I must apologize for the lateness of this post. My last few days in London were so exhausting that I had little enough energy to drag myself around let alone try to blog about it. Our time in Brighton with its endless queues had taken the wind out of our sails but I was in London and I wasn't going to give up. I'm glad I didn't. The Tower of London was much more interesting then I remembered from my last visit ten years ago. Whether it is age, perspective or the fact that much more was on display this time, I came out full of inspiration. There was a display of armor worn by the princes and kings of England and just seeing the girth of Henry VIII, the ostentatious filigree on Charles I armor and the sweet little suits worn by Henry VIII and his son Edward as children was quite a wonderful experience. I've always held a fascination for medieval warfare (hence Hastings and Sherwood Forest) and this collection of Royal Arms through the ages gave me a unparalleled window into the ages where royal armor clad the bodies of kings.
Even though I had experienced a degree of disappointment with the Pre-Raphaelite art I had seen at the beginning of my journey in Aberdeen I wanted to go to the comprehensive exhibition at the Tate Britain.
When I was a little girl and said things to friends that I no longer felt were applicable all I had to do was a takeback. 25 years later I'm going to invoke the rule of takebacks once again.
To put it lightly I was overawed. It felt like I was Howard Carter plumbing the depths of an intact royal tomb, moving from one room to the next as the treasures became even grander and more awe inspiring. Stained glass, embroidery, enormous tapestries and the most magnificent treasures of all - Edward Burne-Jones' paintings. I have NEVER seen anything so stunning in my entire life. His works were alive, they glowed. I felt like I had finally found that one thing I had been looking for for so many years. In front of Burne-Jones' works everything else paled. I would have cried if I hadn't worried about everyone in the room thinking I was a little mad. I had two days left in London and I had to force myself not to go back and look at the works again for fear they had somehow altered since the day before and that that invisible thread connecting them to my heart had somehow frayed.
Strangely we had dinner before the Jack the Ripper night walk in the Indian restaurant at the corner of Thrawl Street and Brick Lane and later during the tour we learned that this used to be the Frying Pan Public House where one of Jack the Rippers victims Mary Ann Nichols was seen on the night of her death.
My last treasure from London was the V&A. I wish I had a sketch book with me as there is so much within this glorious building which was inspiring. I can't believe that museums like this actually exist. The wealth of medieval art and sculpture was staggering and my two new loves - stained glass and tapestries were abundant here.
England & Scotland were fascinating and enchanting places filled with such a variety of treasures. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and all these experiences will certainly lead to a new artistic development in my work which would never have been possible before.
