Your Letters… Letter of the month


Every month, the writer of the winning letter will receive a £50 gift voucher from our partner GreatArt, who offers the UK’s largest range of art materials with over 40,000 art supplies and regular discounts and promotions. greatart.co.uk


ONE-NIL TO THE NPG I recently returned from a visit to London specifically to see the Lucian Freud and David Hockney exhibitions. I was really looking forward to the visit but my viewing experience for both exhibitions could not have been more different. I first went to Freud at the National Portrait Gallery. There was a considerable


queue but I already had my ticket and was ushered by very attentive assistants to the correct waiting area and, without much fuss, I entered the exhibition at my allotted time. The first room was a little crowded but within moments, people dispersed and we were all able to view the works at our leisure. The paintings were tremendous and after a couple of hours, I left feeling uplifted and as if I had just had a get together with a long-lost friend. The National Portrait Gallery should be commended for their organisation and care in hosting this exhibition. The following day, I went to the Royal Academy with a feeling of excitement


and anticipation for the David Hockney exhibition. I can only say that I was very disappointed. Not in the work itself – that was wonderful – but the viewing experience was dreadful, cramped, far too crowded and, I feel, badly laid out in terms of the flow of people and the space to see Hockney’s large panoramic pieces. Barriers forced people to go in one direction and seemed to insist that work was


viewed in a specific order. To get to the room containing the sketchbooks, you had to fight your way through the people trying to view the film. I stayed barely an hour in the exhibition (perhaps that is the organisers’ intention?). I tried to buy some postcards but gave up, as I couldn’t even get to the end of


the queue for the tills. I can only assume that the Royal Academy was packing in as many people as safety would allow for every timed entry, but there was little regard for the public’s viewing experience. How can two such revered institutions create such different responses from a customer? Glynne Bulman, via email


What a shame you weren’t able to enjoy the David Hockney exhibition, Glynne. It is a fantastic show and we certainly enjoyed our visit. Demand for blockbuster shows has been increasing though – maybe other readers would like to share their experiences?


SIMILAR STYLES RE: Hockney Returns, Issue 306 I am a regular reader of your magazine that I always find very interesting, inspiring and informative. On page 43 of the November issue, there was a photograph of David Hockney’s oil painting, The


Road Across The Wolds. I could not help noticing how much his style of painting in this particular picture is similar to my own in terms of composition and use of colours. Here is one of my paintings, Hillside Bavarian Church (left), just to show the similarity. Audrey Roblin, Swansea Art Society, Swansea


IN NEED OF SUPPORT RE: Selecting & Priming Supports, Issue 309 Well done, Artists & Illustrators, for finding Ian Cryer. His article on selecting and priming supports for oil paintings was comprehensively sound, enjoyable and a very useful read. How about finding someone of his ilk to inform us about supports and grounds for pastel painting? Sophie Price, via email


We’re on the case, Sophie! In the meantime, look out for another article from Ian in our next issue.


76 Artists & Illustrators


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