Here is why Penzance reigns supreme, at least for me: for
all of the silly comparisons made between Penzance and her sister cities, none of them has such a beautiful place as Penlee House
Museum. Or Penlee Park, for that matter.
I discovered them completely by chance heading out for a
stroll with my infant son in his pushchair. A short meandering uphill, instead
of down, took us to the foot of Penlee
Park with its wonderful,
lush playground, vivid with the sounds, colours, and kinetic frenzy of happy
children. We continued uphill, past surprisingly exotic verdure, and at the top
of the park we discovered Penlee House, sitting like a proud Cuban villa
presiding over its plantation. And since those first few moments that I walked
in and was nearly crushed by the power of the Dame Laura Knight exhibition,
Penlee House has been like the beautiful girl who gives me heart palpitations
and makes me want to see her again and again. Great painting will do that for
one. At least for this one.
And for many others also, I’m happy to say. If you go there
this December, you will see an exhibition which hangs the work of contemporary
artists who have been inspired by works from the museum’s collection, side by
side with those very works. Happily, the exhibition has accepted a painting by
this artist, a portrait of his landlady’s daughter. Can you imagine what it
must be like for us living artists, to be in such a show? In popular terms: it
would be like a soccer fan…er…excuse me…football
fan sharing a flat with David Beckham. For six weeks.
I’m no football fan, I confess, and would probably be
irritated by David tracking his muddy sneakers…er…trainers all over the flat…and that he would constantly leave me to
load the dishwasher. Happily, however, rooming with Elizabeth Stanhope Forbes
for six weeks in this exhibition will leave me with no such predicaments.
Victorian women are so much tidier than twenty-first century male athletes!
