One of the benefits of working for a publishing company, is that you come across subjects about which you know either nothing or very little. Even just reading the cover blurbs you end up by expanding your knowledge considerably and by reading the book you, of course, become an instant expert.One such book I came across focused on the Glasgow designer and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and I have always wanted to visit Glasgow to see his work. One of the really sad things about Mr Mackintosh he was still alive to see his style fall from favour and had to witness his famous interiors ripped out, his furniture sold off second hand and even some of his buildings pulled down.
While he later became celebrated throughout the world, he remained unrecognised in his native Scotland until well into 1970s. What remained was mainly his furniture and a handful of buildings. The fantastic Kelvingrove Gallery has an extensive collection of furniture and interior fittings, the Glasgow School of Arts is an entire building complete with Mackintosh interiors (most of which survived the recent fire), and the exterior of the Glasgow Herald building includes the stunning 'lighthouse' with great views over Glasgow. In addition the famous Willow Tea Rooms have been restored. In reality, I thought the furniture stylish but a bit rough, seemingly produced by amateur cabinet makers. Likewise the interior of the Willow Tea lacked finesse, the tea was delicious, though the sponge was stale.
No comments:
Post a Comment