Perspective

We headed down to Trafalgar Square this evening for a recital at the National Portrait Gallery, and since we arrived early, I suggested we have a look at the piece of art that was unveiled last week on the Fourth Plinth. The plinth was originally built in 1841 as a statue support, but was left bare after the necessary money couldn't be found to fund the proposed statue, and has showcased a series of recent temporary art installations, first from 1999-2001 and then from 2005 onward. While the previous installation got much of its strength from the fact that the medium (white marble) initially seemed to fit into the grand tradition of the square, but the content emerged as something rather extraordinary amongst monuments, the new piece takes another approach, standing out at first glance,

but (at least for me) not holding much resonance beyond the initial shock of colour. Although the project's curator promises that the work's "utopian architectural vision will have a powerful impact on Trafalgar Square," I'm a bit doubtful that will indeed be the case. In all fairness, the work is meant to be at its best in the sunshine, so I'll wait and see if I like it any better under those circumstances. After walking through the square, we wove our way through the rooms at the National Portrait Gallery to find the room which was hosting tonight's performance on viola and piano:

While enjoyable, the music wasn't exactly our taste and we couldn't help but remember the fantastic pianist we saw two days ago at the Barbican. Still, it was a nice performance in a lovely setting and it gave us an excuse to marvel at the 1546 anamorphic portrait of King Edward VI, which appears like this when viewed head-on, but changes into an undistorted portrait when viewed from the viewing peephole on one side of the painting, looking across the painting itself . . . not exactly the best portrait to hang over your fireplace!