See What You’re Missing, with Will Gompertz

I have been a regular host at the Wimbledon Bookfest for a number of years. It’s always a real treat to be asked to read the books, study the authors and prepare for discussions with the authors.

This year festival director, Fiona Razvi asked me to host an event to celebrate Will Gompertz’s new book, ‘See What You Are Missing’. It’s a fascinating read that looks at the work of a range of artists. It looks at how David Hockney brings colour to English landscapes and reminds us of the politics behind Freida Kahlo's self portraiture and Paula Rego’s activism. It’s full of fascinating nuggets; I didnt realise the subjects of of Lynette Yiadom Boakye’s work, were figments of her imagination. However I most enjoyed discovering artists that I knew nothing about:

Will masterfully explains how Hilma af Klimet’s occult-based art was not accepted during her lifetime and only in the 1980s was discovered and appreciated for the first time. A new movie is coming out soon about Hilma, so I am keen to see it. And I was enamoured by the work of Agnes Martin, who took a deep dive into her psyche to find the true state of feeling and being in her work. She paints her feelings and they really do resonate with the viewer.

But one section that stood out for me was in the story of Eve Hesse, a Jewish artist whose work focused on the absurdity of life, following the evils of the Second World War. She needed to believe in herself to gain the focus she needed to become a sculptor and her friend, the artist Sol LeWitt, sent her a motivating letter that included the following words that I’ve reread several times since!

..... Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, grasping, confusing, itchin, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, numbling, rumbling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself. Stop it and just DO!

Will Gompertz and Rachel Wang at Wimbledon Bookfest