Lucasian Study Centre, University of Milton North

[Theresaholeinyourmind]

Just in case no one opens a better one

I read a lot at one time about the pre-Raphaelites and the Impressionists but have mostly forgotten it, but I don't think Claude was as ghastly as many other artists (Rossetti exhuming his wife comes to mind).

My own garden is modelled on this, naturally.

A garden is a lovesome thing...Shame they don't love me back.

Your talk about the ghastliness of artists reminds me of the same propensity of poets, novelists, playwrights etc.

So how could they produce such beauty and yet be so flawed? Well we are all flawed but a lot of them seem to have been downright cruel to the women, etc in their life.

i guess it's difficult for you to keep the garden looking nice, Theresa, what with the herds of wildebeest swarming through at all hours.

Hard to know what to think about the lives of the artists (considering all sorts of creative stuff here, not just applying paint to canvas). In the first place, I guess we just don't hear so much about the artists who live harmoniously with the same partner for 40 years, don't mistreat them, don't fall into addiction and yet still create great work. Then there's that idea that truly great minds shouldn't have to or don't feel the need to conform to society's mores and can live more freely and more authentically (for which read a variable mix of creativity, narcissism, self-indulgence, cruelty, addiction or worse). But then, is this last one put about by the artists themselves to excuse their bad behaviour? Either way, I don't think that brilliance and creativity are always a correlate of moral goodness (thinks of Eric Gill as an extreme example).

My turn to turn to the University of Wiki now.

He sounds a charming chappie.

I tend to think that all this big bad genius stuff is rank self-indulgence. It bothers me most about poets like Shakespeare and Ted Hughes and Byron who go on about lurve so much and then are beastly to their partners. Maybe they didn't lurve their partners, I suppose. Getting late and I am rambling again.

I think there are probably worse examples of neglecting and exploiting partners in the pursuance of one's art (keeping them penniless while spending all the housekeeping on gin, or whatever) but Eric Gill pretty much takes the biscuit - until I remember someone worse - for criminal awfulness. I tend to think that being a great artist gives an excuse for appalling behaviour to those who are that way inclined but, then, perhaps it is also true that living in suburbia with the regulation spouse and 2.4 kids does stifle creativity - the pram in the hallway is the enemy of promise, as Cyril Connolly said - and so Ted Hughes could not have been Ted Hughes if his private life had been more orderly.

It is late. I'm off to bed. Sweet Nottamun dreams.

A demain.

::Looks back at you::

Nice..,
Sweet Milton dreams a vous.

Re; stifled genius
Remember Virginia Woolfe and Shakespeare's sister?

You may tutoyer me, my dear.

Dors bien.

::ashamed to admit she has never properly read A Room Of One's Own::

::wafts off to bed, to dream of waterlilies::

Have just read in Ian McKellan's statement about joining the Hobbit that filming is expected to take 18 months !

Apparently they are getting chunks of time off within that to work on other projects though.

Morning all.

Mrs LN I would like Harry or John Porter either on or off the table please!

Or on and off the table, Peaches?!

There's always that option Mrs LN

Hello ladies. How do you know you have finally begun to lose it? When certain characters start following you as you go about your lawful RL business, that's when.

I have just been on the supermarket run with Guy, listening to his comments on 21st century life. Actually he wouldn't cause much of a stir with his leathers and stubble on our trendy main drag, and the broadsword would come in useful for dealing with queue-jumpers.

Far worse, though, Teri the Fangirl tagged along, wanting to look in clothes shops for her costume for tonight.

Well, at least I got home without actually talking to myself.

Ha ha an early imperfect prototype of Santa's New Toy?

Warning: DM link.

"can produce boxes with lids, tubes or detailed action figures."

ROFL

Although actually a bit spooky. When I was at journalism college I had a habit of writing features on subjects that then appeared in the national press or glossy mags a few weeks later...

I thought that would tickle your fancy, MrsLN

Given your uncanny ability to summon the future, can you write about the amazing technicolour dream machine next? The one you hook up to your brain to play special cassettes so you can have the dream of your choice?

It would be great if that one ever became a reality...

Just saw this pic and thought it was worth sharing...

Nice, MrsLN. Looks as if he's escaped the make-up girls for once.

Did you read that on Twitter? Orlando Bloom apparently getting megabucks - $1 milllion !!! - for a 2 minute cameo on the Hobbit?

theres summat not right with the world there Theresa!

Nice pic Mrs LN

Is it just me or is that pic in black & white but the eyes are still blue?!

I think you're right, Twiggy. Reminds me of old family photos of my grandparents, taken in B&W but hand coloured in the photographer's studio. Not that The Man is as old as my grandparents or me.

He's not as old as me either - he could be by toy boy :)

Must go and get changed....

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