Urban Diary
Autumn in the city
For my first autumnal walk and cycle ride London goes Egon Schiele. Specifically, the Austrian painter’s landscapes. Lesser known than his radical sketches of the human figure, they are equally beautiful and haunting.
That’s the scene that greets me in the Hertford Union Canal, as both trees and boats create a magical, golden-tinted composition. With my bicycle by my side I take in the view fully. This is what mindful moments are about.
Forty Hall presents me with a different view, but still very Schiele. A low-hanging sun, rays barely visible, fills whatever gaps there are with delicate shafts of colour. Some trees are bare, and others are still shedding. Even though it’s only three o’ clock in the afternoon, a glowing dusk envelops me. I breathe in and out.
Thank you, London. Thank you, Schiele.
