Whistler - London Lockdown - Day 24

Lovely day here in London - cool, crisp, spring air with a warming bright sun. Thought today with our daily exercise, we would try the walking path along the Thames. Our thinking was that being earlier in the day we might miss all the runners and joggers and their sprays! It worked to a limited degree - still needed to coverup when one went past, even with “distancing“!

The tide was in today, so a slightly more pleasant outlook. The Thames isn’t the prettiest of rivers in this part of it's course, but surround environs hold their own attraction (plus, huge pound value!). 

Blooming wisteria near the Thames!

… and more wisteria.

The wisteria has now started to bloom in many gardens, changing fairly drab brick buildings into much more attractive places. 

The Thames walking path looking back towards Stamford Brook.

Thames houseboats at rest.

The Thames looking towards Barnes Bridge.

On our walk today we met an interesting chap, Alan, near the Old Chiswick Churchyard. Alan pointed out a famous grave in the topside of the adjacent cemetery. This was the resting place of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), the famous American artist who was based primarily in London. The Tate Gallery sums up his work as follows:

"He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". ...his art is marked by a subtle delicacy, while his public persona was combative. He fond a parallel between painting and music and entitled many of his paintings "arrangements", "harmonies", and "nocturnes", emphasising the primacy of tonal harmony." 

James McNeill Whistler's grave in the Old Chiswick Cemetery. 

A selection of Whistlers famous paintings: Symphony in White, No. 1; The Artist’s Mother; Symphony in White No 2: The Little White Girl; Arrangement in Pink, Red and Purple; Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge; The Artist Studio.

As we were wandering out of the churchyard, we noticed a headstone that read of a family member who was buried in a Hobart cemetery, Tasmania. Perhaps the cemetery was at Queenborough Sandy Bay.

Headstone in the Old Chiswick Cemetery.