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dougHad a great time visiting the Holbein exhibition at t' Tate Britain at the weekend. Brought little **FIXME along for his first major cultural experience, and he loved it. Result! Not sure whether he was actually enjoying the art or the surroundings, but still.
It's amazing how much things have changed for parents with babies. You can reasonably expect to have level access and half-decent changing facilities at just about any public building these days, which is great. The tube was less simple, but it was less faff than I thought, and it turns out **FIXME loves the underground too. Hmm - maybe he just likes London?
Lots of people were very friendly and helpful - holding doors open, smiling and cooing at him, that sort of thing. But there were two exceptions. One was an older bloke who tutted loudly when **FIXME's mum started to breastfeed him, and the other was a guy on the tube who wouldn't get out of the way to let us off. The first bloke probably has serious issues, poor love, and the tube git was thwarted by nicer neighbours who respectively stared him down, shoved him (gently), and stuck their leg in the door to stop it closing before we could get out. And, of course, a large does of the famous British "supportive indifference" from the majority.
I had thought we might have a spin round the rest of t' Tate Britain, then maybe pop down to Bankside on the boat (I do like boats) for a quick ride on the slides in the turbine hall at t' Tate Modern. But we were washed out after just one exhibition, although I did get a swift run around the Turner Prize show. Which was all it merited, to be honest, although Tomma Abts was a well justified winner IMO.
The Holbein was very good - hard to go wrong really. Marvellous to see so many pieces together. The hanging seemed a bit of a mixed bag - excellent in parts, contrived in others, and utterly arbitrary in lots of areas. And the absence of The Ambassadors was glaring, particularly given that it's only a half-hour stroll away in the National. But that's very minor quibbling: I've seen Them Ambassadors before, there was plenty of stuff I'd not seen, and it was a joy to see it all together. And reminded me that, despite my other preferences, Renaissance art is way better than just about anything subsequent until 1917.
It's amazing how much things have changed for parents with babies. You can reasonably expect to have level access and half-decent changing facilities at just about any public building these days, which is great. The tube was less simple, but it was less faff than I thought, and it turns out **FIXME loves the underground too. Hmm - maybe he just likes London?
Lots of people were very friendly and helpful - holding doors open, smiling and cooing at him, that sort of thing. But there were two exceptions. One was an older bloke who tutted loudly when **FIXME's mum started to breastfeed him, and the other was a guy on the tube who wouldn't get out of the way to let us off. The first bloke probably has serious issues, poor love, and the tube git was thwarted by nicer neighbours who respectively stared him down, shoved him (gently), and stuck their leg in the door to stop it closing before we could get out. And, of course, a large does of the famous British "supportive indifference" from the majority.
I had thought we might have a spin round the rest of t' Tate Britain, then maybe pop down to Bankside on the boat (I do like boats) for a quick ride on the slides in the turbine hall at t' Tate Modern. But we were washed out after just one exhibition, although I did get a swift run around the Turner Prize show. Which was all it merited, to be honest, although Tomma Abts was a well justified winner IMO.
The Holbein was very good - hard to go wrong really. Marvellous to see so many pieces together. The hanging seemed a bit of a mixed bag - excellent in parts, contrived in others, and utterly arbitrary in lots of areas. And the absence of The Ambassadors was glaring, particularly given that it's only a half-hour stroll away in the National. But that's very minor quibbling: I've seen Them Ambassadors before, there was plenty of stuff I'd not seen, and it was a joy to see it all together. And reminded me that, despite my other preferences, Renaissance art is way better than just about anything subsequent until 1917.