The Thames below Westminster~Claude Monet

Monet was captivated by London’s fog during his first stay in the capital from 1870 to 1871. Later in life he told the art dealer Rene Gimpel: ‘Without the fog, London would not be a beautiful city. It’s the fog that gives it its magnificent breadth.’ This misty composition is anchored by carefully positioned horizontal and vertical structures – the jetty in the foreground, Westminster Bridge marking the horizon, and the Houses of Parliament.

Every architectural element in the picture was new at the time. The Houses of Parliament had only just been finished, as had the Victoria Embankment on the right. St Thomas’ Hospital, the low rectangular shape on the far left, was also nearing completion before opening in the summer of 1871, and Westminster Bridge had been reconstructed in 1862. However, Monet is more interested here in broad effects than architectural detail; indeed he has exaggerated the height of the towers of the Houses of Parliament, making the building seem like a fairy tale palace.

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MOVIE STATUES UNVEILED IN LEICESTER SQUARE~London (England)

Iconic Film Character Statues Unveiled In Leicester Square

BY ALEX COREY

Visitors take photos of Paddington Bear positioned on bench in Leicester Square.

Leicester Square is usually full of excitement, but now visitors can now watch their favourite film characters come to life.

Yesterday, thanks to the Heart of London Business Alliance and Westminster City Council, bronze statues of nine legendary film characters were unveiled in Leicester Square.

When you first enter the Square, there’s a map guiding you to where beloved characters are, although you won’t need any help spotting the first few.

Map of Scenes in the Square

Sitting on a bench facing the front of the Shakespeare statue is the eccentric Mr. Bean dressed in his signature smirk and suit. He was by far the most popular attraction, as onlookers waited in line just to have their picture taken next to the incompetent goof.

Mr. Bean sitting on bench in Leicester Square

Just around the corner is Bugs Bunny, surrounded by his favourite snack — carrots — as well as his trusty mailbox.

Bugs Bunny popping out of flower bed in Leicester Square

To the right of everyone’s favourite rabbit is Gene Kelly from Singing in the Rain, re-enacting his famous lamppost swing.

There also lies airy Mary Poppins. A group of school girls stood staring up in awe of the fictional nanny, waiting to take a photo under her magical umbrella, possibly hoping to fly away with her.

Mary Poppins floating on air in Leicester Square

Speaking of powerful women, in honour of the upcoming film Wonder Woman 1984, you can find the titular superhero as she dramatically busts through one of the walls in the square.

Thinking about eating your lunch in the square? Enjoy a meal with Paddington Bear, who is depicted eating his trademark marmalade sandwich (how many statues can one bear possibly need?).

Paddington Bear eating a marmalade sandwich in Leicester Square

The remaining statues do not lie on ground-level, but up above. Catch Batman keeping a watchful eye over those below, as the caped crusader stands mighty atop the Odeon Luxe Theatre.

Last but certainly not least, the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy teeter hand in hand of the edge of the TKTS booth roof. They’re only a few metres high, but the classic scene referenced takes place on a skyscraper from the 1929 film Liberty.

Comedy duo Laurel and Hardy leaning off the edge of TKTS booth in Leicester Square

These statues are here to stay long-term and free of charge, so check them out when you get the chance.

For more infomation visit Heart of London Business Aliance.

 

[Photo Credit: Nils Jorgensen/Instarimages.com]

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ENDGAME: A stark vision of a post-apocalyptic world.

I absolutely loved Endgame and Rough for Theater II. Brilliant performances.
Alan Cumming and Daniel Radcliffe have incredible chemistry among them. Surprised Alan Cumming’s representation and his ability to transform. Representing a Beckett character must be quite difficult and restrictive, but both actors do it perfectly, channeling the words in a glorious and grotesque way.
Creepy …. very creepy and definitely brilliant. 

This new production of Samuel Beckett’s play Endgame will be performed at the Old Vic Theatre in early 2020. The play stars Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Cumming, and will be directed by Richard Jones.

Beckett’s macabre comedy was first performed in 1957 at London’s Royal Court Theatre, and the play has since been performed numerous times, often wit high-profile actors taking one of the four roles. Mark Rylance, Miriam Margolyes, and Elaine Strich have all been part of productions. Endgame is considered Beckett’s greatest play, alongside Waiting for Godot.

Endgame stars Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Cumming as Clov and Hamm. They are joined by Jane Horrocks and Karl Johnson as Nell and Nagg, Hamm’s parents.

Daniel Radcliffe returns to the Old Vic after his turn in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in 2017. Radcliffe’s other stage work includes The Cripple of Inishman and Equus. His well-known film work includes the title role of the Harry Potter franchise, The Woman in Black, and Kill Your Darlings.

Alan Cumming has had a long career of acclaimed stage work, including his Olivier Award-winning performance in Accidental Death of an Anarchist in 1990 and as Mac the Knife in the Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera. Cumming has also starred in Cabaret as the Emcee multiple times, earning a Tony Award for his performance in 1998.

Jane Horrocks is perhaps best known for her time as Bubble and Katy Grin in beloved BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. She is also known for originating in the title role in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, for which she was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress, and for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for the same role in the 1998 film adaptation.

The Old Vic

Karl Johnson has had a prolific career on both stage and screen, with recognisable roles including the title role in Derek Jarman’s 1993 film Wittgenstein and Twister Turrill in BBC costume drama Lark Rise to Candleford.

Director Richard Jones has had a long career in both opera and theatre. His recent credits include The Hairy Ape, Into the Woods, and The Twilight Zone.

This production of Endgame will be performed in a double bill with Beckett’s lesser-performed work Rough for Theatre II.

A play in which hope and cruelty are the last things to die, Endgame at the Old Vic began performances on January 27^th.

 

Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman in London Bridge City

London Bridge City 2019

This year, London’s most picturesque Christmas market, Christmas by the River is delighted to welcome a festive sculpture trail celebrating Raymond Briggs’ quintessential Christmas character, The Snowman™.

The ‘Walking with The Snowman’ trail will feature twelve giant Snowman sculptures, each reimagined with stunning designs and decoration relating to the song, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. Created by one of twelve talented artists, each unique statue will be placed at a different location throughout London Bridge City’s, Christmas by the River market.

Displayed amongst the 70+ stalls, each figure will be perfectly suited to its festive surroundings and provide an enchanting highlight for visitors of all ages. Christmas by the River will also be hosting a special series of family workshops to celebrate The Snowman’s arrival, from story tellings to arts ‘n craft sessions.

Website:

London Bridge City 2019

 

Uncle Vanya comes to the Harold Pinter Theatre from 14 January.

Toby Jones and Richard Armitage star in Conor McPherson’s new take on the Chekhov classic

Hot on the heels of the return of his Bob Dyan musical ‘Girl from the North Country’, the great Irish playwright Conor McPherson returns with a new stage adaptation of Chekhov’s classic. Whether McPherson applies his full magical realist personality to ‘Uncle Vanya’ or maintains a light touch, this production is a fairly mouthwatering prospect, with Ian Rickson directing Toby Jones as the eponymous loveable sadsack and Richard Armitage as his friend, local doctor Astrov. The tone of the play tends to vary immensely from production to production – but we’re guessing from the blub here that this is going to be a pretty dark take. Rae Smith designs.

«..when one has no real life, one lives by mirages. It’s still better than nothing.»

Anton Chekhov, Uncle Vanya

Website:

https://unclevanyaplay.com/

 

A bear called Paddington

The author Michael Bond pass away at aged 91 last 28 June. He was the creator of the beloved children’s character Paddington Bear.

Michael Bond published his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, about the marmalade-loving bear from deepest, darkest Peru, in 1958.

The author, born in Newbury, Berkshire, in 1926, kept writing until his death. His most recent Paddington story, Paddington’s Finest Hour, was published in April.

His daughter, Karen Jankel said: “For him, writing was his life. It was wonderful he could continue writing until the end,” she said. “Because … Paddington and his other characters were so real to him, he became alive to everybody else.»

“You can tell just by reading his books what a lovely person he was. I never came across anybody who disliked my father. He was one of those people that people instinctively warmed to and he was as funny as a person and delightful as he was in his writing and as a father.”

Michael Bond created an endering and memorable character full of enthusiasm and optimism. His an icon of children’s fiction. Paddington is the Peruvian immigrant bear quirkiest but emotionally real children’s characters.

As well as Paddington, Bond created characters including Olga da Polga and A Mouse Called Thursday along with a series of novels for adults, featuring the detective Monsieur Pamplemousse.

More than 35m Paddington books have been sold worldwide, spawning toys, TV programmes and most recently the films.

Good memories with Paddington in London. Copyright: Pilar Gallardo

Ann-Janine Murtagh, HarperCollins’s executive publisher of children’s books, said: “I feel privileged to have been Michael Bond’s publisher – he was a true gentleman, a bon viveur, the most entertaining company and the most enchanting of writers.

“He will be for ever remembered for his creation of the iconic Paddington, with his duffel coat and wellington boots, which touched my own heart as a child and will live on in the hearts of future generations. My thoughts and love are with his wife, Sue, and his children, Karen and Anthony.”

A huge thank you to Michael Bond for this sweet and wonderful legacy.

 

Hugo Bruce: Life and Death

Hugo Bruce is a British contemporary sculptor based between London and Barcelona. Born in 1969 in Berkshire, England. A sculptor since 2005 and painter since 1993. His sculptures represent the natural cycles of life and death, and the capacity of nature to metamorphosize and evolve in distinct and unexpected ways. The works are allegories in which life seems to miraculously follow death, in the form of fragile branches and flowers sprouting out from skulls. The plants and flowers growing from the spines of the figures prompt the idea that we are witnessing a strange rebirth of both life and love. Creation and death go hand in hand, each vital for the existence of the other. The work attempts to capture the transience of nature, while also suggesting the cyclic and infinite nature of life. Hugo Bruce utilizes extensive experience of foundry techniques and welding. Recent work attempts to distill essential themes of human experience and it´s bittersweet essence. As degeneration is vital for regeneration, life may be seen as a celebration of death.

Bosque 2013-15

Dark and Light I

Into the light

Dark and Light II

‘The Rites Of Spring’ 2012

 

More information about this artist: www.hugobruce.com

Text form Saatchi Gallery web.

 

The Print Room presents: ‘British’ by Zadoc Nava

 

If you’re in London these days and have a chance, culturar space and theater, «The Print Room» offers an interesting photographic exhibition titled ‘BRITISH’ by Zadoc Nava. ‘BRITISH’ is a photography exhibition that explores the multi-cultural nature of British identity. Zadok used streets as his studio, producing a series of portraits that reflect the  diverse nature of contemporary British society.

«Nava’s photography work «negotiates ‘the foreign’ within everyday life…. An air of curiosity saturates these images, showing their real intimacy and the utter distance of them from each other. Present and past, invention and community, failure and tradition, melancholy and distance, anger and intimacy all find a place in the pictures without closure… It is the ‘something’ that aches to speak within these images.»

Dr. David Bate, photographer & critic (on Shadowlands, life on streets of Iran)

 

More information in The Print Room website:

http://www.the-print-room.org/page73.htm

 

                                         Exibition from 12 to 28 June. 2014

 

«The Two Loves» by W.H.Davies

William Henry Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940) was a Welsh poet and writer, known as the “tramp poet”.

This poem I’ve chosen, clearly expresses the contrast of England offers beauty, the colors and light of its lands and the majesty and grandeur of its buildings and cities. Although the poet says «Old London Town», let me that illustrate this post with one of the most popular views of London right now. The London Eye and Thames river. Simply spectacular.

 

THE TWO LOVES

I have two loves, and one is dark,

       The other fair as may be seen;

My dark love is Old London Town,

       My fair love is the Country green.

My fair love has a sweeter breath,

       A clearer face by day; and nights

So wild with stars that dazzled I

       See multitudes of other lights.

My dark love has her domes, as round

       As mushrooms in my fair love’s meadows;

While both my loves have houses old,

       Where windows look cross-eyed at shadows.

 

Photo by Pilar Gallardo

 

La belleza de los castillos más fascinantes del Reino Unido (35 FOTOS)