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abt London
[[strikethrough]] SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1936 [[/strikethrough]] 
144th Day   222 Days to come

Cont.  S.S. Wash

I have never seen, and an anemone of just such a glorious red. There was a giant hermit crab who must have looked appallingly naked before he found his shell, & what a bloody murder he must have made of the huge Konk Snail he drove out. There was a sign outside of the "glass fish" [[strikethrough]] telling you no [[/strikethrough]] saying "Do not touch glass," which I though rather superfluous. The malatee [[manatee]] - a great legless mammal looking like a sea elephant - except that he at 1/16 of the shape of the shapelessness of the sea elephant. Well so much for the aquarium - in which I spent three dark lone hours. Before sailing I went to see an exhibition of Christopher Wood's paintings. I had seen one I liked in Dorothy Elmhirst's room at Dartington - it looked vital & exciting - though crude - & she told me he had committed suicide at the age of  29 - six years ago. She had lent two paintings of his to the Exhibition, & when I went there I must say I was amazed at the tremendous possibilities he had, & the amount of work he had done - trying everything



abt London
[[strikethrough]] SUNDAY, MAY 24, 1936 [[/strikethrough]] 
145th Day  Sunday After Ascension 221 Days to come

Cont.  S.S. Wash

under the sun in technique & subject & conception, so that [[strikethrough]] between these [[/strikethrough]] these 80 pictures [[strikethrough]] there [[strikethrough]] (he did 200 or 300 in all) [[strikethrough]] was very [[/strikethrough]] were remarkably varied. His crude vitality & rythm reminded me a little of Van Gogh - & his colours are delightful - though his drawing is pretty bad. There is a gay modern poster quality in some of them, & I wished to goodness I had gone there before my last day in London, because I wanted to buy something of his. His paintings were fabulously expensive, but I would have liked to have a drawing, partly because I feel along with many other people that he would have grown into perhaps a great painter, & partly for sentimental reasons. I would have liked a painting - just for the sheer pleasure it would give us to look at it often - but the drawings weren't half as good. I've missed my chance however - for they were all being sold rapidly.

*Gainsborough continued (!) I dislike his fuzzy complicated ultra old-fashioned paintings, but he did just as many simpler & stronger ones, & even one or two startlingly modern ones - with clear bright colors & accurate drawing.

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