These are a few of my favourite things

I am not the artiest person in the world, I used to be but a terrible art GCSE teacher kind of dwindled any arty aspirations I may of once had. However, my head is still occasionally turned by a particular piece of architecture  sculpture or painting and I do still have a few favourite artists. So, in a break from my usual rants/ political musings I thought I'd list my favourite pieces of art, sculpture, architecture and just arty things. 
NB: I am certainly not claiming to be an expert in any sense of the word this is merely a list of my favourite pieces.

1. Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright

This is one of my favourite pieces of design of all time. 1930s America is in my option, one of the best eras for art and literature in particular the social realist paintings of Edward Hopper and Dorothea Lange. The desperation of the Great Depression brought out an incredibly refreshing style of art, much preferable, in my opinion, to the romanticised art of the previous century. 

2. Bigger Trees Near Water, David Hockney

As a proud Yorkshirewoman, any painting detailing a Yorkshire scene is instantly going to be more attractive to me than any other rural scene. Nonetheless, Hockney's set of paintings of the Yorkshire wolds are truly magnificent and stunning to view (I was lucky enough to view them at Hull's Feren's art gallery last year). David Hockney will always be one of my favourite artists and I feel proud to come from the same glorious part of the world!

3. Hoover Factory, Wallis, Gilbert and Partners

Art Deco is one of my favourite art styles of all time, the sleek lines, bauhausy curves and elegant glass all combine to produce, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful buildings and pieces of art of all time. I am also very lucky to live near to a very unusual home to art deco listed architecture in the form of a fish and chip shop in Oakwood, Leeds which always used to intrigue me on the way to my grandma's house when I was younger and was probably the cause of my love for this chic and simplistic style of architecture. 

4. La Mitrailleuse, Christopher Richard Wynne

The First World War was a futile, desperate and incredibly sad waste of entire generation but in terms of art, WW1 had an incredible impact on both art and poetry and this piece is probably my favourite out of all of the pieces of art during this period. The geometric and futuristic style of  painting appears to reflect the bleakness and rigidity of trench warfare and gives a chilling atmosphere.

Despite not strictly being a piece of 'art', WW1 poetry is my favourite period of poetry and Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum Est' is in my opinion, the most moving and disturbing account of WW1 (I have never read it and not cried) and additionally, an excellent piece of poetry.

'Dulce et Decorum Est' (skip to 41 seconds for the poem)

5. High Sky 2, Bridget Riley

'Modern art' attracts a lot of debate but Riley's use of colour in this piece is as astonishing and striking as any Da Vinci or Monet piece and the op artists' use of colour and the diverting of the boundaries of common conceptions concerning what can be labelled as 'art'. Riley's High Sky 2 for me is one of the most intriguing and capturing pieces of art I have ever witnessed and one could literally stare at it for hours and it never looks slightly the same.