Spring arrives in London

I take an 'intercity' train in the early afternoon.  I much prefer these to the smaller local trains, which are like sardine cans.  Then I walk across Hyde Park.  Always a pleasant experience.

New green leaves have appeared on the willow trees by the Serpentine. The surface of the lake sparkles when the sun comes from behind a cloud. 

For the first time this year people are taking tea outside the Serpentine Sackler Gallery. 

 

The exhibiton at the gallery presents the first major exhibition of work by Kerstin Brätsch and Adele Röder in a UK public institution. Brätsch and Röder are based in New York and London. While each has her own practice, the artists have worked collaboratively as DAS INSTITUT since 2007. The exhibition presents works resulting from their collaboration as well as pieces from their individual practice.  Brätsch uses painting to question the ways in which the body can be expressed psychologically, physically and socially, while Röder searches for basic symbolic forms to create a non verbal language utilising clothing, posture and light. As DAS INSTITUT the artists attempt to communicate the inexpressible, irrational element of human experience and relationships.

The Serpentine Gallery is presenting an exhibition of Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), who is now regarded as a pioneer of abstract art. While her paintings were not seen publicly until 1986, her work from the early 20th century pre dates the first purely abstract paintings by Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich. Hilma began training as an artist in Stockholm in the 1880s, studying at the Technical School before attending the Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1882–7. Upon her death in 1944, she left her estate, comprising of over 1,000 works and 125 notebooks to her nephew, Erik af Klint, stipulating that the works could not be seen for at least 20 years. The first public exhibition of af Klint’s abstract works was in 1986 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which not only placed her within a modernist tradition, but revealed her to be one of the first abstract painters. The artist has subsequently been exhibited widely.  Hilda belonged to a group called "The Five" (a circle of women who shared her belief in the importance of trying to make contact with the so-called 'high masters' often by way of séances) and her paintings, which sometimes resembled diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas. This is difficult for me to grasp but I am very taken by her work, and soothed by it too. 

Next I walk through Belgravia, experiencing the first warmth of the year and carrying my coat. I have tea in a nice cafe where we went after the Spanish B1 exam.  Then I attend the first in a series of seven talks introducing Buddhism.  These are more of a refresher for me and are held at The Buddhist Society, Eccleston Square. I think they will be excellent.  

 I even make the last through train home.