Robins in Fight:: Peake The Drawings.



Robins , who as you may know are in a relegation fight, helped themselves considerably last Saturday ( 15 / 4 ) by beating Grimsby 2-1and as fellow strugglers Newport and Hartlepool  both lost, it was a good day for Cheltenham. With three games to play; away to Blackpool; home to Hartlepool and finally Portsmouth away, the league positions are as follows:

Cheltenham  47 points
Hartlepool     43 points
Newport        42  points
Leyton Orient 36  points

The bottom two teams are relegated to the National League, so apart from bottom club Orient, Robins are still in a tight spot. Their last home game against Hartlepool  looks crucial. I hope to attend.

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For Mervyn


 As day follows night, so light follows shade.
The lines explore an ever changing cosmos
In the storms of  the imagination.
From delicate weaves to coal face dark, all is registered 
In a lead symphony.

The pencil's eyes seek the subject's soul
rejecting superficial insights drawing deeper
Beyond the surface to raw emotion and there to
Capture  essence and freeze time.

Thank you for letting me feel the flight of the bird,
 the grimace of a hippo and the feline purr of satisfaction 
From those white cats.
In my hands the pencil a crude dauber of marks
In yours a magical baton, defining life itself
And beyond.
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It is always a pleasure to look at the work of Mervyn Peak ( 1911 - 1968). I cannot  think of an artist who was, as gifted with paint and pencil as he was with words.
His people portraits are full of insight and show the whole person, bringing out character traits, which he has perceived within them .

 I am especially fond of his book characters, which not only show wonderful drawing skill, but also show the depths of his imagination .







The top drawing is of the Lady Fuchsia, a rather sad figure from his "Gormenghast " trilogy,

 The bottom drawing is of Alice from " Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, " by Lewis Carroll.

 Indeed the fact that Peake had his own illustrations  in works by Carroll ( both Alice books and The Hunting of the Sark)  and Robert Louis Stevenson ( Treasure Island and Dr. Jeckyll And Mr. Hyde ) showed how the establishment viewed his work.

 I believe the work of a great artist is demonstrated by the stamp of personality he/she puts on the work. This is clearly the case with Peake.
I shall continue with more on Mervyn, next time.

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Finally a reminder, that although we may be in for a cold snap,
Spring is not far away.





WiFi for now,
C.K.


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please feel free to comment and point out faults.
glad to have you aboard .

Curlykale.

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