Lee Miller
"Lee Miller is one of the most renowned female icons of the 20th century - a unique individual admired as much for her free-spirit, creativity and intelligence as for her classical beauty."
It's at the V & A. Go!
Born 100 years ago this year, she was an amazing woman. The quintissential modern woman. The first supermodel, turned photographer and war correspondent. Can you imagine? She wrote an article on the Nazi death camps for Vogue in 1945. There are photos of her in Hitler's bath. It was strange looking at the photo of her as a child and realised that she was raped that year. This might (might?) have accounted for her rebellious nature. Well she took some fabulous photos and had an amazing life meeting and being friends with Picasso and Man Ray. There is a portrait of her by Picasso at the exit and lovely one of him with her son. How lucky to have been surrounded by so many amazing people of her time. An inspiration.
Afterwards I sat in the cafe and did a couple of drawings. I am finally realising how important this is. To sit and observer. I think Picasso said that art was a kind of diary or something like that. If you look at Alice Neel the people she painted are all of their time. Love her!
It's funny going back to the art now. I still block myself and find a billion other things to do instead yet this is what truly makes me happy, why do I avoid it? It is so satisfying. I have been reading a Margaret Forster novel about Gwen John. Excellent account of how it feels to be an artist and a girl. It tells of a painting by her and it's imagined journey (taking its chance) from one owner to another through the ages and its power, how people see and feel differently, about their individual responses. A good read. Like Atonement. I immediately wanted to start it from the beginning again as soon as I had finished.
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