David Bennett

This is worth reproducing in full: It is Bertrand Russell’s letter to Oswald Mosely on 22 January 1962

Dear Sir Oswald,

Thank you for your letters and for your enclosures. I have given some thought to our recent correspondence. It is always difficult to decide on how to respond to people whose ethos is so alien and, in fact, repellent to one’s own. It is not that I take exception to the general points made by you but that every ounce of my energy has been devoted to an active opposition to cruel bigotry, compulsive violence, and the sadistic persecution which has characterised the philosophy and practice of fascism.

I feel obliged to say that the emotional universes we inhabit are so distinct, and in deepest ways opposed, that nothing fruitful or sincere could ever emerge from association between us.

I should like you to understand the intensity of this conviction on my part. It is not out of any attempt to be rude that I say this but because of all that I value in human experience and human achievement.

Yours sincerely,
Bertrand Russell

Covent Garden in London is known for the Royal Opera House, for its cafes, restaurants, craft shops, and for the street entertainers who perform in the Square.

Opposite the shops, on the other side of the Square is a neo-classical building with four stone pillars supporting an overhanging pediment, and a large door. Despite being imposing, it is usually overlooked, as one can see because everyone’s attention is on those performers and shops and cafes.

And there are other attractive buildings with which this building has to compete.

But if you take the time and walk down a narrow pedestrian alley at the rear, you will find a path leading to the entrance to the building. Or you could just walk directly in from the Square if the gate that is to one side is open, which it often is not. So one way or another, find the entrance to this church.

It is St. Paul’s Church at Covent Garden, built in 1633, and it is known as the Actor’s Church because it is near to the theatres in Drury Lane and is where the memorial services for many famous stars of stage and screen have been held

Inside there are memorial plaques to Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Gracie Fields, Vivien Leigh, Sybil Thorndike, and others.

On the plaque in memory of the director Lewis Casson is a quotation from The Bacchae, a Greek tragedy by Euripides in which one of the characters says

‘What else is wisdom, to be from fear set free, to stand and wait.’

Originally published March 10, 2009

Chiaroscuro lighting is sometimes called Rembrandt lighting. It is very moody and works by putting light onto the focal point of the scene and gently leaving the area surrounding the focal point darker.

The Italian word chiaroscuro means light and dark and beyond highlighting the focal point, the contrast between light and dark areas accentuates the three-dimensional appearance of the subject.

The alternative name of Rembrandt lighting comes from the fact that Rembrandt used that lighting effect in a lot of his paintings. He may be the finest artist to have used the technique.

In photography chiaroscuro lighting effect is easily achieved with window light because window light is directional.

In the northern hemisphere the ideal window is one that faces north, away from the direction of the sun, because the light is less contrasty.

But if the subject is placed very near the window, the light fall-off will be rapid because light always falls off most rapidly nearest the light source and there is a dramatic decrease in the intensity of the light with each step back into the shadows.

If the subject is situated further from the window, say twenty feet, and is then moved another a step further away from the window, the fall off of light will not be great because the light has already spent its power penetrating that first twenty feet.

While placing a subject close to a light source can be very atmospheric, it may be too much for the film or camera sensor to deal with. And yet there may be too little contrast and too little light if the subject is placed deeper into the room.

A common way to overcome this problem is to place the subject near the window and use a reflector to bounce some light back into its darker side and so reduce the contrast across it.

But that’s not all that Rembrandt lighting is, because he used it to colour the scene to create mood. By warming the light he created a specific mood. And if he cooled the light, the effect would be different.