the quest for the perfect lipstick (continued)

a second meeting

yes, I had a companion at the RA yesterday didn't see Vincent, as the queueueueueueueueueueueue was very very very very very very very very looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong, but saw Wild Thing, which features some of the sculpture of Eric Gill. . .. . .someone in whom I have a keen interest as you might recall from the other day
.

my companion (someone in whom I have but a vague interest). . . . . .(he's a Merican) (I'll say no more) (at the moment) was a decent enough gallery companion. . . didn't mind the fact I was late. . . didn't mind the fact that I'd described the meeting point as one dedicated to Linnaeus, but mixed that up with somewhere else. . . didn't mind the fact I needed a coffee and a fag before we even entered the building. . . didn't mind the fact that I was looking a bit scruffy. . . didn't really seem to mind about very much at all, actually, which on reflection is a bit odd, wouldn't you say?

.

but quite possibly, seeing as this was a meet - not a date - there was nothing much to mind: I mean, it's only an investment of time and a sharing of money (on the "going dutch", I paid this time) so far, not an intellectual or emotional investment

so, dear reader,

what makes a date a date

and not a meet?

so, you know I like typeface. . .

well you may, or may not, know that, just as you may or may not know that one of my favourites is Gill Sans

for the moment, that's besides the point. . . Eric Gill was also a sculptor

I've recently purchased a book about his work (from a really excellent art book supplier) and it's very interesting reading. . . I hadn't realised that Gill was the sculptor who was commissioned to carve the friezes on Broadcasting House (but, only this summer, when I was not dating the "date" who dumped me, I spent a lot of time admiring them) (he was an announcer for Radios 3 and 4, you see, and I used to wait on the steps of All Souls, Langham Place, admiring the BH building, while he finished his shift) (ho hum!)

Ariel
the invisible spirit of the air,
listening to celestial music
Broadcasting House

Gill also produced lots of sketches and wood cuts (more things I like). . .

Mother and Child

Girl on Grass

*

anyhow, back to the typeface. . . what I hadn't realise before was that Gill was originally commission to design a serif typeface, but that was put on hold when it was realised that what was actually needed was a sans-serif face - which is when Gill Sans was designed. . .

this is a great way of admiring the font, by looking at the wooden type:

and I love discovering how these things come about:

and what I also didn't realise until now was that the serif font he designed was actually Perpetua. . .
Perpetua. . . it's also lovely, isn't it. . .

let's compare them, shall we?

Gill Sans:
Perpetua:
Gill Sans:
(I'll stop there, for the sake of your sanity) (I don't have any left, clearly)