Leningrad

It's on its way to London.

Did you see it in 'Guardian Weekend'? The article was titled 'Is this the most Beautiful modern painting in the World?'

When I saw this massive painting on a visit to Leningrad in the eighties it zapped my eyeballs and dropped my jaw! After a few minutes the Jaaazzfan thoughtfully rearranged my face.

I was already a Matisse fan - but to find him in communist Russia on the top floor of the Hermitage was a mind blowing surprise. Yes that's me in the photos - from that day my liking turned to semi obsession.

The trip to Leningrad (it reverted to St Petersburgh in 1991) was jointly organised by NUT and NUPE (now Unison) and fuelled by gallons of cheap vodka. We visited a school and sat in on perfect lessons.

In spite of the fact that this school was called A1, we were assured that all schools were exactly the same. This myth didn't survive the next day when we came upon a school trip of badly dressed, cheeky students smoking behind the teacher's back.

'The Dance' was commissioned in 1909 by Schukin - Matisse's Russian sponsor who almost lost his nerve when he saw the finished painting. In later years Matisse became much more conventional and painted interiors and reclining ladies (odalisques).


According to the Manchester Evening News it's now cheaper to travel Virgin Atlantic to NY than to go to London by train. So you'll have to go and see it for me.

I shall now throw off all my clothes and dance naked in the park. But - hold on - it's a bit chilly and a bit wet and I don't want to frighten the ducks. Do I?

KAZ