Rodin and Turner via the COVID memorial

I took a day off and went off to the Rodin and Turner exhibitions at the Tate Modern and Tate Britain, walking between them and visiting the national COVID memorial on the way.

The Making of Rodin

What makes my Thinker think is that he thinks not only with his brain, with his knitted brow, his distended nostrils and compressed lips, but with every muscle of his arms, back and legs, with his clenched fist and gripping toes.
Rodin

The Burghers of Calais

A depiction of 6 of Calais leaders volunteering to sacrifice themselves to save the city.

Sketches

Given my recent attempts at the Royal Academy online SketchClub, I loved these sketches. Done so quickly and simply. I wish I could be so free.

The scale of Rodin’s work is incredible. Like this head. And then the delicacy of the robe, like someone is still inside it!

Not somewhere I’d like to spend the night!

On my walk I went past one of the original bronze casts of the Burghers of Calais in Victoria Tower Gardens next to the Houses of Parliament. Under French law only 12 original casts of Rodin’s works can be made.

The national COVID memorial

Also on my way between the galleries, I went past the national COVID memorial wall. It’s around 500 metres long and it’s a sobering experience to walk it and to stop and read some of the dedications on it. So many people lost. It’s even more poignant that it’s on the south bank in full view of the Houses of Parliament and our corrupt, lying, uncaring government.

Turner’s modern world

The Fighting Temeraire

This was one of my dad’s favourite paintings. I have to admit…as a kid, I thought the tug was the Temeraire. We also had a jigsaw of the painting which was nigh on impossible to do.

Painted in 1838 it shows one of the last ships involved in the Battle of Trafalgar being towed up the Thames to be broken up.