Elsien's Traveblogue
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
London, Friday 26th March 2010
I haven't written for two weeks as I have been in Brussels, catching my breath for a few days, and trying to put together a bid for some more work at the European Commission. These bureaucratic little jobs always take up a lot of time.
Then on Monday I went back to Paris, for another day's teaching at Versaillles. Spring had broken out in Paris: the weather was absolutely glorious, sunshine, almost warm in the afternoons. With the nice weather the tourists had also arrived: Easter holidays had started and Pigalle was choked with tour coaches and school groups. On top of that there were strikes: Railway workers, primary teachers and the admin staff at the courts, causing some disruption. Only half my students made it to class on Tuesday. When I asked them about the reasons for the strike, one of them replied: “French tradition, Madame!”
Took the Eurolines coach overnight back to London. The British Immigration officials showed their vigilance and took a young man off the coach at Calais, no idea why. We still got to Victoria Station by 6am, in the pouring rain. A bit of a downer, after that glorious sunshine in Paris!
However, academic pursuits at Tate Modern soon lifted my spirits. I'm attending a seminar and study day on abstract art, Theo van Doesburg and Arshile Gorky. Academics from all over the world are presenting their papers on this. When I read the first introductions in the programme, I had a slight panic and thought I wasn't going to understand even the first word of some of the lectures, but I seem to be doing OK so far. Some of the presentations are extremely dense, so there is no way I can take notes: listening and trying to follow is as much as I can do in those cases.
I am hoping some of this stuff will come in useful for my third module in my art history course this year, which is all on modern and contemporary art, my weakest area.
In the meantime I am not making much progress with my current module, Renaissance Uccello and biographer Vasari. Will have another go at it tonight, although I also have to write exams for my Versailles students.
I haven't written for two weeks as I have been in Brussels, catching my breath for a few days, and trying to put together a bid for some more work at the European Commission. These bureaucratic little jobs always take up a lot of time.
Then on Monday I went back to Paris, for another day's teaching at Versaillles. Spring had broken out in Paris: the weather was absolutely glorious, sunshine, almost warm in the afternoons. With the nice weather the tourists had also arrived: Easter holidays had started and Pigalle was choked with tour coaches and school groups. On top of that there were strikes: Railway workers, primary teachers and the admin staff at the courts, causing some disruption. Only half my students made it to class on Tuesday. When I asked them about the reasons for the strike, one of them replied: “French tradition, Madame!”
Took the Eurolines coach overnight back to London. The British Immigration officials showed their vigilance and took a young man off the coach at Calais, no idea why. We still got to Victoria Station by 6am, in the pouring rain. A bit of a downer, after that glorious sunshine in Paris!
However, academic pursuits at Tate Modern soon lifted my spirits. I'm attending a seminar and study day on abstract art, Theo van Doesburg and Arshile Gorky. Academics from all over the world are presenting their papers on this. When I read the first introductions in the programme, I had a slight panic and thought I wasn't going to understand even the first word of some of the lectures, but I seem to be doing OK so far. Some of the presentations are extremely dense, so there is no way I can take notes: listening and trying to follow is as much as I can do in those cases.
I am hoping some of this stuff will come in useful for my third module in my art history course this year, which is all on modern and contemporary art, my weakest area.
In the meantime I am not making much progress with my current module, Renaissance Uccello and biographer Vasari. Will have another go at it tonight, although I also have to write exams for my Versailles students.
Archives
August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 March 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 February 2009 September 2009 December 2009 February 2010 March 2010 June 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 February 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 June 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 December 2012 March 2013 April 2013 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018
