Surreal

The Minx and I met up with our friends Jon and Louise, today. The plan was to spend the early afternoon at the Vintage Fair at Brockholes, near Preston, but it was cold and windy, so once we'd looked 'round the stalls, the prospect of sitting outside and having a coffee didn't seem that appealing! As an alternative, I suggested that we go and see the Surrealist exhibition at Abbot Hall in Kendal.

I've always liked surrealism, starting with my first exposure to the movement through record covers. Like many other teenage boys in the eighties - and, I think, record sleeve designers! - I was drawn to Salvador Dali. (Years later, I remember staying in a hotel on the Southbank in 2000: there was a Dali exhibition on and there was a Dali elephant right outside my window. I loved it.)

The exhibition in Kendal was really varied. In fact, one of the notes on the wall discussed the fact that Surrealism doesn't have a defined style. Some of the pictures were almost amateur looking: splurges of colour and squiggles. For me they didn't capture the essence of dreams or imagination. The ones I preferred were the ones that were more Daliesque: proper images, well executed, showing his ideas and developing themes. I think that's my preferred strand of surrealism.

At the exhibition itself, I really liked Robin Ironside's work. There was a room dedicated to his pieces and my favourite was 'The Navity on a Lace Collar', although it looked better in reality than it does on that link.

PS The photo is of Brockholes, where we started our day.