Tangier, James McBey

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Tangier

The sweep of buildings along the water is now more more less just a series of standard issue modern structures- it is saddening to see architectural banality take over a city.

 There are still more charming places in the Medina, however, including The American Legation, which contains a good number of artworks, including works by James McBey.

There are also a set of engravings.

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A visit to Aberdeen Art Gallery

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Aberdeen Art Gallery

The Gallery has been reconstructed and rearranged.

 

The new arrangement benefits cafe users, increases disabled access, allows access to a roof terrace, reduces focus on painting in favour of mixed galleries, increases the role of the galleries as educational (as opposed to aesthetic) showcases, and now displays artwork thematically, when previously the galleries had focussed on a linear historical display of painting, with rooms aside for the French schools. There is a new ceramics display and James McBey`s works are given greater prominence.

The new arrangement also gives more ready access to the Aberdeen City War Memorial.

Regarding the art, I think I preferred the previous hanging. The focus on education is all very well, but often feel infantalising. I think perhaps they looked at the Kelvingrove and copied them, hoping thus to attract school groups. The previous hanging made nice use of balconies around the central court, and I found it to be more coherent. But the new ceramics display is very good and it the view from the roof is beautiful.

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My tastes are rather split between art which has a distinctly interior quality (such as Jackowski) and that which entails visiting, perhaps confronting, the great outside ( the other two). Though one might argue -happily I think- that the two mental states are in no sense polarised but meet and feed off each other.

The first and last are "new" artists for me. 

Walker was born in 1930 in Kirkaldy and Jackowski in Penley, Wales, 1947, but for some reason this is the first time I`ve encountered their work.

I especially enjoyed these-

The boy who broke the spell, Andrzej Jackowski, 152 x 162 cm, 1996

Mount St Hilarion, Cyprus, David Bomberg, 72.5 x 92.5 cm, 1948

Sand seaweed and shore pool, Frances M. Walker, c. 80  x 60 cm, probably 1981

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James McBey in Morocco; travel in late January 2015

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This map is taken from the enjoyable book (below). I shall try to go to some of the same places next year. It`s delightful to be able to follow in the tracks of fellow Aberdonian painter. It seems he largely worked in cities near Tangier, none of which I have yet been to. 

But there is a difficulty with painting in the north of Morocco in winter, which is that it rains a lot. Given that, it might be better to spend only a few days there, sightseeing mainly, then proceed further south-west to paint in Meknes, Casablanca, El Jadida, Safi and Marrakesh and the mountains again.

Below is my schematic map of my big journey to escape the summer heat of Brazil and enjoy life and make art. I shall try to take about six or seven weeks away, and visit my sister and her family in the Loire, as well as London and Paris.

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