Oscar Wilde sculpture update, together with other Paolizzi artistic interpretations …

In December I posted about three sculptures, in particular the Wilde one by Eduardo Paolozzi … but didn't mention the reason why it looked like it does …

Paolozzi's sculpture

Paolozzi creatively designed the sculpture as three segments referring to dominant times in Wilde's life …

… the distress of his life as he suffered …

… the loss of respect, symbolised by his fallen head being sculpted as such …

… the segmentation representing his troubled life and his ultimate death …

The art work has been condemned by many … as it would be near impossible for a non-specialised viewer to understand it.

However it remains ... for our interpretation – such as it is … but many would prefer a statue that welcomes us to come and have a talk with the great conversationalist and playwright …

Here we have his triptych
tapestry - in the ICA

Paolozzi was a Scottish artist, known for his sculptures and graphic works … while being widely considered to be one of the pioneers of pop art.

Next I came across Paolozzi's triptych tapestry 'A perspective on innovation' (1981) commissioned by the Institute of Chartered Accountants to hang in their Great Hall – it has now been moved to another part of the building.

One of the mosaic panels that was
moved during the construction of the 
Elizabeth line 

The triptych is easier to understand … and I find it really interesting … we can see his interest in post-war developments in science and technology ... also applied here in the mosaics ...

… then there are the mosaics at Tottenham Court Road tube station … again reflecting his interpretation of the local area and his wider interest in mechanisation, urbanisation, popular culture and everyday life.

Skilled workmen carefully removing
part of a panel before restoration

Due to the huge expansion of the new Elizabeth (tube) line in recent years … the art works were carefully relocated to their new place … the link with its documentary tells this story …

Paolozzi's Pop art collage

Pop! goes the end of this two-part series – brief … but Pop is to the point – Paolozzi was the first to display the word “pop” on his collage in 1952.

December's blog post ... 

Institute of Chartered Accountants - Paolozzi's tapestry ...  

Restoration works at Tottenham Road Underground station ... 

First post on Wilde's sculpture ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

The Edge of the World … a bookshop …

 

At the moment … I'd like to disappear off to this Penzance shop to quietly keep my head down away from the news … to be able to read lots of books – but life is here in sunny old Eastbourne – when the sun decides to show its face again …

I'm forever blowing bubbles appeared in my little grey cells – the lyrics don't really fit the time … but I could happily sit on the sands dreaming as the days pass … til the need to blow bubbles has passed.

The lighter days cometh … it is now warmer and of course damper – British weather.

I have numerous tomes, some shorter!, I hope to talk to you about some of them – all in due time of course … for now the winter darkness is still around … but these crocuses are reaching above ground to cheerfully greet us … and remind us time doth pass …

I'm off to an exhibition on Sunday using the Sussex Art Shuttle … a little bus that takes us from the Towner Gallery out to Charleston (Bloomsbury Group Sussex home) … meandering through the swathes of snowdrops, early daffodils and those crocuses …

Not to the bookshop (or the edge of the world) … but a bright informative exhibition in the Sussex landscape will satisfy … enjoy your times …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Halfway past it …

 

Tis life … time goes on … remembering those days … my house in Johannesburg had a pomegranate tree … under which friends and I'd sit ...

Clambering red rose ... 

...at that stage life was fun, as it is now – just different – the pomegranate symbolising romantic longings … heart tingling times … still does … but more comfortably …

In my semi-hibernating mode I remembered the poem by AA Milne …

By E H Shepard

Halfway down the stairs

Is a stair

Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.

I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in the town.

1924 - first edition

And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head:
"It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!"

Tis where I am … thinking I'm in the sun with a pomegranate in my hand … living life, but slowly remembering those days … hankering after them perhaps … but no – life is still being enjoyed …

Pomegranate tree

Just peacefully living positively ... now the sun has started to appear again - that grey was getting to me ... 

I just hope you're all well, able to cope with life … take care …

The lusciousness of the love apple

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Light relief against the world at large ...

I won a tin of Le Gratin Dauphinois at one of our European Movement meetings … provided by another committee member, who (with his wife) often go over to Dieppe for the day … a change of country, some shopping and a French meal …

He often brings back some wonderful raffle prizes, mostly wine, but occasionally 'oddities' like this one …

… essentially it is thinly sliced raw potatoes with cream, cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic, occasionally cheese can be added.

Tartiflette

I mentioned this to some friends, who said they'd had Tartiflette at Christmas, as their son is vegetarian … I hadn't heard of it … and so had to do a quick check …

Who'd have thought about taxing udders … I laughed when I read up on Tartiflette and the cheese usually associated with it … Reblochon …

Reblochon cheese

Both dishes come from the Haute-Savoie in the heart of the French Alps … holding its history to itself, including the culinary influences of the Alps …

I made my version of a mirepoix base, then over the top spread the Dauphinois … as I live easily, I added a boned rolled shoulder of lamb – one pot dish … I have to say it was delicious, over the days I ate it.

Mirepoix raw veggie mix

To get back to the reason for this post … the tax element … Reblochon is derived from the word “reblocher” … which when translated means to “pinch the cow's udder again”.

The landowners during the 14^th century would tax the mountain farmers according to the amount of milk their herds produced …

Tarentaise (type of cow living high in the Alps)

... crafty farmers decided … oh! ok – but we won't be taxed on it all … so they would not fully milk the cows until the landowners had measured the yield. 

Portrait of a Carthusian
(by Petrus Christus)

The milk that remains is much richer, and was traditionally used by the dairymaids to make their own cheese.

In the 16^th century the cheese also became known as devotional cheese … so the Carthusian monks would bless the farmers' homesteads in exchange for some cheese.

Nothing like a tax on cows' udders to improve one's blog posts … I feel certain that this type of tax no longer applies …

Gap, town in the Haute Savoie region
of south-eastern France

I'll try and keep things lighter for a while – as life is challenging enough for so many … here's to health and happiness in 2025 …

A little information, tucked away in this post, on the European Movement, which we still continue on - this is our 50th year in Eastbourne.  It is based on our 2023 programme.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories