Colourful & Charismatic

Yesterday saw us up in the Smoke getting exposure to the artier end of the Alpha Male(!)

First up, the perfect exhibition, 18 early Picassos at the Courtauld (until May 27th). For those who like exhibitions on the drive-through side, you could say you'd been, without spending too long there. For those of us who like the total immersion method, you could come up for air before expiring from too many lungfuls of (...my metaphor has defeated me...)

Boy, I like 'em ugly. And the more colourful, the better.

Spanish Dwarf (La Nana) - Picasso (1901)

Picasso was 19 or 20 when he did these! Look at the composition of the Spanish Dancer. Beautifully compacted. At my camera club they would be saying '...you could think about cropping quite a bit off that floor..'

The backgrounds on both are psychedelic....and then delicate Degas ballet legs on the right.

On the picture below, again, loads of skirt. Where does the skirt end and the sofa begin? It's just one huge billow around an indistinct little face.

Spanish Woman - Picasso (1901)

My heart hurt looking at Child with Dove (below left). I was so surprised. I've looked straight past it on so many Christmas cards, only to find the real thing genuinely moving. It's from a private collection. I could only think, 'Will I ever see you again?'.

Child with Dove - Picasso (1901)

Seated Harlequin - Picasso (1901)

And then (right) Seated Harlequin had me with its great composition. A chunk off the top for the wallpaper, a slice out of the side for the table. And through it all, that sinuous body in a flat-plane patterned outfit.

This guy, at 19, was already on his way!

Later we were interlopers at a Balkan event. Goran Bregovic and his gang played at the Royal Festival Hall for us and 2498 people for whom the event meant home. The main man is a cross between Bradley Wiggins and Mick Hucknell. The music is a wild mix of folk music, gypsy music, parpy brass, men's vocals so deep they seem to come from the bowels of the hall and polyphonic women's vocals. It's mad and it works brilliantly.

Early on, there were lots of gorgeous girls with long, thick, dark, glossy hair elegantly dancing with their wrists. Later during some older folk songs, tears were being shed in every row as GB tapped the ache of home.

Just like Picasso, this guy isn't lacking in confidence...  Check the shoes.

Goran Bregovic at the Royal Festival Hall (2013)

Here is a clip of his music. This morning we are a bit tired...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcSTx0frhY8