Philip Spires commonplace book

I have kept a commonplace book for many years. It's a place where scraps of impressions are filed for future reflection. It's not a diary, it's just a mental scrapbook, concentrating on book reviews, concert reviews, visual arts and some occasional pieces on travel. It is also a place where I occasionally reflect on what I write. Details of my books can be found at http://www.philipspires.co.uk

Showing posts with label sculpture. Show all posts

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Like Life – the catalogue by Luke Syson, Sheena Wagstaff, Emerson Bowyer, and Brinda Kumar

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Like Life was a 2018 sculpture exhibition at New York's Met Breuer Museum. Its catalogue of the same name not only illustrates many of t...

Sunday, September 13, 2020

History of Modern Art by H H Arnason

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H H Arnason’s History of Modern Art is certainly worth reading. Even if you have no interest in art, you will at least benefit from the...

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Costa Blanca Arts Update - Sex on the Beach – sculptures by Antoni Miró in Altea

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Two years ago, artist Antoni Miró exhibited a series of sculptures around Valencia’s old port district. Opinion at the time was divided ...

Monday, August 24, 2020

Self-promotion or self-demotion? An emotional observation.

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I read qu ite a lot. I also try to review each book I read. Sometimes it’s a cursory mention of themes, settings and plot, just enough just ...

Friday, August 7, 2020

Costa Blanca Arts Update - Spanish Brass and Zélia Rocha

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There has not been much opportunity to review arts events of late. I am sure I don’t have to explain why. But over the last few weeks ther...

Monday, July 6, 2020

Why did I write Eileen McHugh, a life remade?

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I wanted to explore several strands, the first and most important being the interrelationship between popular and populist, understanding t...

Monday, April 16, 2012

Arte Español Para Extranjeros by Ricardo Abrantes, Araceli Fernández, Santiago Manzarbeitia

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Arte Español Para Extranjeros by Ricardo Abrantes, Araceli Fernández, Santiago Manzarbeitia is a superb idea, an excellent read and a perfec...

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Sculpture by Vicente Pérez Gonsálvez at Klein-Schrueder

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In an exhibition in Fundación Klein-Schreuder, sculptor Vicente Pérez Gonsálvez presents a series of works in marble. The materials, white, ...

Friday, December 23, 2011

Figurative Expression - The Art of Antoni Miro

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It is certainly a considerable privilege to have the opportunity to visit the house and studio of an accomplished artist with an internation...

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Antonio Mari on show at the Sculpture Garden in Alfas del Pi

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Sometimes, perhaps rarely, people have a vision. They not only see, they see through or beyond, allowing them to appreciate, often quite sud...

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About Me

philipspires: I was born in Wakefield and was brought up in Sharslton, a mining Village. I went to London University and then became a maths teacher, working initially as a volunteer teacher in Kenya. I spent sixteen years in London, in Balham and Islington. In 1992, I left Britain for Brunei and then Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. I currently live in La Nucia, near Benidorm in Spain. I am interested in the relationship between nature and nurture, birthright and experience. Themes of culture and identity and their relation to economic and social roles underpin my writing. What we are born into relates to what we become, but we are rarely in control. What others do, our interests and intellects and the way we choose to earn a living, all of these shape us into what we become. It may be that culture is the sum of all assumptions that others make on our behalf, whereas identity represents our reactions to them. I did a PhD on the effects of education in economic development in the Philippines. I was President of Alfas del Pi Music Society for twelve years.

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