Reflections on a theme

THINK this was at 83; obviously much younger!

Unbelievable that birthday 85 is close at hand. Unbelievable on several levels but chiefly because of the speed between numbers 84 and 85; the unseemly way Time speeds up inexorably as one grows older, is one of the manifestly unfair characteristics of ageing! And not the only one, it must be said.. The year by year visible slowing down, and the shrinking stamina also feature on the radar. The collapse of face and figure are so typical, so predictable, as to be barely worth mentioning! But the mental gaps present occasional nightmares though organisation here can help; a diary/ agenda and notes to oneself have important, face-saving functions. But the fact that one’s friends and relations die too soon cannot be denied or assuaged; this indeed is a common but inevitable and rather lonely feature of growing old, to be met with the stoicism developed in losing many battles over the years. One remembers, at funerals, that growing old is a privilege denied to many.

 My sister and I playing Mah Jong on the terrace
on our birthday last year.

But ageing isn’t all negative; not at all. One of the pleasures of growing old, unknown to the young, is giving things up. I have relinquished cooking for others [and do as little as possible for myself]; housework; sewing buttons on; pretending to like cakes and biscuits offered by lovely people [I simply refuse anything to eat which I don’t like]. And then there is the glorious freedom to decline to join activities which social obligation might well have demanded in the past. Among various seductive possibilities open to the Seriously Old, there is the total delight of saying exactly what one thinks, albeit politely, about almost everything; the determination which leads to effective action to avoid bores and boring situations even when social duty might demand otherwise; the utter delight of doing what one will, especially if, as I do, one lives alone unfettered even by the tiniest expectations of a partner. An octogenarian knows herself through long acquaintance; I know that I like to be liked but also that I do not need approval. The only imperatives come now from myself normally. There can be family requests, suggestions, questions but the deference due to age as seen by kind and considerate family members, keep these infrequent. After all, children and adult grandchildren have better things to do than pander unnecessarily to the egos of grandparents!! We are not needed very much and once accommodation to that fact has been made, it is a deliciously carefree place in which to be!

 Reflections in Brugge

I moved to live alone in Brugge at 80 on what can only be termed, ‘a whim’. I didn’t think too deeply about it but just did it, excited by the idea and trusting as ever in my ability to make everything turn out pretty well. Four and a half years later, I find myself living a happy life, a little life in the scheme of things, but satisfying and serene. In many ways it is a self-indulgent life but I tolerate that, as I tolerate my character flaws, with an amused acceptance!! It wasn’t always so and now is the time to do the things I love. I love reading, urban walking, going out to lunch, attending the occasional concert, meeting friends. Especially, I love socialising while also loving being alone; a perfect combination for one soul. Perhaps my favourite pastime has become Mah Jong, unknown to me until three years ago but now played every week with up to seven friends. We are all dotty about it and discover inventive ways to add the occasional celebration to our sessions. This week, champagne for my impending birthday; next week, Chinese food, courtesy of our teacher and leader, Nancy, for my birthday just gone! If one can cook up old age with self-indulgence sprinkled on top, that is delicious!

My other weekly favourite activity is my Thursday group; begun for locals, already good to fluent in English but wanting regular practice. Members of that group have become dear friends who meet for a drink and a chat; there is the occasional tea party and this week, a wonderful outing to a Portuguese restaurant for a birthday meal for me. Really, when I consider all, my cup runneth over.

I noted down recently a quote from Confucius which greatly entertained:

Chinese philosopher, Confucius 551-479 B.C.

Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator.

I remembered that last week as my daughter in California Facetimed me [oh yes, family Facetime is another Good Thing] to tell me of all the turbulence in her little family’s life at present; all good possibilities but all the balls in the air too!! But they are confident jugglers and I watch from afar and admire; it is just marvellous to be a loving spectator and not an actor!

 Always time for beautiful reflections in Brugge!

The Book of Kells

Carl Jung, analytical psychologist, coined the name, ‘synchronicity’ in which he posited an

underlying pattern beneath everyday actions which accounts for unexpected, unpredictable

events. In other words, meaningful coincidences occurring with no apparent causal relationship yet seeming to be significantly related. He introduced the concept in the 1920s but did not further define it until 1951 in a public lecture when he used the word in arguing for the paranormal. He suggested that events could be connected by causality but also might be connected by meaning.

 Three of the ten major full-page illustrations, showing
St Matthew, St. John and Virgin & Child with angels.

Synchronicity may be too grand and sweeping a term but it immediately came to mind when a friend recently gave me an illustrated introduction to the Book of Kells by Bernard Meehan together with a small companion guide to the imagery, history and symbolism of the Book of Kells by Ben Mackworth-Praed. Immediately, back came a very strong memory of the admiration, even envy, that I had felt in the 1970s when a colleague told me that he and his wife had just ordered a copy of the about-to-be-published, full colour facsimile of the Book of Kells. I now see that the art publishers, Thames and Hudson, under licence from the Board of Trinity College, Dublin, published a facsimile edition in full colour in 1974. I cannot remember the cost but at the time, it was so huge to me in 1974 [with three children aged between 10 and 12 to provide for] as to be totally unattainable! The lucky collector eventually brought in his newly-acquired pride and joy to show to me. It was indeed, a delight to see, unattainable but powerfully beautiful.

 Ruins of the Abbey of Kells

For the uninitiated, the Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript in Latin of the four Gospels of the New Testament together with prefatory texts and tables. It is a work of outstanding beauty, created by Celtic monks around 800 A.D. in a Columban monastery in either Iona or Kells and housed for centuries in the Abbey of Kells. The Abbey of Kells in County Meath, Ireland, was re-founded by the monks from Iona on the Isle of Mull, off the coast of Scotland, and built between 807 and 814, the relocation coming as a result of devastating Viking raids which began on Iona in 794.These brutal raids dispersed the monks and their holy relics further afield into Scotland and Ireland. However, Kells, too, in its turn, was repeatedly raided by the Vikings during the 10^th century.

The illustrations and ornamentation in the Book of Kells, are stunning, combining traditional Christian iconography with the swirling, ornate motifs typical of British art, known as Insular Art. There are ten full-page illustrations, and many text sheets featuring decorated initials and interlinear miniatures with

Detail of lion head decoration

 Peacock, above
Dove, below

figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts plus Celtic knots, all adorning the 340 calf vellum folios. [folios are separate sheets, written on one side only] The exceptional quality of the art attests to the fact that at the period of the production of the Book of Kells, the monastic community responsible for it, must have been rich and stable with an established library and a large number of scribes and artists. Furthermore, that community included several monk-artists of conspicuous, indeed, superlative, talent, in itself, an act of synchronicity!

Three artists seem to have produced the major decorated pages. One monk was capable of such fine and delicate ornamentation that his sophisticated skills have been compared to those of a goldsmith. Four major scribes copied the text, each with his own individual style and characteristics, but all working within the traditions of what was known as the scriptorium style. One scribe, for instance, was in the habit of leaving the decoration of letters at the beginning of verses to an artist while perhaps the last scribe to join the enterprise is probably responsible for the bright colours, purple, red and yellow, used on some folios and is also the one with the habit of filling spaces with unnecessary repetition of certain passages. It has not been determined if artist and scribe, in some cases, might have been the same monk.

Chequered History.

The Annals of Ulster, describing the Book of Kells as ‘the chief treasure of the Western world’, record that it was stolen from the western sacristy of the great stone Abbey at Kells, in 1006 by raiding Vikings, chiefly for the extravagant ornamentation and wealth of its enclosing shrine. The Book was eventually discovered, 'after two months and twenty nights' without the shrine and with several pages at the beginning and end ripped out when the valuable shrine was hurriedly torn off, and the Book thrown ‘under a sod’. When rescued, it remained at Kells throughout the Middle Ages, venerated as the great gospel book of St Colum Cille. In the late 11th

 Book of Kells, facsimile edition

and 12^th centuries, following contemporary, monastic custom, blank pages and spaces were used to record property transactions relating to the monastery at Kells. In 1090, it was reported that relics of Colum Cille, [St Columba and founder of Iona in 561 and the Saint to whom the Book of Kells was probably dedicated] including ‘the two gospels’ had been brought to Kells from Donegal. The two gospels were probably the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow. The Book of Kells was always referred to as 'the great gospel book of Colum Cille 'throughout the Middle Ages.

After the Cromwellian rebellion of 1641 when the abbey at Kells lay in ruins, fit only for stabling, around 1653, the Book of Kells was sent for safety to Dublin by the Governor of Kells, the Earl of Cavan. Eventually, in 1661, when Henry Jones, Vice Chancellor of the University of Dublin became Bishop of Meath, he had the Book transferred to Trinity College where it has been on permanent public display since the mid 19^th century. It was from this period that the Book of Kells gradually assumed the role of art object. Two of the four volumes are always exhibited, one showing a page of a major illustration and the other a typical text page. It currently attracts over 500,000 visitors each year.

 The famous Chi-Ro page introducing
St Matthew's account of the Nativity.

Cloisters at Iona.
Iona is a small island, only 5.5 x 2.5 km at its greatest. Large enough
to support a big monastery, nonetheless, its size and position left it vulnerable
to Norse attacks. One raid, in 806, left 66 dead and triggered the
first moves of survivors to Kells in 807.

Haiku revisited

I was recently in de Reyghere, the bookshop in the Markt, when my eye was caught by a slim The Narrow Road to the North and Other Travel Sketches, containing some of the writings of Matsuo Basho, a Japanese poet and diarist born near Kyoto in Japan in 1644. Reputedly the son of a samurai and confirmed as a scholar, he became both a wanderer and a teacher as well as a writer. He shared his reflections and truths obtained through meditation on his long walks. In his writing he was strongly influenced by the Zen sect of Buddhism. I think the book [published in 1966] was in a Reduced display which is probably why it caught my eye, but when I eventually opened it to read, I was charmed to discover that the Introduction by Nobuyuki Yuasa was entirely on Haiku, tracing an accessible history of its development and its form as well as telling the story of Matsuo himself. Matsuo Basho was one of the most famed traditional Japanese poets, one of a group known as The Great Four and their work remains as a model for today’s budding Haiku poets. Basho himself is still revered for his wisdom and for his writing.

A particular word can have a similar effect on the consciousness to a fragrance in its potency to trigger recall. I hadn’t thought of Haiku for years but memories flooded back of my using Haiku in the English language classroom to interest, even inspire, reluctant teenage poets!! But first, a word or two about Haiku.

What is a haiku? It is a three line, beautifully descriptive form of Japanese poetry, intended to be read in one breath. It does not rhyme but traditionally has five syllables in line one; seven syllables in line two and five in line three; punctuation and the use of capital letters is left to the writer. It can include repetition of words or sounds but it tries to feature an emotional or intuitive leap on the second and third lines where there may be a gap; something deliberately left out. The last line is often used to make an observation on the first two lines. Often, haiku subjects are based on a celebration of Nature or perhaps abstract subjects like happiness, although Basho insisted that the emotion of a haiku was not written but was only the emotion aroused in the reader. Modern haiku focus on simple yet sensory language, trying to create a brief moment in time and a sense of illumination, the structures can be looser and traditional rules ignored.

 Matsuo Basho
by Yosa Buson
1716-1764

This sounds complicated and though examples appear simple, Haiku IS more complex. My pupils enjoyed the basics simply because they could count syllables and it was, mostly, for them, the ingenious finding and grouping of words/syllables to fit the subject and the 5-7-5 structure, crucially [for them] without rhyme. In the hands of a Master, of course, it is much more. Interestingly in the little Basho book, many, many of the examples do not fit the exact traditional structure; many are of four lines length but this may well be because of the translation from Japanese to English. The actual word, Haiku, for instance, has two syllables in English but three in Japanese!

Two examples of Basho’s most famous poems are the ' silent pond' above and:

On a withered branch

A crow has alighted
Nightfall in Autumn.
                                   

 An early twentieth century haiku by Japanese 

poet, Natsume Soseki

Over the wintry forest

winds howl in rage

with no leaves to blow.

A modern Western haiku from The New Haiku edited by John Barlow and Martin Lewis:

empty cafe

he hangs a spoon

on the waitress’s nose. (Sounds as if they are getting friendly! AND no 5-7-5 here.)

And one of my inexpert attempts, just written:

Wait! I will show you

Warm brick wall with flowers wreathed.

My terrace; my pride!

Criticism of my effort above is undoubtedly centred on the rampant emotion in line 3. Oh dear. Basho's whole existence and practice exuded humility!

Part of the terrace in June

Tap Toe Returns!

On the evening of Saturday July 6^th, the wonderful Tap Toe returned to the Burg to a delighted audience both on the square itself and looking down from the comforts of the upper room of the Tom Pouce restaurant.

 Consummate performers all!

It provided a splendid spectacle, with a total of five participating groups: the Trompetterkorps Van De Federale Politie; Drumspirit; Drum & Showfanfare, Advendo from the Netherlands; Reading Scottish Pipe Band and the K.H. Het GildeMuziek. As the announcements remained oblique and garbled from where we sat at an upper window, I am only fairly certain as to which name belonged to which organisation except, of course, for the highly obvious and impressive Police group on horseback and the particularly distinctive, be-kilted Scottish pipe band. The super-energetic finalists of the TV Belgium’s Got Talent, appropriately called Drumspirit, were incredibly youthful and full of high spirits, exuding high velocity energy and enthusiasm from first footing! In addition to the accredited groups, great support music was provided by KF Hoger Op Aartrijke.  

The youthful energetic Drumspirit

Not that any group lacked energy, creativity or verve; this was an exciting, action-packed, bagpipe, drum and trumpet-filled evening with musicians marching in formation and ever-changing choreography while playing martial music to a high standard. It would be invidious to rank the five groups-- all were first class in their different ways -- but I was particularly impressed with the extraordinary patience and responses of the horses which were superbly trained. They tolerated constant large-scale,

often unpredictable movement close by; huge noise from cymbals and drums clashing; outbursts of clapping and cheering; a bright array of lamps projecting changing colours on to the facade of the mediaeval Stad Huis to great effect. Just before the end, the arena was plunged entirely into darkness as a signal for Wim Berthelot, the Bruges carillonneur to play from the Belfort.

 Possibly the most adept footwork and choreography of the
entire Tap Toe evening.
World champions Drum & Show FanFare, Advendo.

The Bruges Tap Toe is a highly individual Belgian, perhaps Flemish, perhaps Dutch version of military tattoos which very, very occasionally are presented in the U.K. But Tap Toe isn’t military save for the quasi-military Police group; it seems to consist of interested groups of brass musicians emerging and developing in response to, and as part of, a national/regional  custom. Apparently the term Tap Toe is from the 1680s and described the action of officials who commonly visited taverns to turn off the ale taps to signal to patrons to return home. Though how that relates to the modern Tap Toe is a mystery to me; it definitely has nothing to do with switching off the ale taps!

 Reading Scottish Pipe Band

 KH Het GildeMuziek, Roeselaere.

Over-tourism

 Tourists visiting the beautiful Bonifacius Bridge in Brugge

 Visitors to Brugge on New Year's Eve 2018

Read an item on my Ipad, on CNN, about Over-tourism in various parts of the world, including Brugge and I was reminded about a recent speech by Dirk de fauw, the local Burgomeester which rather shook up the news in Belgium. He was saying that there were now too many day tourists coming to Brugge, more than could be comfortably contained even though this category of visitor stayed only between one and three hours and spent little.

Statue of Hans Memling
in Woensdagmarkt.
Occasionally visited by small art groups.

Normally in Woensdagmarkt where I live, there are relatively few tourists though we are within metres of Jan Van Eyckplein which attracts thousands; Jan Van Eyckplein seems to be the turning point where the tide turns, as it were and visitors perhaps sit to drink or eat there, spending an hour or two before retracing steps towards the centre. But the very centre does seem awash with strolling, happy tourists especially at weekends and on Feast Days. Interestingly, there are sites online advising tourists to Brugge, "this small, exquisite town", how to avoid the crowds!

I have just checked the figures and am amazed to discover that there were 2.5 million people who stayed overnight in 2018 while the record number of day tourists brought the figure of visitors to Bruges in 2018 to 8.3 million. No wonder it feels crowded in Katelijnestraat!! In just two years, numbers have increased by 28.5%. Day visitors, not included in tourist totals, here for shopping and culture, and coming from 17 surrounding municipalities, numbered 1.25 million. Day tourists in 2018 were almost 700,000 more than in the previous year and are often from cruise ships docking briefly in Zeebrugge or on tours combining visits to other cities like Brussels, Ghent, Amsterdam. Numbers of overnight tourists are led by the British with Germany, Spain and Italy closely behind.

 View of visitors from the Rozen Hoed Kai

The ever-popular tour boats increased by 10.3% in popularity over 2017 while the tourist mini-buses were up by 21.2%. An astonishing 848,000 people visited the urban museums and 721,000 went to private musea in Bruges. I could find no figures for the also popular carriage rides pulled by horses whose trotting over the cobbles gives me an enduring delight in this resonant Brugge sound.

Over-tourism, one of the words of the year for the Oxford English Dictionary in 2018, is defined as an excessive number of visitors heading to famous locations, damaging the environment and having a detrimental effect on residents’ lives. Such magnet locations are in the throes of an identity crisis with city fathers world-wide wondering if they can consider turning away such important sources of income.The World Tourism and Travel Council notes that 1.4 billion international tourist trips in 2018 involved visits to the planet’s 300 most popular cities.

 Cruise ships in Zeebrugge terminal

Individual cities need to respond to the developing crisis; Dirk de fauw, Brugge burgomeester notes that visitors outnumber locals by three to one and he proposes limiting the number of cruise ships which can dock at Zeebrugge to two at any one time, rather than the present five ships per day. The local tourist board will also cease to promote day trips perhaps both to reduce visitor numbers and to increase hotel bookings. These measures come in addition to the 1996 ban on building new hotels in the historic centre and the similar 2002 ban on holiday homes.

Taking a break in Jan Van Eyckplein.

 Resting in the Markt.

Plus est en vous

 The controversial modern ticket office of
the newly-reopened Gruuthuse Museum

Five years after its closure for architectural renovation and a virtually new museum installation, the wonderful Gruuthuse Museum has recently re-opened. It is now a first class facility, architecturally perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing building in this little city of stunning mediaeval structures.

 Gruuthuse Museum

 Part of the Bidkapel, the only true
original feature remaining.

Originally built in 1425 and later expanded by the enormously wealthy Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, a high-ranking official of the Burgundian court. His personal motto, Plus est en vous ... there is more in you, often displayed decoratively on roof beams, serves as an inspiration and theme for the new museum. Adapted to the museum, the idea is that there are layers of meaning and significance in the exhibits for the visitor to discover. . So the exhibits are beautiful to see but also have historical art importance and suggest additional meanings for the people of Brugge who made the objects, those who owned the objects and, no doubt, the lowlier denizens who cleaned and moved the objects. As the visitor moves through the museum, he is following a clear narrative of Brugge through the centuries.

The building has intricate stonework, decorative roof gables and a belvedere tower. There is one surviving feature of the original palace; the first floor chapel [now restored to its original state], the bidkapel. It has windows which allowed the Gruuthuse family to worship privately while looking directly into the adjacent church of Onze Lieve Vrouw; their servants, meanwhile, could pray in the rather more austere service chapel below. The family and its retinue were thus spared the indignity of having to mix with lesser aristocrats and the common herd at prayer. The privilege and power of the mediaeval Gruuthuse family is thus eloquently illustrated still.

 Lodewijk van Gruuthuse wearing the
Order of the Golden Fleece.

One important element of the family’s wealth came from its monopoly of gruut, a mixture of flowers and herbs added in the preparation of beer. This was granted in 1200 allowing a tax to be levied on the sale of gruut to brewers. Eventually, this also included the facility to levy taxes on the sale of all brewed beer, a source of huge wealth to the Gruuthuse family over the centuries.

Lodewijk van Gruuthuse himself, was an accomplished diplomat in the service, first, of Philip the Good [1391-1467]. In 1468 he presided over the preparations for the illustrious marriage of Duke Charles to Margaret of York. He hosted Edward 1V of England when the king fled the Wars of the Roses and was granted, in gratitude, the hereditary title of Earl of Winchelsea, a rare honour for a non-Englishman, As owner of an extensive library he commissioned many prestigious works and was a friend and patron of Colard Mansion, godfather to whose son he became. Lodewijk was an international figure and a powerful man in his own society; his power was based not only on wealth but on achievement, culture, influence and character. His eminence and persona convey to the contemporary mind, the enormous power and success of mediaeval Brugge itself of which he was an eminently worthy representative.

 Edward 1V of England

On a personal note, I was sad to hear that there is no disabled access to the museum though great efforts have been made to accommodate the hard of hearing and the visually challenged. It was not until I had actually visited the entire museum that I could see the almost impossibility of circumventing the dozens and dozens of steps and stairs without perhaps, adding an elongated extension solely to accommodate disabled access. I hear that without disabled access, in the U.S.A and the U.K. no finance could have been granted to begin renovation for renewal or re-opening. Interesting.

 Small, beautiful detail from the Bidkapel

 The Belvedere with its commanding views.

Giacometti Exhibition

 L'Homme Qui Marche at
the Galerie Maeght also
appeared at the LAM exhibition

I first became enchanted by the works of Alberto Giacometti when I visited friends in Vence, near Nice, in 2002. They took me to the famous Galerie Maeght which has a major Giacometti collection of 35 major sculptures, 30 drawings and nearly 100 lithographs. [The Kunsthaus in Zurich and the Giacometti Foundation in Paris also have significant collections of the artist’s work.] SO, great excitement that there has been a major exhibition of Giacometti’s work in Villeneuve d’Ascq near Lille which I was able to visit last week at L.A.M. a superb modern art gallery set in rural wooded parkland.

La Galerie Maeght

This major exhibition set his work in context with examples of work by Joan Miro and Picasso among others, and traced his artistic development from his early beginnings in Borgonuovo, Switzerland as the youngest son of Giovanni, a well-known post-Impressionist painter. He, Alberto, moved to Paris in 1922, to study under the sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle, an associate of Rodin. While there, he also experimented with Cubism and Surrealism, and was eventually regarded as one of the leading Surrealist painters. Among his associates were Miro, Picasso, Max Ernst, Hjorth and Balthus. Between 1936 and 1940 his sculpting concentrated on heads, often preferring familiar models like his sister and Isabel Delmer, a close friend. It was around this stage of his development that he began to elongate the statues of Isabel, often small, carving and reducing them to almost paper-thin proportions.

 Giacometti 

 Annette Giacometti 1954

 L'Homme  Qui Pointe  1951

In the fifties, after his marriage in Switzerland to Annette Arm, his sculptures grew larger and even thinner, but always now based on Annette, his model for the rest of his life. Perhaps his largest sculptures, were Grande Femme Debout, 1-1V, [1960] created for a major project for the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York in 1958 but he was dissatisfied with the relationship between sculptures and site and finally withdrew from the commission. His worldwide fame was firmly established in 1962 when he was awarded the Grand Prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale and he finally visited New York in 1965 for a major exhibition of his work at the Museum of Modern Art. During the prolific fifties and sixties, in addition to his wonderful sculptures, he Paris Sans Fin, published in 1965 and for which he wrote the text as the final flourish to his artistic life.
continued to produce many, many lithographs; indeed his final work was of 150 lithographs containing memories of all the places where he had lived, all in a book,

 Roland Dumas

The Fondation Giacometti was established in 1993 by the French state after the death of Annette who had been the sole holder of his property rights. She had worked vigorously to collect a full listing of his authenticated works, gathering documentation and location of all his manufactures to counteract the rising number of counterfeited works. In a sad and scandalous coda, in 2007, Roland Dumas, former French foreign minister and executor of Annette Giacometti’s estate, was convicted, with Jacques Tajan, a leading auctioneer, of illegally selling Giacometti’s works and both had to pay the Fondation 850,000 euros.

Giacometti's art flourished despite the scandal and today his exceptional and highly individual works, particularly the famous, pared-down sculptures, are universally recognised as great art and continue to intrigue and delight new generations of admirers.