The National Art Gallery

A few days ago, I went and visited the National Art Gallery in The United Kingdom, and I saw some of the world’s most famous paintings.

The National Art Gallery is an art museum that holds thousands of different styles of artworks and paintings that date back all the way to the year 1485. The National Art Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square in the city of Westminster, London, in the United Kingdom. It was founded in the year 1824 and it is one of England’s most popular tourist attractions. The National Art Gallery attracts approximately six million visitors a year. People from all around the world want to see these renowned artworks.

I was supposed to see The National Art Gallery on June 3^rd with the rest of the students on the study abroad trip. However, unfortunately, I was unable to go to the gallery that day because I felt unwell. The National Art Gallery was one of the places I was most looking forward to visiting while in London, and I was upset because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to see it because of my sickness. Thankfully, I quickly recovered from my illness and my professor Shawn Irish, and his wife, were kind enough to accompany me to The National Art Gallery since I afraid to travel alone.  I was happy that I was able to visit the gallery. However, I only had one hour to explore. That made it difficult to see all the art displays. So, I quickly searched for the two artists that I wanted to see the most. Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

The National Art Gallery was incredibly crowded the day I was there, and that caused me to almost miss Sunflowers, one of Van Gogh’s most famous two series of still life paintings. I’ve seen Sunflowers all over the media but finally, I was able to see it in person, and it was lovely. The sunflowers were meant to symbolize gratitude, and Van Gogh associated yellow with friendship and hope. Many of his painting contain the color yellow. He painted the sunflower paintings for his friend, Paul Gauguin, who lived with him in his yellow house in Arles, France. Not only did I see Sunflowers, but I also saw many other works of Vincent Van Gogh as well. Such as: Van Gogh’s Chair, Two Crabs, and Head of a Peasant Woman. I felt so lucky to be seeing his artwork.

While admiring Van Gogh’s paintings, I noticed that he often used the impasto technique. The impasto technique is a painting technique where the paint is laid thickly on the canvas, so that the thick brushstroke or painting knife marks are noticeable. Giving it a 3D effect. The Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, also used this technique for his flower painting The Water-Lily Pond. Monet was a passionate horticulturist and he purchased land in the countryside of Giverny, Normandy. On his property, there was pond filled with water lilies. Those water lilies are what inspired Monet to paint seventeen famous paintings that included those flowering plants. There have been many talented artists throughout history but, Claude Monet is my favorite artist. His paintings remind me of my mom. My mom is an amazing self-taught artist that has created dozens of paintings of landscapes experiencing the four seasons. Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond reminded me of a particular painting my mom created in 2008. Her painting also contained a wooden Japanese footbridge over water and abundant greenery that surrounded the water. Gazing at Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond made me emotional. It made me realize that I miss my mom.

I was not expecting to be deeply moved by a painting. But I’m glad that I was. I hope to visit the National Art Gallery again in the future, so I can see more of the art displays, and take my time while strolling around the magnificent gallery.