Peter Lanyon - Soaring Flight

I went recently to the Peter Layon show at the Courtauld. The exhibition called 'Soaring Flight' focuses on Layon's later gliding paintings. The painting above is a aerial view of the coast. This one seems quite explicit - many of the other paintings are quite abstracted, with suggestions of the route of the glider's journey as well as references to the elements in the air - thermals, and clouds.

I particularly like the painting above called 'Drift'. It captures the moment that the glider is released from the powered plane towing it - the central black streak is thought to be the towing line falling away from the glider. I really like the feeling of calm and the mix of colours - soft chalky whites and greys with just a flash of mustard and cobalt blue. Beautiful!