The Great Romantic Artist

BBC Four can be relied upon to bring Art and Culture to the forefront of the minds of creative individuals on a regular basis and do not fail to do so with their recent feature on J.M.W Turner.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jv255/Turners_Thames/

I welcomed the programme greatly as a self confessed Turner novice. Until around a year ago I had never quite grasped the fanatical appeal of Turner. I had always considered his works masterful and doubtlessly beautiful, but British oil landscapes and seascapes had always been slightly lost on me and failed to ignite the interest which Cezanne, Monet and even Dali's landscapes provided. However this changed upon my first visit to the National Gallery last summer. Having never seen Turners work in the flesh before, I was unexpectedly knocked clean out of my boots by 'Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus'. The sheer, incredible emotion of the piece and both the atmosphere and beauty it captured had me transfixed and totally speechless for some time.

Even now I still feel that Turners work simply can not be viewed in a book and understood or appreciated fully. The texture of the paint and the true colours provide an emotion and beauty which seem incapable of being replicated in print. Even my memories of pieces I have viewed in the National Gallery and the V&A seem far more vivid and detailed than images in books.

The programme focuses specifically upon Turners use of the Thames as a base for many of his compositions and takes an analytical look at his use of colour, technique and intentions, however much of the discussion is objective and simply a result of personal opinion. The narrative may have benefited from some more academic elements, however it provides an interesting overall observation and appreciation of Turners work.

One element of the discussion which did intrigue me greatly was the mention of: 'Was Turner an artistic radical and a conservative Royalist? Or just an artist businessman? ... Nothing is known about Turners politics'. I have been looking for a new, exciting avenue of academic research to embark on, to say that 'nothing' is known of Turners political stance is surely something which needs to be rectified?

Since seeing 'Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus' at the National Gallery, I have had a postcard of the piece on view at all times to remind myself of the sheer emotion which creativity has the power to evoke.

Meadow Conservation

As I am highly interested in nature, and my project is based around flora and fauna, I always attempt to keep abreast with current issues, news and changes in the natural world. On a small scale, I keep a watchful eye on my own garden, the birds which visit, and things I see on my daily commute. But I felt it appropriate to watch the programme 'Bees, Butterflies and Bloom' on BBC iPlayer. Initially I was concerned that the programme had over-simplified the issue of bee decline in the UK, as this is a complex situation with many factors, namely disease, however I persisted with the programme, as Einstein supposedly said; 'If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.', and insect decline is a worrying issue.
The programme did raise some interesting initiatives to encourage people to plant pollen rich plants (as we do in our garden), however the inclusion of even more wild flowers is an interesting idea which I'm keen to get involved with, so Ill certainly be visiting some local meadows and collecting a limited amount of seed in June to sew in the garden (I encourage you all to do this, but please be sensible about it, watch the programme and you'll be instructed on collecting seeds).

I think encouraging councils to sew pollen rich plants, wildflowers and perennials as opposed to ridiculously expensive bedding plants is a strong idea with the opportunity to have several positive outcomes. Perennials are far more cost effective and require far less maintenance, in times of financial difficulty such as these, planting wildflowers as opposed to bedding plants is a much more cost effective option. Obviously a lot of councils are far more concerned with adhering to a visual stereotype of a village/town/city, but I commend any council who takes the brave step of of practical planting over shameless squandering.

The programme did make me consider what I can do to raise awareness about the benefits of pollen rich planting and wildflowers (other thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhan includinghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif them more in my own garden and encouraging others to do the same). By designing some prints featuring wildflowers and bee friendly plants, I hope to change many peoples perceptions of wildflowers as being 'weeds', or less beautiful or 'showy' than any other flower. British wildlife and nature is something I am very passionate about, we can all contribute to protecting different species of flora and fauna, so think about what you can do to make a difference, watch the programme if you have a spare hour, or visit the BBC site for more information.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0152fty/Bees_Butterflies_and_Blooms_Villages_Farms_and_Countryside/



(Above image, a bee on a nectar rich Scabiosa in my garden last summer)