The Sargent Exhibition

  At Kenwood House was on the agenda yesterday. Cousin T….and his partner picked us up because they both wanted to go too.

I had not realised just how many portraits Sargent had done in charcoal. There were over 700 and this was a selection of the American heiresses he did.I think I prefer them to the paintings as they are less stiff and formal.

The real treat was revisiting the Rembrandt self portrait though. R… and I both feel the honesty in it is almost devastating. Rembrandt is verging on old age and he.has just lost his last child. His eyesight is failing and he is in dire financial straits but he is still painting and capable of revealing so much.

I also felt so relieved to be among the greens again after such a dry winter in Downunder. The variety here is so much easier to look at.

Today we are heading back to more “culture” or perhaps natural history.