Ed Ruscha - Hayward Gallery - 07/12/09

I caught the Ed Ruscha retrospective at the Hayward Gallery earlier this month (just before seeing The Dirty Three at the QEH). The big lesson learned was - go to art galleries more often late afternoon during the week. The Hayward was beautifully - almost sumptiously - deserted, and I was able to stroll through the rooms practically only with the gallery assistants as company. A real pleasure compared to some of the scrums you are occasionally faced with.

The exhibition proved to be a bright, vivid celebration of colour, form and language. The combination of bold colours, clean, crisp lines and diagonal angles was very impressive. As I walked through I thought it was a successful example of good conceptual art. The panoramic landscapes, juxtaposed with striking text had real visual, almost cinematic beauty - my favourite was 'A Particular Kind Of Heaven'.

The exhibition closed with his beautiful painting of mountains, superimposed with more text. Another great exhibition by the Hayward Gallery.