. Kept in solitary confinement, chained between hand and feet and unable to walk upright, Noor existed on bowls of soup made from potato peelings. Ten months after she was captured, she was taken to Dachau and, on 13 September 1944, she was shot. Her last word was 'Liberte'.

She was posthumously awarded the George Cross in 1949.

Remembering HM Queen Elizabeth II

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died in her Platinum Jubilee year; aged 96. She was our longest-reigning monarch and dedicated her life to royal duty. There have been a few nice pieces in the press. 

The portrait below was released by the King today of the late Queen. It's nice, but not the best I've seen.

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In defence of the Crown

I thought I'd write a little piece defending the Crown.  A recent BBC poll suggested that the Crown is losing popularity among the younger generation in Britain. I'm a supporter of the constitutional settlement of 1689. But, I fear there is a serious disconnect with our history alongside a decline in social and political probities with a postmodernist decline in respect for institutions. So, I think my generation might be the last to have the Monarchy.

Our former Queen was the embodiment of what Walter Bagehot defined as the "dignified" part of the state (against the "efficient"). The Cabinet, Parliament and Prime Minister fall into the "efficient". To me, the Crown serve two important & subtle functions.

(1) Firstly, the Crown is the legitimation of power that is tied to the former Kings and Queens of England and, with it, our broader tradition and history. Constitutional monarchy gives stability. The continuous election of heads of state alters the focus of national identity. I think Presidential Republics, esp. like the United States, are the worse for it (though there are exceptions, perhaps Australia). America's political animosity and ill-will arises because it lacks an apolitical and neutral central figure of mutual respect that imbues the organs of state with a purpose and calling beyond the quotidian business of government. That is why the Crown is apolitical. Their purview extends beyond the contemporary and towards the distant future of our country. When a judge enters the court, all stand in a mark of respect. The Crown ties the whole state with the nation's dignity and history - via the sense of continuity. As Edmund Burke wrote:

People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors. Besides, the people of England well know that the idea of inheritance furnishes a sure principle of conservation and a sure principle of transmission, without at all excluding a principle of improvement.

We live in an age where there is such little respect for the offices of institutions, and a calling beyond ourselves. I was recently shocked to discover that George Catlett Marshall (who is regarded as the architect of the United States victory in WWII and served both Roosevelt and Truman administrations) completely refused to write a memoir of his time in office. The Crown stand for something quite different (exception = Harry & Markle). Today, MPs regularly appear on television shows and publish their memoirs. Despite being offered huge advances, Marshall felt publishing his autobiography would be an improper profiting from government service.

(2) Secondly, the Crown - as an institution - is the ultimate check-and-balance against dictatorships. The Crown brings that sense of respect, order and legitimacy that inherently opposes it. The Monarch lacks the power to rule, while the executive lacks the ceremonial standing and worth to command.

Well, those are my thoughts.

Have a lovely weekend.

'Paula Rego: Crivelli's Garden' at the London National Gallery

17 year old Paula Rego

Last week, I stumbled across the Paula Rego exhibition at the London National Gallery (Room 46). 

Not only had I never heard of this interesting lady; but I missed the 2021 Tate Britain exhibition. She passed away last year aged 87.

I read an interesting obituary about her in The Guardian. She fled Antonio Salazar's dictatorship - which ruled over Portugal for four decades in the last century - and settled in London during the 1950s. Her work is said to draws on Portuguese culture and her childhood memories around Cascais (which is a seaside town outside Lisbon).

This Portuguese-British artist created a 9-metre mural: 'Crivelli's Garden'. She took inspiration from Venetian painter Carlo Crivelli's 15th-century altarpiece.

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Crivelli's Garden

She reinterpreted the Christian narrative, and surrounded the painting with strong women from history and her own life.

What do I think?

Well, they are all women doing and saying things. It's interesting and full of story and depiction. Her obituary called her a 'story teller' which I can appreciate. I can certainly see the connection with Crivelli's predella panel (see below) - both in the use of perspective and the religious objects summoned by the artists. As a guy who has a few Portuguese friends and family, I can certainly vouch for the light-blue tile effect which serves as a background wall. I like the brown which has been sparingly used. There is an interesting play on perspective. Indeed, at one point, a whole person is smaller than a cat! There is also no ignoring the quality, talent and craftsmanship - and what looks like her signature painting style.

It's a bit surprising to find out this mural was in a restaurant (although not surprising when one thinks of Rothko).

It's a lovely and skilful mural.

A mother and her baby in her arms.

The Legend of St Margaret. The frog was a mystery
to me but then I remembered the 'frog test' ?

Clever play on perspective with key scenes of
the life of the Virgin Mary.

The virgin Mary converses with her cousin Elizabeth
(who is pregnant with John the Baptist)

A storyteller and an artist at her feet. 
Behind a girl reading a story to another.

Aesop's fables decorating the fountain.

Mary Magdalene in contemplation.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria with her sword
over the decapitated head of an Emperor.

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Madonna of the Swallow by Carlo Crivelli

Beautiful of course, but the focus should be on the predella panel. Crivelli depicted of Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint George at either end. In the middle, stories of Saint Jerome, the Nativity and Saint Sebastian in different forms of architecture. Rego was inspired to create her own version of the garden.

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Extra photos:

People in the gallery

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The National Gallery

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On the way home, spotted a bird on the statute of Sir Henry Havelock. More respectful than some other birds :) !