If I sounded like I hated art in the prior post, I want to clarify that I hold no issues with contemporary art and newer art styles. My issue is with Modernism as a particular style. There is art in this museum that has work in it younger than some works in the Tate Modern. That being said, there’s a much larger body of work in the London National Gallery that I enjoyed compared to the handful that I liked in the Tate Modern. I was most sad to find that the Raphael portion was a ticket-only section, but was excited to find a few Monet, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh paintings at the gallery. If only to say that I had seen them up close and personal.
This newer addition to the gallery, The Red Boy, was to me one of the most visually striking paintings in the whole museum. The velvet red on display stood out from as far in the gallery as it could be seen, and having vaguely recognized it, I had to shuffle slowly through the crowd to get close up. the depth of the cloth alone was stunning, and the knowledge that it might potentially have been painted over, being originally yellow, makes it all the more impressive. starting as a commission for a simple portrait, only to create a mesmerizing display of attention to detail is the kind of silent bragging that I love from older paintings. Famous for its content, and the skill it takes, not for marketing and complex explanations that one cant see in the visual medium of paint, this was one of my favorite pieces on display.
Another Favorite piece of mine has much less complex reasoning…. I just think the faces looked hilarious. I can appreciate the skill with which it takes to make a painting like this, with such clear action, movement, variety and such. but I can also say, that this reminds me of an old looney toon or disney cartoon. An old man just absolutely sloshed, eight people around him dragging him around, causing chaos, or even adding to the soundtrack like the guy on the left.
Theatre in London U of A 