The National Gallery was way more my groove than the Tate. I’m a fan of broad landscapes and close portrait encounters. These are the things that make you feel. It seems that modern and post-modern art are meant to make you think and act, but the art of the National Gallery was meant to make you feel: whether it be the glory of God, or majesty at the beauty of nature and man-made creation. Take Claude’s A Seaport. It’s an entirely imaginary scene depicting great man-made constructs (the dock, the palace, the ship) amidst the most beautiful natural sunset. My favorite detail is the disassembled cannon in the foreground symbolizing and end of violence: a peaceful image for a beautiful scene. There were other great landscapes but this was by far my favorite.
My next favorite piece was The Idle Servant by Nicolaes Maes. This painting was really funny in a way that few of the other paintings in the gallery were. It was also among one of the only paintings of someone showing amusement. Maes paints a pretty chaotic scene. The mistress in the foreground is sharing a gentle amusement with the viewer at the servant’s drowsiness. Meanwhile, the company in the other room looks pretty severe. My favorite detail is the appetent cat stealing the meat on the right.
Theatre in London U of A 