As you exit Pimlico Underground Station there are some great tiled murals lining the exit ramp, showing paintings by artists such as LS Lowry and others whose work is held at the nearby Tate Britain gallery.
Public art like this certainly adds something to the quality of city life.
At Tate Britain I ascended the steps of the grand and imposing entrance and headed to the Paul Nash exhibition.
I spent more time at this exhibition than I thought I would, so wonderful were the works on display: his nocturnal landscapes convey the magic and mystery of the English countryside, his war paintings are brutal and beautiful at the same time, and his surrealist paintings such as ‘Harbour and Room’ (1932-6) thrust open the doors of perception in a manner similar to, if less spectacular than, the art of Giorgio de Chirico whom Nash greatly admired.
Now that I have a Tate membership card I will definitely be back for a second viewing of the Paul Nash exhibition.
But today’s Tate-ing was not over yet.
After the Paul Nash exhibition I headed down the spiral staircase to the museum restaurant for a superb meal. The food, wine and service were terrific.
After the great exhibition and meal at Tate Britain it was over to Picturehouse Central to see an afternoon showing of Arrival, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.
Amy Adams was very good in the recently seen Nocturnal Animals, and Renner and Whitaker are good too, so I was moderately hopeful about this film.
The first half of ‘Arrival’ is very good, with Adams’ character interestingly drawn and the story told in an intriguingly downbeat tone. Well, as downbeat as it could be given that the subject matter is an alien invasion.
But then in the second half of the film everything just falls to pieces.
What had been a subtle and intelligent film quickly degenerates into just another Hollywood multiplex piece of rubbish, with ludicrous plot points and cheesy dialogue that made me cringe.
I can only assume that the makers of the film lost their nerve – they started out with the intention of making an intelligent film that did not pander to the lowest common denominator, but then they caved and shovelled on cliché after cliché as the film rapidly went down the tubes.
What a shame ‘Arrival’ turned out the way it did – it started so well.
Related Post: ‘Blade Runner 2049’, Empire Leicester Square, London