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Published: January 24th 2020
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I’m sitting in
Russell Square writing these notes by hand in the pleasant coolness of the evening. Young families and tired individuals relax in front of the plash of the simple fountain.
The
British Museum has just closed. In the hour and a half I had, I revisited the African Gallery and the Asian Gallery – except for a few exhibits, the displays were new or had gone from my memory. The African Gallery showed beautiful clay pots, and the commentary said that African artworks had a high degree of sophistication without using a potter’s wheel, a technique known only in North Africa.
“The Tree of Life” sculpture was different than I had remembered. A Mozambique organization traded farm implements for guns after the civil war and turned them into art objects. The dismantled parts formed a tall, leaved tree, surrounded by animals such as a peacock and a monkey. My favourite display – the
Benin Bronzes - was still justifiably prominent. And reminiscent of other trips, a “cloth” panel called
Kente Rhapsody made from drinks cans by
El Anatsui recalled a similar piece in the Met in New York, and a
Shona sculpture from Zimbabwe brought back the sweetness of expression these artists find in stone, last seen
by me in South Africa. With twenty-five minutes remaining before the closing, I chose the Asian gallery, concentrating on the major pieces. Some reminded me of my trips to China, Vietnam and Cambodia.
This morning was my nostalgic return to researching literary topics at the
British Library. Only one book addressed my recent thoughts about the establishment of individual identity in Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and Marcel Proust – all contemporaries. I ordered it from the “Boston Spa” branch, and it may come by Wednesday. Meanwhile, I searched for my very recent question about geography in Jane Austen, sparked by my brief visit to Hastings and Rye. One book was available within 70 minutes and the other was an e-book available only in the Reading Room. That one was useful and revealed details I had never considered. A future
JASNA presentation was born! I luxuriated in the quiet study environment of the Reading Room until brain fatigue and hunger drove me outside, where I had a sandwich in the busy yet peaceful library courtyard.
Brain fatigue plopped me on my bed for a nap. Sheer mental effort made me get up and walk to the British Museum, in order
not to waste the afternoon.
The walk back to my hotel from Russell Square near the Museum was gentle, along the faded Bloomsbury streets. After a brief pause in my hotel room, I walked over to an Indian restaurant I had noticed when I got a little mixed-up this morning. (I seem to have lost my sense of direction, once so reliable.) Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations, and looked like it had been closed for quite a while. Judd Street is a fairly major thoroughfare, so I walked along, hoping the high tourist and student population would afford something interesting for supper. Anything with chips has really turned off my appetite, after a month of too many potatoes. Turning back towards Cartwright Gardens, locale of the Euro Hotel, I noticed a Szechuan restaurant and thought that would be a good change. The server was very nice, although the restaurant’s policies were a bit sharp. They add an optional 10 percent service to every bill, as it says in very tiny type. The man at the next table vociferously refused to pay and was strongly argued with. They wanted to be paid in cash, but I didn’t have enough
currency, so they did allow credit card. When I went to pay, the ten percent charge was on the whole bill, including the service charge, and the bills were slips of paper which could easily go missing. Not my issue - I was feeling mellow and happy with my spicy chicken and peanuts with white wine.
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Isabel Gibson
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An eclectic day
Jane Austen and geography. Individual identity in Woolf, Joyce and Proust. Artistic expressions from Africa and Asia. What a busy, eclectic day. And what an interesting life that has left you able to pursue so many themes and appreciate such human diversity. For much of the art, I have no frame of reference. I googled the Benin bronzes and am glad I did. Amazing stuff.