This is a curious story. It seems that our new Prime Minister, Free-Gear Keir, has removed historic portraits of Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Ralegh from a reception room in 10 Downing Street, replacing them with two studies by Paula Rego inspired by the predella of Carlo Crivelli's Madonna della Rondine altarpiece (that's the predella above). Personally, I would find anything by Paula Rego harder to live with than Walt and Liz, but Starmer doesn't seem to have a problem: his difficulty, he has said, is with pictures looking at him. 'I don't like images and pictures of people staring down on me. I've found it all my life' (his only reason, he says, for removing portraits of Gladstone and Lady Thatcher from Downing Street). If this is true, it is almost interesting. So too is something Douglas Murray mentions in his latest Spectator piece, aptly titled 'Does Keir Starmer have a soul?': 'When asked what his favourite novel was before the election, Starmer said he doesn't have one. A favourite poem? Doesn't have one. To cap the anti-aspirational tenor of the times, he was asked about dreaming and he said he doesn't have a dream.' So, this much, if true, we know about this strange man: he doesn't like pictures looking at him, doesn't have a dream, and probably doesn't read (in any real sense). Hmm.
To make things stranger still, a Downing Street spokesman has declared that the Paula Rego replacement scenario had nothing to do with the present incumbent anyway, but was part of a planned reshuffle of the government art collection. So maybe there's no story here at all. Ah well...
In retirement, my grandfather took up painting; I have a number of his paintings, one depicting a Spanish princess. An uncle had it briefly until his wife walked around a corner late one night and jumped to see the eyes on her. When I got the painting, I offered it to my brother, but his daughters do not like paintings that look at one. So Starmer is not alone in this.
ReplyDeleteInteresting – thanks George. I guess living in 10 Downing St would be something of a torment for people with this quirk – and the National Portrait Gallery must be a total no-go area...
DeleteTo be fair to Keir, I read a lot but I couldn't name one 'favourite' novel or poem. I don't take a league table approach to literature.
DeleteNeither do I, Anon, but then I'm not an incoming PM, who should be expecting this kind of question somewhere along the way. The answers politicians give are most likely something their 'people' have come up with, but at leas they have something to say.
DeleteQ: And music Prime Minister - do you have a particular favourite? KS: Well...not really. Q: Might I therefore suggest Prokofiev's Opus 4, Number 4, the Suggestion Diabolique?
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
DeleteStarmer may not have a favourite poem or novel, but today I learn that he does have a favourite Taylor Swift song. It is, of course, Change. Good to know.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it isn't true that KS lacks an interest in the written word and indeed would it would be unheard of in someone with his education and professional background. This article sheds a little light on the situation https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024/07/a-politicians-favourite-novel-speaks-volumes-keir-starmer-doesnt-have-one
ReplyDeleteThanks, A N
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