rainy nostalgia

Easter weekend was what I greatly needed. The thought of doing nothing except the odd family obligations is pure bliss. Brunette was stuck in London as well and both of us decided it was a great opportunity to explore our city through a kaleidoscope. Well, that didn't happen as plan and we ended up doing pretty much nothing except eat, drink and spending idle time together. We braved the rain and crowds to see Gorky at the Tate Modern. I've never been a fan of his but I think it has much to do with my ignorance than his actual work. I was expecting an exhibition with a couple of rooms but in fact, there were around 90 of his great works in 14 rooms. I was hooked. At the end of it, I was Gorky-ied!

His works are varied and you could see the progression from his initial works but what I found interesting is his rapid-ish journey to the top and finally his sudden death. All in all, he only lived 44 years and 26 years it took him to be accepted as a notable painter. He often described moods of melancholy, loneliness, emptiness and nostalgia for his country. His later years were filled with immense pain and heartbreak, his studio barn burned down, he underwent a colostomy for cancer, his neck was broken and his painting arm temporarily paralyzed in a car accident, and his wife of seven years left him, taking their children with her. Apologies for the slightly cropped image of Gorky's The Liver Is The Cock's Comb above.

All this begs the question, was it all worth it? Supposedly, Architects are less susceptible to depression, emptiness and loneliness. Apparently, it has something to do with our job satisfaction when we design buildings. Bullocks!

P.S: There is an architect up North (it would have to be, wouldn't it) who have broken the record for the most amount of underwear worn on a single person. 44 to be exact, he later went on record to say that he would have worn more if he had the extra sizes with him. What worried him the most was the weight he had to carry with him. what a nut job!