If there was one bit of culture worth tramping down off the South Downs Way for, then it was Charleston Farmhouse, occupied by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and frequently visited by other members of the Bloomsbury set.
It was obtained during World War 1 so that Grant could claim to be labouring on the land and thereby avoid being drafted to the army.
The walls were hung with great art, both that of the artists, and others which they had collected.
However, what I particularly enjoyed were the two fireplaces designed by Roger Fry. They were not beautiful like the dining table, hand painted by Vanessa Bell, nor cool like the rug designed by Duncan Grant.
Although Fry was the foremost art critic of his day, his two fireplaces were ugly makeshift constructions which used slabs of firebrick to extend the hearth further into each room.
The reason I like them is because, like nothing else, they conjure up a picture of the privileged upper middle class writers and artists from London scratching their heads as to how on earth to keep warm in this primitive farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
No comments:
Post a Comment