Week 2 - RED

The Albert Memorial

I decided to live today as a local. I went on a beautiful run in Hyde Park then I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to get some work done. I even got asked for directions and was able to help the tourists. I’m such a local ;). I found the most charming little spot inside the museum.

From Hyde Park

My little spot

I happened upon a few school groups on field trips and it was just about the cutest thing ever. They have matching outfits and talk in adorable accents.

Cupid and Psyche: at the V&A museum

 

After dropping by the flat for lunch, I went to checkout Primark. It’s pretty much the same thing as Forever 21 and was super crowded. I took the bus there, but I walked back through Hyde Park. I love Hyde Park!!!!!  It continues to take my breath away.
 
I met up with Kelsey for our Pre-Theatre dinner (as they call it )before heading over to the theatre. We saw Red. It's actually still in previews, but I'll include a clip below from the LA production. It's about The Seagram Murals by Mark Rothko. Basically, he was hired to do a set of murals for The Four Seasons restaurant in NYC, but what he created was much darker and heavier than what would be suitable for the restaurant. He gave them to the Tate Modern in London instead. We got to go see them yesterday.

 This is from the LA production, but the Rothko is the same actor as the West End cast.

I'm going to try to put how this show made me feel into words. There was a point during the show when I was overcome with this feeling of "I can't do this." Not as in, I can't watch this show, but as in this world is too dark. There is too much black swallowing red - I was seeing the world through Rothko's perspective and it was tragic. The paintings hanging on stage reminded me of the constant tension in the world; the fight for life that often seems hopeless. I connected with his feeling that no one could properly connect with him. As I am sitting there crying, feeling this pain, Rothko says, "Silence is so accurate." And then we must silently watch them go about their work on stage. I was already crying silently, but now I was aware of my silence. I was aware that there was no one present to see my tears just as Rothko felt there was no one present to truly understand his art. Silence reflects all of the the things that could be said and are not. It reminds us of possibilities, while simultaneously reminding us that a new action is yet to be created.

At one point in the show, Rothko says you must be educated to be an artist. You need to learn about art in order to create art. I believe this to be true, and I realized that's a large part of why I am here in London. I'm learning. I'm exploring written art, living art, painted art, sculpted art, architectural art . . etc. They are all tools to learn how other express, so that I might be able to better discover how I express. The show made me want to go into painting, which reminds me of how I got into acting in the first place. I wanted to know what all of the careers were like; there are endless ways to live and I want to know what it's like for a lawyer, a doctor, a cosmetologist, a seamstress, a dancer . . . the list goes on. Once I realized that through acting I can try them all, it was an obvious choice.

Understanding Rothko's art requires thought and personal application; he feared no one would bring this to their viewing. In the play, Rothko says he fears black. Not black the color, black the thing. Meaning he fears lack of light. His paintings express his fears with vulnerability and authenticity. It requires courage to express as genuinely as he did.

xo

Rebecca