Comfort and inspiration

This time Sunday I will hopefully have finished the Berlin marathon!  I've been taking it easy this week in terms of exercise (wish I could say the same on work front, seem to have to work equivalent of 5 extra days to take 3 days out).

A few odds and ends to tidy up today, but I was keen to get out to see the Hiroshi Sugamoto exhibition at the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art before it closes on Sunday.  I went to the main building first, only to discover that the Sugimoto exhibition was over the road at what used to be called the Dean Gallery.  Still, was interested to look at the Tony Cragg exhibition that was on at the main site. (I've got an annual 'Friend membership' so get free entry into all the exhibitions).  As it turns out, I probably enjoyed this one more.  And a good warm up for the trip to Germany as Tony Cragg is Director at a Dusseldorf modern art gallery and has been working out of Germany for 30-40 years.

I know modern art isn't for everyone, but I find as I get older I like it more and more.  There was something about the smoothness of his sculptures, and the way they blend man-made and natural form in a very fluid way that's just very pleasing and easy on the eye.  The pictures don't do it justice, you really should go and take a look if you like sculpture or modern art.

After a bite of lunch in the superb cafe (I had a mug of sweet potato, coconut and chickpea soup together with a ham, cheddar, cherry tomato, rocket and caramelised onion ciabatta sandwich. Yum. But no cake on this occasion... Unusual...), I went over the road to the old Dean to look at the Sugimoto.

Loved his Lightning Fields pictures too.  Again that intriguing blend of natural forms and shapes with scientific, man-made materials.  Very nice to look at and very evocative.  Obviously not as obvious and prescriptive as your older art, but equally beautiful to look at.  As Sugimoto puts it in the notes at the exhibition, "Both art and science sprang from observing the natural world."

It was pretty sunny as I headed back to pick up my car and I wandered about the landform for 5 or 10 minutes, which has been joined on the lawn by some of the Cragg sculptures.  Several groups out enjoying the art and the sunshine, nice to see.  The shapely weeds in the water of the landform could easily have been taken out of either the Tony Cragg or the Hiroshi Sugimoto shows.

Sadly lots of things still to do and I came home and headed out for a gentle 20-minute run.  Last one before I line up at the start line for Berlin marathon on Sunday...  Not 100% peak fitness but chiropractor seems to have successfully sorted me so I'll be able to run without pain - at the start line anyway!  I take comfort in the fact that I'm lucky to be able to do it, I'm getting to go to Berlin and I can just enjoy the experience! I also take comfort in any useful positive messages that I might see around about me - like this one from the modern art gallery earlier today...