Brighton beach #1

I hadn’t visited Brighton for many years and this extraordinary day in winter was the perfect time for a reintroduction.

Inside Brighton, going through the famous Lanes, it felt as if I was somewhere in North Africa, so stark was the contrast between luxury and poverty. Here on the pier, the buildings took on a curiously post-apocalyptic aspect, probably because there is not much green visible from the pier.

Brighton Palace Pier (to give it its full name) gives me the same sense I get on other piers: pleasure coupled with frustration. The concept of a permanent carnival never really takes off. One walks up and down, maybe sampling a game or a ride, but there is an air of imminent closure and collapse. Even though the painting doesn’t show the pier, I think it carries something of that atmosphere.

If you’re looking for a painting with lots of blues, you might like this broom flowering against a blue sky – or maybe this view of Langstone Harbour.