Esteven's Staircase

[anteros_lmc]

Dear esteven, I took these pictures for you while we were in Portsmouth. The Princess Royal Gallery where the conference was held on the first day was right at the top of this staircase. I was so busy thinking about our presentation that I had walked passed these paintings several times before I noticed them. I think I may have squeaked when I realised what I'd been blithely ignoring!

Master and Commander	The Mauritius Command
Desolation Island	The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour

PS Hope I've got the names right, I had to guess some of them :}

Comments

[esteven]

*is quite overcome*

Thankyouthankyouthankyou

I think I may have squeaked when I realised what I'd been blithely ignoring! And, did you squeak?

Hope I've got the names right, I had to guess some of them :}
*g* Let us not be pedantic, for all love!

Btw, is there a chance you'd repost this entry to perfect_duet?

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Squeaks over here too. Amazing. Glad you smoked it, Anteros.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

You're most welcome my dear :) I'll be going back at the beginning of September so I'll see if I can get pictures of the others. I didn't see all the covers so there may have been another floor I didn't investigate!

And, did you squeak?
I do believe I did! :)

Btw, is there a chance you'd repost this entry to perfect_duet?
I'd be more than happy to. I'll put it up as a public post though, rather than linking back to a locked post here.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

These are the cover paintings of the O'Brian editions that partner has so it was lovely to see the originals :) esteven had told me about the staircase with the paintings while she was visiting so I felt more than a little foolish when I walked past them several times!

[esteven]

I'll put it up as a public post though
Thank you. That is why I asked for a separate post at PD. :)

Reply II

[esteven]

How I envy you!

There are other covers in the museum, esp in the room where they have this exhibition about feeding the navy. (when you enter the museum and go into the room on the left). I think I saw Reverse of the Medal and probably Treason's Harbour there.

[vespican.livejournal.com]

I'm always struck by the little details that Hunt includes in these paintings.
In many of the copies I have of the M & C series, (all trade paper) three, four, or five of the books share a common painting on the spine. The picture is complete when the books are side by side on the shelf.
Dave

[vespican.livejournal.com]

Of course, I have to be a little competitive and use my own cover art as the icon for the above comment.
Dave

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Done!

Re: Reply II

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, I saw that gallery but I didn't manage to go in and have a look. Although the conference was wonderful, the downside was that we didn't really have time just to browse around the dockyard. I really must go back just to see the place properly sometime

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes! Those are the same editions we have, though we don't have the full set of that particular imprint. They're lovely educations :) It was great to be able to see the original paintings

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I think that's allowed :) Your own cover art wouldn't look at all out of place adorning that staircase!

Re: Reply II

[esteven]

I just love Portmouth, and see that I go there whenever I come over.

Had you already written about your lecture? How was it received? Can it be read somewhere?

[vespican.livejournal.com]

Noticed that not all of my Master and Commander collection have that feature. And I might have noted elsewhere that the painting on "21" appears to be a work in progress, not nearly as refined as the others.
Dave

Re: Reply II

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I wrote a wee post about the conference here and there's a copy of the paper on our research blog if you would like to read it :)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Number 21? Which book is that? I'll have to have a look to see if we've got it.

[vespican.livejournal.com]

"21" is the unfinished book that PO'B was working on at the time of his death. It has about five chapters printed, based on his typed manuscript, set side by side with his handwritten copy. There's more that's just hand written. I seem to remember posting something about it in late June or early July. I'll have a look through my archives and see if I can come up with a link.
Dave

[vespican.livejournal.com]

Hey, I always have problems trying to put links in comments, so I've posted a new entry with a link to my post of about a month ago regarding "21."
Dave

[aletheiafelinea.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely! I can't decide which one is my favourite. :)

Re: Reply II

[esteven]

Thank you for the link, it was an interesting read, esp as Portsmouth is so very dear to me. :)

I would like to read the paper itself though, if you do not mind letting me have a link to your research blog?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

They're lovely pictures but I'm afraid the pics aren't very good. I snapped them in a bit of a rush and it was hard to get a decent angle on the stairs. I'll try and take better ones next time :)

Re: Reply II

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I thought I had sent you the address of our blog, but if I haven't I will do so right away! :)

Re: Reply II

[esteven]

Thank you.

*beams*

[esteven]

Sorry again for barging into your conversation with anteros, but I so adore the Hunt paintings. You have seen the Geoff Hunt DVD?

I have the fondest recollections of the paintings in Portmouth in summer 2009 when they were explained to us by Colin White.

[vespican.livejournal.com]

I don't see that you've barged in at all. I'll have to look out for the Geoff Hunt DVD. I haven't seen it.

To me, the unique thing about his paintings is that he remembers that there are people on these ships. Often painters portray the ship but forget the humanity that goes with them.
Dave

[esteven]

You are being very kind.

Maybe you can find it cheaply at ebay. I have only seen it on amazon.com, and no longer on amazon.uk. It is interesting to hear him talk about how he constructs his paintings and he is such an O'Brian fanboy to boot

...and Jack Aubrey is in nearly all of his cover art.
Em