We took a trip on the Underground to Southwark, headed to Tate Modern, to fulfill Jules’ desire to see it again after being seriously impressed with it years before. The area was very industrial and unlike any of the areas of London that I’d seen thus far. The museum itself is a converted old factory, which fits in with the aesthetic quite well. Their construction signs, as shown above, are even stylish, as are their Pachinko-styled donation collectors. Jules and I dropped off all our small change to enjoy the experience.
I am the first to admit that I don’t really have an appreciation for Modern art, as it is technically defined. In general the attitude of the artists and the abstraction of the art itself don’t jive with what I consider beautiful. There are certainly exceptions, and many of them, but those tend to occur once I take the time to fully understand why the artists choose to make their art in that particular way or learn more about their lifestyles that influenced their choices. Intellectually and scientifically I get what Monet and his buddies were going for with Impressionism, and I can appreciate it on that level, but it just looks like something that belongs on a hotel room wall, not in a gallery. It’s more decoration to me than art. It evokes a specific feeling, yes, but there isn’t very much depth to it. On the other hand, someone like Mondrian, Duchamp, or Warhol had a very strong statement to make with each piece. Things were done deliberately in their works, very specific decisions had been made long beforehand. These artist lean way more towards design than traditional art, so I appreciate them on that level.
I give Tate Modern kudos for their wide array of modern styles on display. It is not just artwork defined by the movement of Modernism, but work from before that era and even as recent as last year. There are the expected holier-than-thou wankery pieces scattered throughout, but fortunately it is not focused on that! There is plenty there for everyone to appreciate. The most interesting place in the museum was right inside the entrance in the Turbine Hall, where there was a magnificent, expansive display called TH.2058. You could walk beneath the soaring sculptural pieces, amidst the Ikea-styled bunk beds, and view from above. A movie played in the background. It was really enveloping and it evoked feelings that the situation could be real. Loved it!
We took a little break and had lunch at a pub along the river (just down from the Millennium Bridge since the Tate Modern cafe was super crowded. From there we could see St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe), one of the coolest buildings I have ever seen!
The special Rothko exhibit was truly the gem of the museum. I most definitely would not have appreciated his work on the same level had I not seen Simon Schama’s Power of Art. The fact that he proved true to himself by not selling out to corporate America when he had ample opportunity to do so really impressed me. Being there in the presence of his Seagram paintings was a very moving experience. The paintings shimmer and glow and pulse gently with light. When viewed straight on the colors are completely different than when viewed from the sides, so they change dramatically depending on your position in the room. We spent a long time in the room just gazing at the paintings. Extraordinary.
After leaving the museum, we walked down the riverfront where the recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is located. Pretty cool, apparently quite accurate replica, which is used for performances today as well as sets for Doctor Who.
We attempted to get dinner at a downtown pub, but unfortunately it was bad news being that it was dinnertime on Friday night right after New Years. Jules and I both got grumpy and ended up eating at The Swan, which is a touristy pub near our hotel. We were still grumpy but I tried to lighten the mood some since we only had a day left in London. On the way back to the hotel I started to feel sick and by the time we got to our room I was in a bad state. I spent the rest of the night curled up in pain, feeling terrible about ruining our last evening together on our honeymoon. :(
