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Currently in the National Gallery of Victoria, standing in front of 'Mental Arithmetic' by Thomas Cooper Gotch (English 1854-1931). I know it sounds a bit up myself to mention art in a travel blog, but it really caught my eye. A stunning piece with a weird unrealistic depth and edges so sharp they could draw blood - captivating. <br />

Arty

Ricklivesey
2006-08-31 12:36:22

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Currently in the National Gallery of Victoria, standing in front of 'Mental Arithmetic' by Thomas Cooper Gotch (English 1854-1931). I know it sounds a bit up myself to mention art in a travel blog, but it really caught my eye. A stunning piece with a weird unrealistic depth and edges so sharp they could draw blood - captivating.

...

Just staring at my first Warhol: "Self Portrait No 9" (1986). Only last week I finished his facinating biography: 'The Life and Death of Andy Warhol', and it feels kind of strange and emotional to be centimeters away from a canvas the strange little Warhola boy worked on. I can smell the synthetic paint and imagine it progressing through The Factory like to many other of his hundreds of pieces.

....

Met up with Craig, from the Parrot in Federation Square - a funny chap, all 'Yale' and 'Cambridge' with a plumby English accent which doesn't quite match with his American-Indian upbringing...don't worry, I've learnt my lesson about posh accents and people whose history doesn't quite add up!

We wandered down to a recently errected stage on Elizabeth St where we watched the Mayor of Melbourne, (a One of the 71 metalic fish which spanned the center of the river Yarrahyperactive oriental guy with bad English), accept the Queens Relay Batton, perform a rousing though unintelligable speech - which incidentally went down incredibly well with the crowds to huge applause and massive cheering...these Australians are a fantasically funny people, so relaxed and good humoured. After meeting up with some more ex-Parroters we wandered down to the banks of the Yarrow to watch the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, picking up a box of El Vino Colapso on the way to help the proceedings. The ceremony was unexpectely brilliant. 71 Huge metalic fish that had been floated on platforms all down the middle of the river, (one for every country in the commonwealth), spurted water, flashed and rocked aquatically to the envigorating piped music that blasted across the city. Fireworks were pretty good too.