London Monopoly (8): Pall Mall

This is the eighth in my  series featuring properties on the London Monopoly board. This is the second property in the pink set.

Engraving of Pall Mall showing St. James Palace by Thomas Bowles, 1763.
UK Government Art Collection

Pall Mall is named after a  game formerly played in the area. The name derives from the Italian pallamaglio,  which literally means 'ball-mallet'. It then became Paille-Maille before it's present form. Samuel Pepys records seeing the game played by the King in nearby St. James park in the seventeenth century. 

Most of the property there is now owned by the Crown and the area is famous for the location of many long-standing gentlemen's clubs such as The Oxford & Cambridge Club, the Athenaeum and the Royal Automobile Club.
Gentleman's clubs evolved from the 17th century coffee houses as meeting places where men could find refuge from their womenfolk. However, most of the exclusive gentlemens’ clubs there today date from the 19th century.

The Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall. (Picture: EPR Architects)

Spotlight on a Website (6): PostSecret

www.postsecret.com

PostSecret is the world's most visited blog that carries no advertising.  I have been visiting for it for years without realising how popular it was until I saw this TED Talk. (For an introduction to TED see Spotlight on a Website 3).
The simple idea is that people email or send a postcard to Frank Warren where they anonymously reveal a personal secret and he publishes it on his website. A simple idea but a brilliant one. The results are often humorous but can be shocking, elevating, desperately sad and sometimes therapeutic.
Here are a few recent ones: 

www.postsecret.com

www.postsecret.com

www.postsecret.com

www.postsecret.com

Sometimes people send in their secrets by email.....
"I created a false Facebook page for a girl I didn't like. I made her a lesbian"

British v. American English (3)

I have returned to what was one of the most popular subjects when I posted previously.

www,bbc.co.uk

Some more British words and their US counterparts:

BESPOKE = CUSTOM Although we do use customised (not customized).

ANTI-CLOCKWISE = COUNTER-CLOCKWISE We don't have anything against clocks.

FRINGE = BANG A British client at a US Hairdresser might be surprised to be asked about their bangs. A bang is slang for sexual union. Oops!

BLUNT (of a knife) = DULL In the UK dull is only used to describe a personality or situation.

CODSWALLOP = BALONEY As in talking nonsense.

DO = SELL A Brit might ask, when shopping, "Do you do spare parts?"

No.(abbreviation for 'number') = #. Also HASH doesn't mean £ (that's the sign for pounds Sterling) It means MESS or SCREWED-UP.Wow, this is getting complicated (complex).

PINCH = STEAL But less serious. You might pinch a friend's newspaper but a bank-robber definitely steals.

AUBERGINE = EGGPLANT It's worth saying at this point that most US forms would be recognised (not recognized!) in the UK.
A LA MODE means 'fashionable' in the UK but means 'with ice-cream' in the US!
BISCUIT = COOKIE
SCONE (if savoury) = BISCUIT
PAVEMENT = SIDEWALK
ROAD SURFACE = PAVEMENT
CHIPS = FRENCH FRIES
CRISPS = CHIPS
Actually the grammatical differences are quite deep between the uses of the English language in the US and the UK but it's the different words that are most interesting and more fun to discuss. Any examples you know would be welcome; there are thousands!

Painting of the Month (28) April 2012: Hieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. Painted about 1490 to 1510

The Garden of Earthly Delights is a Triptych which means a three-panelled work, usually made as an altarpiece but in this case the vivid sexual nature of the painting means it probably was made for a private patron. The two outside panels fold in so it can be closed and this one has a picture of the Earth being created by God only seen when it is closed.
Triptychs are generally 'read' from left to right. The left-hand panel depicts God introducing Adam to Eve. The square central panel shows the Earthly delights being enjoyed, frequently through the medium of alarming insertions! (see Detail 1, below.) The right-hand panel is clearly meant to represent Hell. It's easy to see the message as a warning against moral sin during one's lifetime and the punishment to come for misdeeds to be meted out in the afterlife. As the majority of the population could not read, graphic illustration was often the way of telling a story as with the telling of Bible stories via the stained-glass windows of a church.

Detail 1

Detail 2

The picture above, detail 2, is from the representation of Hell. You can see that the central character seems to have an arrow sticking out of his back-side. This forms a link with the other detail; I think Mr Bosch had some kind of obsession with....well, you know what I mean. 

The picture is too large to be seen properly here but there are plenty of larger-scale images on the Internet. It's an extremely interesting picture in many ways. The historical context, the imaginative detail and, not least, the moral message are very evident.

London Monopoly (7): Whitehall

In my travels around the London Monopoly board I have now turned the first corner on the board and arrived at the first property in the pink set - Whitehall. Now it begins to get really interesting.

The view from Trafalgar Square down Whitehall. In the distance is the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster where the Houses of Parliament are. It is popularly known as Big Ben but that is actually the name of the bell itself.

Whitehall is one of the most famous streets in the United Kingdom. Off to right at the far end is Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Also, at the end of Whitehall is The Cenotaph, where the National Day of Remembrance is held for the servicemen who died in two World Wars.
The area was previously occupied by the Palace of Whitehall, destroyed by fire in 1698.
Now the whole road is lined with government Ministry buildings and the term 'Whitehall' has become a euphemism or metonym for 'Government'.

The Cenotaph, Whitehall, during a ceremony of Remembrance.

Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stephenson's adventure, first published in 1886, is probably the finest children's book ever written. Although usually seen as 'a boy's book' it is so well written it is suitable for girls as well and adults too for that matter. The three-dimensional characters, suspenseful plot and beautifully written language which flows with rhythm and cadence make it a memorable work which, if read by a child of, say, twelve or older will stay with them for life.

Our modern-day concept of pirates is based on Long-John Silver, Blind Pew, Black Dog, Israel Hands and the other creations of Stephenson. Most pirate adventures on screen or on the page rely on the devices created by Stephenson. For example the idea of buried treasure and a secret map with 'X' marking the spot, the notion of betrayal, redemption and good versus evil are all strong elements in his writing.

Jim Hawkins, the cabin boy, who is at the heart of the story is someone that every young boy wants to emulate. The Hispaniola is possibly the most famous ship that never existed!

An interesting side-note is that Stephenson spent his honeymoon in the Napa Valley, California and used descriptions of the scenery which he wrote at the time  to describe Treasure Island. Also, after the book had been published he spent a month by the Manasquan River in Brielle, New Jersey and visited an island in the river then known as Osborn Island and now known as Nienstedt Island. He referred to it as Treasure Island and the name was popular for while.

I hope that, if you have never read this book, you are now tempted to read it. If so you are in for a treat. When I told the story to seven-year-old Sonny he wouldn't let me stop so don't deprive yourself or any children in your care! 

I won't give any more details of the plot except to say that the story opens when mysterious men come looking for a retired 'sea dog' who is living in the inn run by Jim Hawkins' parents on the south coast of England. They ransack his room looking for something but they can't find it. They leave angrily threatening to return.........

Thomas Kincade

Dear reader: You may wonder why this post is not in my Painting of the Month or My Heroes series. This article is merely my personal opinion (so he can't sue me. Anyway he should worry!). Intrigued? Read on.....

Candlelight Cottage, Thomas Kinkade

Firstly here are some definitions, from around the internet, of the word 'Kitsch', just to give you a flavour of where I am going with this:

• Art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but appreciated in an ironic way.
• Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value.
• Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts.
• Tawdry, vulgarized, or pretentious art, literature, etc., usually with popular or sentimental appeal

And my favourite:

• Low art posing as high art.

If you are a collector or admirer of Thomas Kinkade you may have stopped reading by now, (about 1,000 people visit this blog every week). If you are still here, please read on.
It is not my intention to offend anyone!
I am not saying Kinkade lacks technical ability but that alone would make him suitable to be an illustrator - not an artist. Common elements of his pictures include:

• Garish loud colours.
• Buildings intensely lit from inside.
• Sentimentality.
• And never, ever, any people in his landscapes. 

His output is industrial, like that of Jeff Koons and, obviously very many people collect and admire his works.
Not me, I'm afraid.

Quiz Questions (20): Self-Portraits

At last the long-promised very difficult quiz. You've been getting away with easy stuff up until now. No more Mr Nice Guy!

This tricky quiz is devious, difficult and daunting. But please have a guess at the answers; I promise not to laugh. Much.

So. Whose self-portraits are these?

(1) Whose self-portrait is this?

(2) Whose self-portrait is this?

(3) Whose self-portrait is this?

(4) Whose self-portrait is this?

(5) Whose self-portrait is this?

(6) Whose self-portrait is this?

The answers are now posted in the comments.

Painting of the Month (27): David Hockney

The Road Across the Wolds by David Hockney, 1997

David Hockney was born in Yorkshire, England in 1937. He lived for many years in Los Angeles but now has returned to his native country and county.
There is a major Hockney retrospective in London at the moment and now is a good time to re-evaluate his work.
Finding fame in the 1960's he did not follow the path of the then avant-garde artists such as Mark Rothko (colour-field painting) or any kind of abstract art. He has always painted what is described as 'representative' art. That means he paints a picture of something and one can tell what it is meant to be!
His most famous picture is probably 'A Bigger Splash', 1966.
His style is still recognisable today but the subject matter has changed; now he concentrates on landscapes. I like this picture because of the intensity of colour. This means it is not realistic because the light in Yorkshire is not generally like that of the south of France and lacks the intensity implied in this picture. If you find this painting a little simplistic, or even childlike, remember that Pablo Picasso once said that it took him a lifetime to learn to paint like a child!
What gives away the sophistication on show here is the clever way that the design of the picture leads the viewer's eye from the foreground though various zig-zags deep into the far distance.
I really enjoy the variety of greens on show and the way he has used green's 'complementaries' of red and orange. This has the effect of rendering the colours utilised seem even more intense.
If you like this painting you can see more of his work here.
PS: At first you only notice the large house in the foreground, but if you linger longer you will see about eight different groups of buildings!

Coming soon: a tirade against Thomas Kinkade. 

Check him out and be warned!

Doors & Windows (2): Kilkenny, Ireland

Photo: Patrick Comerford

This pair of beautiful Georgian doors is at 42 and 43 Parliament Street in Kilkenny, Ireland. They have individual rather than shared door casements but they do share three steps leading up to them. The Gibbsian (after James Gibbs, a Scottish architect largely responsible for the 'look' of Georgian architecture) surrounds are characteristic and the fanlights above the doors are original. However, the brightly painted doors are typical in Ireland but would be unusual in England where they are more likely to be the original black or white.
I have featured them purely for their classic splendour and I love their looks!

London Monopoly (6): Pentonville Road

Pentonville Road is number six in my series working around the 'London' version of the monopoly board.

Top of 210 Pentonville Road

Pentonville is a small local area of north London. The name is most famous for it's prison which is actually in Caledonian Road, a little to the north in Barnsbury. Pentonville Road links Euston to The Angel at Upper Street.

It is named after Henry Penton who developed many local streets in the eighteenth century when it was largely open countryside. Since 1965 it has been part of the London Borough of Islington. 

The philosopher, John Stuart Mill was born there in 1806 and in Dickens's Oliver Twist the kindly old book-seller lived there. (But in the film Oliver they moved him to the more fashionable Bloomsbury. Pentonville Road is only in the 'Blue' set in Monopoly.) 

Apparently Lenin lived there in 1902 and that's where he first met Trotsky.

The photograph above shows 210 Pentonville Road, a new building that recycled much of the material from the former property, known as Webb House, on the site and is entirely lit by roof-mounted solar panels.

In the distance, looking towards Euston Road, you can see King's Cross Railway Station.

Quiz Questions (19): Numbers in Titles

Oskar Werner and Julie Christie in François Truffaut 's film, Fahrenheit 451

(1) In Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451, what is the significance of the number '451'?

(2) In the Elizabeth Taylor film Butterfield Eight, to what does the title refer?

(3) Of which great novel is this a brief summary of the plot?:

A poorly-trained American soldier is captured and held prisoner, after the Battle of the Bulge, in an underground location in Dresden Germany. He and his guards thus survive the British fire-bombing and destruction of Dresden.

As a consequence  our hero becomes "unstuck in time" and begins to experience events out of their time-sequence.

The title of the book is derived from the place he is held prisoner in Dresden.


(4) Of which excellent film is this a brief summary of the plot:
A former child-prodigy classical pianist works on an oil-field and spends most of his time in bowling-alleys and drinking beer. When he goes to see his dying father he reluctantly takes his dim-witted waitress girlfriend (played by the excellent Karen Black) along and they get into a row when a waitress refuses to take his special order and they get thrown out.
Eventually, when his girl-friend goes in somewhere to get coffee, he abandons her and hitches a ride off into the distance.

Answers are now in the comments section!! 

Painting of the Month (26) Feb 2012: van Eyck

The Arnolfini Wedding, Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck painting this fascinating picture in 1434. It hangs in the National Gallery in London. 
It has been the subject of much speculation and scholarly debate. The bride, you may notice, appears to be 'with child'. This has led to conjecture that it is not a wedding portrait. The couple are wearing expensive furs; sable for him and ermine for her. His hand is raised as if taking an oath. The small dog is a symbol of fidelity in art.
The painting is very unusual for it's time for various reasons. The image of daylight on the subjects is very 'modern' and very unusually the artist has shown a clever reflection in the convex mirror on the back wall (detail below). In this reflection one can observe the backs of the subjects and the artist at work!

Finally, here is another more modern version of the picture which demonstrates it's place as an icon in the modern world:

Second selection of music I like.

For no special reason (other than 'It's Good To Share') here is a further selection of some of my favourite music. All of the links take you to You Tube:
(1)Joanne. Michael Nesmith & The First National Band (1970). After The Monkees, Nesmith returned to his original folk-rock style and this was a minor hit although he continued to make much more good music, including 'Different Drum'.
(2)Come a Long Way. Michelle Shocked (1992). A much under-rated artist in my opinion. This is from her critically-lauded album 'Arkansas Traveller'.

(3)Blame It On the Night. Kevin Coyne (1974). A virtually unknown (and unstable) British genius who sadly died in 2004.

(4)Valse Creolo. John Williams. Also known as 'Natalia' this is one the most enduring compositions of the late Venezualan composer-guitarist, Antonio Lauro. I am very familiar with the classical guitar repertory and this much-recorded work is one of my very favourite pieces of music. It matches any mood; romantic, heart-breakingly sad, wistful and more.

(5)English Rose. Paul Weller with The Jam (1978). A little-known mini gem!
(6)At Last. Etta James (1961). As a tribute to the great soul singer who died last month

London Monopoly (5): Euston Road

Euston Road runs north of central London, south of Regent's Park and is part of the A501, a route that leads west and out of the metropolis. It connects Kings Cross and Euston Square underground stations. The best thing on Euston Road is at number 96; the British Library.

The British Library

It is the world's largest library and often holds wonderful exhibitions and lectures. Anyone can get a readers membership card and most of what they offer is free. There is a huge on-line presence too. I used to use the Business Section a lot; they have Mintel Reports and other documents that you don't find anywhere else (unless you want to pay!). The current exhibition is Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination. You can check it out here.

Painting of the Month (25) Jan 2012: Henry Raeburn

The Skating Minister

The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch  better known as The Skating Minister was painted by Henry Raeburn in the 1790s and is considered as an icon of Scottish culture. It one of the most frequently reproduced works of art, particularly in the UK.

I don't know why, but it always make me smile when I see it. Perhaps it is the serene expression on the minister's face juxtaposed with the faintly comic pose.
The background of the picture is bleak and uninviting but the minister is gracefully making it look very easy to glide across the slippery surface. The theme of this picture might be said to be emblematic of the Scottish Enlightenment in Edinburgh at the time: the triumph of reason.

The Song of Solomon

Sir William Russell-Flint's 'Song of Solomon' 1909

It is not generally realised how much the Old Testament's Song of Solomon pervades modern culture. It contains some of the most beautiful love poetry ever written:

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard(1) sendeth forth the smell thereof.

A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire(2) in the vineyards of Engedi.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

(1) Spikenard is an aromatic plant and a member of the ginseng family.

(2) Camphire is an archaic name for henna

It is important to know that this is just the first chapter and that the 'voice' of the poem switches from person to person. Biblical scholars argue whether or not this was written by Solomon or for him. Here are just a few of the references that have been made:

• Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy's 1985 song  Kiss Me quotes directly from the Song of Solomon.
• Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon was instrumental in her winning a Nobel Prize.
• Chapter 2, verse 15 (not reproduced here) provided the title for Lillian Hellman’s 1939 play Little Foxes.
• Also the opening line of Chapter 2 provides the name 'Rose of Sharon' used by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath.
• Countless number of (mostly obscure) rock groups have taken their names and song titles from Song of Solomon.
• One of Kate Bush's song from The Red Shoes  is Song of Solomon
• In his poem When I Hear You Sing, Leonard Cohen refers to the Song of Solomon.
• Many writers and composers through history have taken inspiration from this work. They include Geoffrey Chaucer, JS Bach and up to Steeleye Span and Neil Diamond (in Holly Holy).

Finally I wish all visitors to the blog a peaceful and healthy New Year. Be inspired by this poetry and remember that love is better than hate!

Quiz Questions (18): Harder Christmas Quiz!

Christmas Cactus, Schlumbergera

(1) What story is set in Bedford Falls?


(2) Which is the only one of Santa's reindeer who is female?


(3) Which is the odd-one-out of these Christmas plants and why? I know there are often various possible answers to odd-one-out questions but in this one you need to be psychic and know which answer I have chosen! Hopefully it's the only possible answer.

• (a) Poinsettia
• (b) Christmas Cactus
• (c) Mistletoe
• (d) Holly

(4) What Christmas food is made from marsh-whorts?

Answers to be posted over the Christmas Holiday.

Meanwhile.........

Q What did the English teacher call Santa's helpers?
A Subordinate clauses

(Found in very expensive Christmas crackers from Fortnum & Masons, a posh London store. Allegedly.)

Answers now in the comments

Quiz Questions (17): Bazza's Christmas Quiz

instant-quizzes.co.uk

1. In Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol, who was Scrooge's dead business partner? 
2. The song White Christmas was first performed in which 1942 film? 
3. Who were Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar (or Gaspar)? 
4. Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is a territory of which country? 

Answers published here in a few days. 

And finally...
Good King Wenceslas phoned for a pizza. The salesgirl asked him, 'Do you want your usual? Deep pan, crisp and even?'!
Answers now given in the comments.

London Monopoly (4): The Angel, Islington

angelislington.net

My journey around the London Monopoly board has now arrived at The Angel, Islington. The Angel is a public house (pub) in the London Borough of Islington. It was founded as an inn in 1665 - the year of the great plague of London. Having been rebuilt several times it is a famous London landmark and the current building , which dates from 1889 has a domed tower on the roof.
The inn was mentioned in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist and one of William Hogarth's famous London drawings was set in the courtyard.
It was originally built by a toll-gate on the Great North Road - the first one outside the City of London.

The Angel n the nineteenth century

Painting of the Month (24) December 2011: John Yardley

Savannah by John Yardley. Watercolour 20" by 14"

I don't know any other USA locations painted by John Yardley although there must be some. I don't think he would have travelled all the way from his home in Surrey, England just to paint this one but I chose it because it is typical of his work and makes an effective base for discussion.

John Yardley was born in Yorkshire, England in 1933 and happily is still painting. He retired from his job as a banker in 1961 to become a full-time painter. How wonderful is that?

Although primarily a watercolourist he does also paint in oils but I much prefer the former. The typical characteristics of his style shown in this painting are:

• The clever way he illustrates sunlight. What does he do to achieve this? Nothing. He lets the white of the paper do the work for him!
• The limited and subdued palette (that means the range of colour that he employs.)
• There is usually, among the restrained colour, one or two splashes of brightness to draw the eye inward. In this picture the back of the red car on the right does this although there are better examples elsewhere.
• He often manages to convey movement of people with a few deft brush strokes and obviously believes that 'less is more'. Look at the way he has conveyed the tree, centre-top of this painting, with a few strokes of paint.

If you would like to see more follow this link: John Yardley paintings Of course, double-clicking the above image will show a much better enlarged view.

London Monopoly (3): King's Cross Station

King's Cross Station 1893 by George Earl
Copyright: National Railway Museum

King's Cross Station is the London terminus of the East Coast Main Line, a major link between Southern England and the North and Scotland. When this picture was painted in 1893 it took seven-and-a-half hours to get to Edinburgh. Now the station is ultra-modern and super-efficient. However the age of steam was very romantic and many people are nostalgic for those times.

Where new meets old. The new concourse.
PaulColemansLondon.Blogspot

Inverness in Scotland is where the East Coast line terminates, over 500 miles from London by rail.

The area around King's Cross had a sleazy reputation for prostitution and drugs and the crime associated with those things. Thankfully that image has been eradicated and things have changed for the better but it's still at the poorer end of the Monopoly board!

Doors & Windows (1)

Original 1930's front door and windows. Redbridge, London.

This is the first in a new series featuring architecturally interesting doors and windows - something I have been intending to start for some time. This fascinating original stained glass porch is two minutes walk from where I live in the London Borough of Redbridge.

Detail of above

The house was built around 1935 and most of the other houses in the area were completed with matching but much less complex designs. Most of them have now converted to functional double-glazed units which are clean but sterile and dull by comparison. I hope there is a conservation order on this house because it is next to the entrance to a park and it's always satisfying to look at whenever I pass by. It is rumoured that this was the builder's own house, so he naturally wanted to own the most outstanding house in the road. I think he achieved that!

Painting of the Month (23) November 2011: Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud, Self Portrait 1985

The British artist Lucian Freud, who died in July this year at the age of 88, was a grandson of Sigmund Freud. He came to London in 1933 to escape from Nazi Germany. One of his portraits achieved the record price for a living artist in New York in 2008 of over $33 million.
He was renowned for his portrait painting and known for his impasto style. Impasto is the technique of applying paint to a surface in thick layers with a brush or palette knife so that the paint stands out from the surface.

Self Portrait 2002

He took many hours to complete a picture and usually required the model to be present in the studio all of the time - even if he was not actually working directly on their appearance. One of the reasons he took so long was that for each individual patch of colour he mixed the paint from scratch until he was satisfied.
The results were, I think, sensational. If you double-click on the picture you will get a better idea of how striking this portrait is and how honest his portrayal of himself is. He had a way of revealing some deeper psychological aspect of his subjects including himself.