The Art Exhibition
Several coffees, shopping to buy umbrellas and a tube journey later, Lee and Lucy emerged from Westminster underground station and started walking towards the Tate Britain. The weather wasn't any better here, and there weren't many people around.
"So what is this art exhibition we're going to see then?"
"It's called 'Work, Rest and Play'".
"What's that, artwork using melted Mars Bars instead of paint?"
"No Lee, it's an exhibition of work by new artists depicting a variety of aspects of work and leisure in the UK".
"Oh, right. So will it be paintings, sculpture, or what?
"A mixture apparently. It should be interesting. I read some reviews of it online and they were all positive".
"I don't know, I still like the melted Mars Bar idea".
"I bet you do, I can just imagine you going around licking the paintings".
"Mmm, edible art, why hasn't anyone thought of that?".
"They probably have. Just not in the exhibition we're going to see. If you're hungry maybe we should stop somewhere and have lunch first".
"Okay, let's do that"...
...
At the gallery...
The first piece Lee and Lucy came to was an impressionist painting of a seaside scene. It was simply called 'holiday'.
"I wonder where this is. The description doesn't say where", Lucy pondered.
"It's Blackpool. If you look really closely you can just make out the Blackpool Tower in the distance", Lee explained. He continued,
"This reminds me of being a child. We always went on holiday to Blackpool. I loved it there".
"I always wanted to go there as a child. My parents never wanted to drive that far, so we always went to Brighton or Dorset. I remember other children at school saying they'd been there to see the illuminations and it always sounded like some magical place to me".
"I wouldn't describe as that. It's kind of tacky and loud and the beach isn't the best in the world, but as a child it had everything you could want from a holiday resort".
"Still, as tacky and loud as it is I'd like to go there just because I want to experience it".
"I tell you what, I'll take you there one day if you like".
"Is that an official offer? Will you really take me there?"
"Yep, we can stay for the weekend in an old fashioned guest house with a scary landlady, I can show you all of my old childhood haunts, the pleasure beach, the pier, the promenade, the tower, the best ice cream in the Northwest. As long as your expectations aren't too high you'll love it".
"How many times have you said that to a woman?"
"Ouch! I'll gloss over that comment, for now".
"One thing though, I'm not sure about the guesthouse".
"Sorry, I wasn't assuming we'd share, I mean we could have separate rooms if you wanted".
"I don't have a problem sharing a room with you, it's the scary landlady thing that puts me off. I'll take you up on your offer as long as we can stay in a proper hotel".
"Okay, a proper hotel it is".
Lucy smiled shyly as she met Lee's gaze. He was blushing, and she was was pretty sure her cheeks were as red as his. The temperature in the room seemed to have risen by several degrees all of a sudden.
Lee couldn't believe that Lucy had just agreed to spend a weekend in a hotel together. So far this seeing how things go thing appeared to be going very well indeed.
They walked towards the next exhibit, Lucy slightly ahead of Lee.
"'Company' by Daniel Garrett. This one will be up your street Lee. There's a naked woman".
"So I see, and a naked man. Oh, are they having sex?"
"No Lee, they're playing naked Monopoly and they've fallen on top of each other. Of course they're having sex".
"Naked Monopoly, that sounds like fun. Do y..."
"Don't even say it. The woman is certainly in a very...interesting position".
"I'd have gone for uncomfortable".
"Well, to be that flexible she must do Pilates, that's all I can say".
"You do Pilates".
Lee didn't know why that had come out of his mouth. Why did I say that?, he thought to himself. Now Lucy will be thinking that I'm imagining her using her...flexibility...in the bedroom. He braced himself for a telling off or stare of disapproval. It never came.
"Yes, I do", was Lucy's response
Lucy's eyes met Lee's then and they just gazed at each for a few seconds, neither willing to look away. Lucy cleared her throat and returned her focus to the painting.
"Anyway, it's very well painted don't you think? This artist really knows how to capture the nude form".
Lee exhaled at last very relieved that Lucy had moved the conversation on.
"He certainly does. It's quite...graphic. Clearly this one's in the 'leisure' category".
"Actually it's both".
"What?"
"The woman in the painting is a prostitute".
"Oh. How do you know that?".
"It's says so in the description".
"Oh, yeah".
"Do you think he painted this from his imagination or do you think it's drawn from real life?"
"Real life".
"How do you know that?"
"It says so in the description. You haven't quite mastered the whole reading thing yet have you?
"The note says the artist visited a brothel and was present during a 'meeting' between the lady and her client".
"Meeting?, that's an interesting euphemism".
"Anyway, he sketched the basic outline of the painting then completed it in his studio after the event".
"Sounds like the painting was just an excuse for him to engage in some voyeurism then. I can imagine the conversation with his wife when he got home. 'No darling I didn't just go to a brothel to watch a prostitute having sex with one of her clients. I was doing research'. I'm surprised they're allowed to show this here".
Lee felt a little uncomfortable looking at this picture with Lucy. After all, he already found it difficult enough in her presence to not think about sex. To not let his mind wander to inappropriate thoughts every time he looked at her. To not imagine what it would be like to kiss her right now, to run his fingers through her hair and part her lips with his tongue, taste her, touch her, to feel her hands exploring his body, to make her sigh and moan as he held her against the wall and dragged his lips over her neck...
Lee pinched himself then, forcing himself to snap out of his daydream. No, right now he really didn't need sex waved in front of his face.
"Why? It's not exactly pornographic".
"It doesn't leave much to the imagination".
"Of all people, I never expected you to be a prude. It's artistic".
"Yet you once said the magazines you found in my room were filthy".
"That's...different. You can't actually see any...you know...private parts in this painting".
"I'm not being a prude. I'm just saying, this painting is borderline pornographic. I can see the artist is very talented. It's just the subject...I don't know, it seems a bit...exploitative. That woman's not only having to sleep with with that old man but also be watched and painted by the artist. I don't suppose she got paid that well and the artist will no doubt make thousands when this gets sold".
"I see what you're saying, and I sort of agree. But the prostitute must have consented to the transaction. She would have been paid by the client and the artist. Some feminists consider that as long as prostitution is by choice, then it's a valid career like any other. They argue that in the dynamic between between prostitute and client it's the prostitute who holds the power. That their work is a way of gaining substantial financial reward and therefore independence, that what they are selling is no different to say...you selling ice creams. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with that, and of course those arguments can't apply in every case, but I don't see what the difference is between this situation and the nude models in your magazines. Not to mention the women in those films you watch online".
"You've got a point, to be honest, I've stopped watching those films and I was going to get rid of my magazines anyway. I never look at them now. I'm not that person anymore".
Lee had found he didn't get much pleasure from either of those thing these days. The women in them, well quite simply they weren't Lucy. It was only her he fancied and wanted now. Anyone else just didn't do it for him anymore.
"I'm glad to hear it. Lee?"
"Yes?"
"Did we just have an intellectual debate about whether the study of the human body in art can be considered exploitation?"
"I think we sort of did. And I enjoyed it".
"And did you just say you won't be looking at girly magazines or online porn anymore?"
"Yes I did say that".
"Tell me then, who are you and what have you done with Lee?"
"Well, when you have a near death experience it changes your outlook, it makes you reevaluate things. I've decided it's about time I stopped behaving like a teenager and became more...responsible, and more thoughtful. I've wasted too much of my life wallowing in my own lazy, selfish existence. I want to learn stuff, experience new things. I want to be a better person, not just for me, but for y...for...other people".
"Wow, that's great Lee. I always knew you had it in you, although I don't think you were entirely selfish before by the way, you've always been there for me. You're better than you think you know, you're a good person".
'It means a lot to me that you think so. I'm going to need some help by the way, with all of this. I'm going to need you to guide me through this whole growing up thing".
"Okay, I'd be happy to. Promise me one thing though".
"What's that?"
"That you won't lose your sense of humour and fun. There's something delightfully contagious about your happy-go-lucky nature. Okay, so it's not necessarily a good thing to be like that all the time but I like it when you make me laugh. Promise me you'll always keep making me laugh".
"I promise. Talking of fun, about that naked Monopoly thing..."
Lucy rolled her eyes but found herself grinning at the same as she walked off ahead. There he was, same old cheeky but charming Lee.
The next piece at the gallery was a sculpture of a miner, called 'A Lost World'.
Lucy examined it closely.
"This is good, I really like this. The way the artist has captured the physicality of the person, and the detail, you can almost see the years of toil etched into the man's face. It's very cleverly done. What do you think Lee?".
"I agree, even the eyes, it's like they could tell a million stories. They've managed to portray the man as strong, brave and proud, but I also see a tiredness and struggle in his eyes. I'm very impressed. What's the sculptor called?".
Lucy was slightly taken aback. She had half expected Lee to do nothing but be negative and make sarcastic remarks at the exhibition. When she'd dipped in to buying and selling art a few years ago with the help of Guy, Lee had made it clear what he thought about that whole world. But now he seemed to be something of a changed man, almost brimming with enthusiasm, and clearly had a natural flare for talking about art. An art critic in the making perhaps.
"Erm...Elizabeth Wright".
"It's by a woman?"
"Yes Lee, these days women are allowed into art school you know".
"I didn't mean it like that, I just wrongly thought such a masculine sculpture must be by a man. I'm still learning this whole culture thing remember Lucy, don't judge me".
"Actually, I confess I assumed it was by a man at first as well. Like you say, the work screams masculinity so it's an understandable assumption to make".
"Is she well known, this Elizabeth Wright?"
"No, they're all new artists remember".
"Oh yeah. Well, I reckon she'll go far"
"I agree, this is my favourite exhibit so far".
"Me too. It's the feeling I get looking at it, I can't put my finger on it but it's powerful. Maybe it's something to do with where I came from. I still remember seeing the miners walking past the house on their way back from work, faces filthy with coal dust, and I remember when the mines started to close down, it afffected the whole town. Mining was a way of life, not just a job, there was a whole community that revolved around it. I guess that's why the piece is called 'A Lost World', because when the mines went, that whole way of life disappeared".
"Yep, it's quite sad when you think about it really isn't it?"
"Yes and no. Of course there were hard times but those communities were resilient, and have managed to go on. Yes, mining was many people's world, but it was a tough, physically exhausting and dangerous job. After the mines closed it took time for people to get back onto their feet but there's other employment back home now. I mean, we were talking about exploitation earlier, and there's definitely an argument that miners were exploited. They did all that hard and dangerous work for very little pay, often poorly treated by the colliery owners who were taking all the profits and living it up in their big suburban houses".
"I never really thought about it like that. You hear all this stuff about miners and their communities, you know brass bands and the like, and it's almost like that whole way of life has been glamourised. Or idealised at the very least".
"Exactly. Life in a Northern town wasn't just one big cosy Hovis advert. There was a lot of poverty around. My mum struggled, as a single parent, to make ends meet".
"We really did have very different upbringings didn't we?".
"Yeah we did. Don't get me wrong, having said all of that, my childhood wasn't all about hardship, and it would've been a lot tougher a few generations earlier. I had some great times as a kid, I've got some great memories. I was quite lucky compared to some children. I had a roof over my head, and food on my plate".
"So, were any of your family miners?",
"My grandad was, though he retired before I was born. I think maybe that's why I'm getting goosebumps looking at this sculpture though. Maybe there's mining blood in my veins. I've never felt like that looking at art before, I never expected that to happen".
"Obviously what constitutes 'good' art is in the eye of the beholder, it's subjective, but I always think art should move you, or make you think, or challenge you. That's how I look at it anyway".
"I think that's a good way of looking at it. After all, if art doesn't make you feel something then what's the point?
"Exactly. You know what? You might be new to this whole culture thing but you're a fast learner. Keep going like this and we'll have you graduating from Special Brew to fine wines next".
"One step at a time, Lucy. I shouldn't be running before I can walk".
"True. There's always craft beer. There's several artisan brewerys close to where we live".
"Ha! Craft beer, that's such a hipster fad. They call them 'craft beers' just so they can sell bottles of the stuff at four times the price as other beer to posh boys with buns and beards half way down their chests. At the end of the day beer is beer and if you drink enough of it you'll get pissed. Let's not pretend otherwise".
"I was only joking when I said about the Special Brew / fine wine thing by the way".
"I know you were, it's just the term 'craft beer', it winds me up".
"I can tell. Let's change the subject. I know, let's discuss your elocution lessons".
Lucy was smirking now, and had that mischievous twinkle in her eyes that Lee loved. It was the same look she always had when they were flirting with each other and he couldn't get enough of it.
"Very funny Professor Higgins! I wish I'd never said that thing about wanting to learn new things now. I was asking for trouble".
"Shall we move on to the next piece?".
"I think that's a good idea".
...
Lee really hadn't expected to enjoy the exhibition, but he loved it. He loved the whole experience, spending time in Lucy's company, sharing something she enjoyed, having proper grown up conversations with her. Well, mostly grown up, there was still a lot of flirting and sarcasm. Neither could help themselves, it just came naturally when they were together.
Lee continued to surprise himself and Lucy as they took in the rest the exhibition, many of his opinions and observations about the art unexpectedly insightful and profound. There were a couple of moments when Lee made Lucy cringe, like when he insulted one of the artists in front of his face, and when he mistook one of the sculptures for a rubbish bin. Yet, although she had been embarrassed at the time, these were the moments she knew her and Lee would laugh about back home, and that she would remember in the spent with Lee was never boring, that was for sure. He certainly liked to keep Lucy on her toes, and for some reason instead of putting her off, this only fuelled her attraction to him.
Next chapter: Dog Racing