....last year a friend of mine who is both an artist & an art teacher took me to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London.
While I read a huge variety of books & don't stick to one particular genre, when it comes to art, I really know what I like - Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, the Impressionists - and I find it difficult to see past them. When I go to art galleries I tend to go to specific exhibitions that I know I will like.
I don't really get "modern" art.
I want to see something beautiful/moving/breathtaking/awe-inspiring, something I understand - not words, obscenities or lines daubed on a canvas and valued at £40,000.
I really enjoyed last year's exhibition though & was very much looking forward to this year....
while I don't mind admitting that I find some of the work both confusing and, at times, a little ridiculous....
I don't always like what I see but I can appreciate the concepts behind most of them.
The Summer Exhibition isn't all abstract, modern & contemporary art though, there are 9,000 pieces of work to see there - a vast range of paintings, sculpture, prints, architecture, models, photography & film chosen by the members of the Royal Academy.
There are huge canvases & installations & then there are walls packed with smaller pieces.
The artists range from members of the RA to emerging artists from around the world....
two parents from my children's school were in fact chosen to exhibit there this year.
Whilst looking at some of the exhibits, I still felt lost as to any of the thought processes behind them whatsoever....but actually, the majority of work there was thought provoking, intriguing and fascinating.
And of course some of them were stunning & beautiful.
Almost all of the work is for sale, many of them very affordable....
an opportunity to snap up the work of someone who will one day be world-famous & sought after.
The Royal Academy, located on London's Piccadilly, is a beautiful place to visit and the courtyard has a lovely cafe....I'd recommend it as a welcome and restful change from sightseeing & shopping!
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition runs until 12 August 2012,
you can buy tickets online or at the RA ticket office.
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