WHERE ART DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEET CRAFT

This week I attended the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy. As always some of my favourites are exhibiting: Allen Jones, he of the amazing female forms and bright original  colours, with a couple of stunners - one oil and one incredibly sexy sculptural creation in painted glass and reinforced plastic, each a snip at £90,000; Ken Howard, with six oils of the kind 99% of the world that uses its eyes would love to have but couldn't afford; the late Ben Levene whose work is just unarguably good, six of the best here; six eccentric paintings, oddly shaped canvases, by Anthony Green whose work cannot fail to fascinate and amuse (I have a tie designed by Anthony: I once presented him with a photo of me wearing that tie, printed on a T shirt, above the words Keith Diggle Wears My Tie - which, bless him, he wore until it almost fell off. Or so he says). There were three prints by Maurice Cockrill: I am proud owner of two original large paintings in acrylic dating from his Liverpool days; there was one beautiful landscape by an old friend of mine, the Irish painter Carey Clarke, who is the greatest painter I have ever known - why has there never been a London exhibition of this man's work? There was Tracey Emin, with sketches and a white neon tube bearing the words, 'I Whisper To My Past, Do I Have Another Choice' who, as far as I am concerned. might well consider making another tube saying 'Art Is What you Can Get Away With'.

In the same room as our Trace there is a work by Michael Craig-Martin. See it below. It is called FATE which is overlaying a picture of a gate. It is a nice picture with a bit of meaning attached. Get it? I am not going to find fault with this picture, in fact I rather like it,  but I am going to draw your attention to the gate. Have you, dear reader, any comment to make on the gate? A clue - on its construction? Use the comment box. When you are given some choices as to who you are just click on Anonymous - don't ask me why, it just works if you do this. If you want to be known then write your name at the end of your comment and it will appear here.