Self-Winding · A Sort of Progression

'Aren't we enlarged
by the scale of what we're able
to desire? Everything,
the choir insists,


might flame;
inside these wrappings
burns another, brighter life,
quickened, now,


by song: hear how
it cascades, in overlapping,
lapidary waves of praise? Still time.
Still time to change.'

(Mark Doty: Messiah)

The last picture in this line-up is by Adriaen van Ostade, of a Dutch painter in his studio; it illustrates well the source of a persistently repeated feature of 17thC Dutch painting, the left-of-canvas window. It is probably giving on to the famous cool North light, but can one tell? I saw how often this occurs while looking up some Vermeer sources. Having checked through a few books and on the web, so far I have not come across specific reference to the habit. So many artists' ateliers must have had that special window. The pictures here represent only a few of dozens. There is much talk in the literature about Dutch light and I expect that somewhere someone has touched on this. I'll keep looking.

This is Angelina, she's small and plastic & held together with an old elastic band. I remember exactly the moment I bought her one freezing winter day in the late 1940's. We must have been a bit hard up then, I wanted a new dolly very much and I think Mum probably managed to divert a little cash from the housekeeping. In her winter coat and hat, she took me (in pixie hood and gloves on strings) down to a shop in Portobello Road, into bright lights and wide wooden counters just at my eye-level; on one was a display of boxed dolls and Angelina sat at the front as advertisement. I thought her beautiful and, in spite of the saleslady's protests, would accept no other, even though she had no box, it had to be her. I carried her home in my arms and loved her for years. She cost three shillings and threepence. The shop was Woolworths, a store that served us so well for many decades, but finally, and sadly, lost its way and now goes to the wall.