What a strange and rarified world. No-one tells you how to behave when you look at paintings, yet there is quite definitely an etiquette to be observed, as silently forceful as that of the classical music concert. I sensed that you’re not supposed to say (as I did) “Oh I like that!”
But sod it, I did like lots of it, and one of my favourite paintings was the portrait of Anna Akhmatova by Nathan Altman, though you really do have to see it for real. I’m not a frequent visitor of galleries, but this exhibition in particular convinced me that reproductions are no substitute. Puni’s red violin, for example, is astonishing in real life, bright, fresh, clean and buzzing with life. It looks like nothing much at all on a postcard. For one thing, you can’t get immersed in the colour-world of the picture when it’s 5×7, but standing in front of it, you have no choice.
