Sunday 21st December - The Day of Rest

Good morning, my lovelies!  Today is Sunday and the Winter solstice, so as we only have a little bit of daylight, I think we should take it easy and catch up on a bit of hibernation.  After all, it is the day of rest...

The Day of Rest (1904) Patrick Downie

This is definitely my most Scottish Blogvent.  Patrick Downie (1854-1945) was from Greenock in Scotland and was the first artist from Greenock to be exhibited in the Royal Academy.  His painting, The Day of Rest is a view of his home town, covered in snow with the faint winter sun filtering through the clouds.  All is half-light and silence, the boats are still and the paths untrod and the town is in a state of slumbering until the days stretch out towards the promise of Spring.

A Winter Sunset, Mid Quay, Greenock (1888)

Downie is a very apt artist for me to look at during this season.  I tend to feel a bit defeated by it all in the run up to New Year, a bit like all the work amounts to nothing, but I could learn a lesson from Patrick Downie.  He worked and worked, moving from his home town then back again, taking different jobs to make ends meet and finally got to exhibit at the Institute of Fine Art in Glasgow. Queen Mary pointed his picture out the be the one she liked best and his career blossomed.  Even in the dark and cold of Winter, we should never forget that the light is never far away all all we need to do is hang on in there.

Today's present suggestion is one of my favourite films and just right for snuggling up in front of on a chilly winter's night...

Bright Star tells the story of Fanny Brawne and her relationship with the poet John Keats.  It is beautifully shot, the most wonderful use of colour and tone, and filled with his poetry.  Such a gentle film, the romance and humour are so subtle and beautiful that it is impossible not to be swept along.  I love the scene with the butterflies, symbolising the uncertain future of love, but mainly because of the teenage misery that follows the romantic bliss of our heroine.

If you have ever loved anyone with a complete git of a best friend, then this is definitely the film for you as it boasts one of the most annoying characters ever in the shape of Charles Browne. The cast is exceptional, the poetry is wonderful and the moment with the human orchestra is sublime.  It has been out for a few years now so you should be able to buy it reasonably cheaply, so you too can wonder at the beauty of Keats, just like the Pre-Raphaelites.

See you tomorrow...