Heading to Charing Cross station,
we had a little time before the 14.47 to Catford Bridge.
"We've got ten minutes!"
How to fill them?
"Right I'll take you on my tour of the National Gallery."
Not my tour, but a friends, I hadn't been to the National Gallery for ages.
"Are you sure we have time?"
"Yes, I'll show you all the paintings I look at with my family."
"Oh you turn right, I usually go left."
We begin a whistle-stop tour.
"Van Gogh, those are fabulous colours."
"Monet's Water-Lillies, you don't need to go to Paris."
"There's a painting of South East London somewhere around here.
Pissarro did a painting of Sydenham."
"Is this it?"
"No that's France."
"Upper Norwood, near Crystal Palace, getting closer."
We ask. It's not on display at the moment.
"It's all here, Lady Jane Grey."
"Up through here to the Stubbs."
"It's absolutely huge. It's life-size."
"Those eyes."
"I had forgotten how beautiful the National Gallery is."
"My turn,
I usually head left when I come in here, I'll take you to the paintings I usually see."
The Four Elements by Beuckelaer
Earth
Water
Air.
Fire
"I love the way they are hung, in the round, facing each other."
"They remind me of Grayson Perry's work, all those objects, large compositions,
so many things happening."
We had at one time, seen his tapestries together.
"Have you seen the painting with the skull?
You know, the painting where in order to see it properly,
you have to be standing to the side of the picture, looking at it from an angle."
They hadn't.
That's what happens when you always turn right in the National Gallery.
Mind you I couldn't talk as I usually headed left
and didn't know that Monet's Water-Lillies were even in here.
It's through there.
Holbein, The Ambassadors
"There's the skull,
and this is what happens when you look at it from this angle."
"Clever, the kids would like that."
"Right, we'd better get that train."
We did.
Of course I don't generally advocate for ten minute trips to galleries
but once you get to know a place share it with friends, then head off in a new direction.
And next time you see people spending so little time in front of paintings,
seemingly just stopping to take photos,
it may possibly be part of a longer term relationship with that gallery and those paintings.
One flying visit amongst many, taking it all in.
Like popping in to see old friends.
Hope you enjoyed Eva's tour of the National Gallery,
made possible by my camera phone and free admission.
Details on the National Gallery website, click here.
Wonderful! And it reminds me it is far too long since I just popped in to the National Gallery.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that we can pop in to our national galleries & museums. Possible because of free admission. You should go. Good for the soul, and perhaps for a little inspiration.
DeleteI love popping in there and now I shall do Eva's tour. I saw Waldemar Januszczak
ReplyDeleteon Hans Holbein explaining about the Ambassadors recently. Fascinating.
Trains to Charing Cross are a pain now that we can't change at London Bridge. I may have to go from Catford Bridge until 2016 !
London Bridge. Aaaargh! Once I've navigated my way round it, I'm hoping to go to Two Temple Place, only open a few months a year. "Cotton to Gold".
DeleteI did a train to Victoria and then District Line to Embankment when I went to Two Temple Place. Is that any good for you?
DeleteYou wouldn't believe this. I went to Two Temple Place, on a Tuesday. It's shut on a Tuesday!!! If only I'd checked the website. Took a friend too, thankfully a good friend, I was so embarrassed. In the end we walked over Waterloo Bridge to the Hayward Gallery. Saw History is Now. Some of which I couldn't be bothered with & some stuff absolutely fascinating. Artists as curators rather than makers.
DeleteA person can never go wrong with a museum! I love them, It doesn't matter what type of museum, and luckily so do my kids! So it's a win-win!!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to following your blog!
Tammy x
Thanks Tammy. I hope you get ideas for your visit to London. I need to take my kids more, to blog about family visits too.
DeleteHurrah for free entry!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. This wouldn't have happened if we have had to pay. Even reading it back myself, makes me want to revisit and see other things.
DeleteThank you for this. I went to the National Gallery years ago when I was in London on a training course, in the days before camera phones. I found the skull picture and saw the skull. I can't remember any of the others but that stuck in my mind. I am constantly amazed by the way people view so much of life through their phone, not actually seeing, but looking at a screen to see. It is weird!
ReplyDeleteDespite using my phone (and/or amazing camera) a lot. I agree with you. It's good to put screens away and just focus on the real things.
DeleteHello Katharine,
ReplyDeleteAlas, we have seen too many people stand in the Scuola di San Rocco in front of Tintoretto's 'Crucifixion' for a nanosecond to believe that they do ever return for even a second glance let alone a second look. But, we do know what you mean about taking this kind of opportunity to just touch base with 'familiar friends' especially when it is free.
Your whirlwind tour is a great selection. It is too long since we were at the National Gallery but we shall take this advice the next time.....with, perhaps, longer to stand and stare!
Thanks. I'd love to see what tour you come up with. If you do, let me know.
DeleteNice selection of paintings but I'm afraid you'd have missed the bus if I'd been there!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Some things are worth missing the bus for!
DeleteThey wouldn't let me take a picture of Whistlejacket (The Stubbs) when we went. It used to hang in Wentworth Woodhouse which is in the next village to where I live. It is a great painting and as you say - huge! The Fitzwilliam family apparantly have the rough paintings etc that Stubbs did initially and they are worth a fortune. x
ReplyDeleteWow, love the idea of something so iconic hanging in a local village. It's great that the photography rules have been relaxed at the National Gallery, though not everywhere.
DeleteA wonderful tour! How great that you know where all these things are! xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy. Hopefully my posts will encourage people to visit and find these places for themselves. That's the idea anyway. x
DeleteSuch a long time since I was in London and I do love the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery too. I remember standing for ages in front of The 'Ambassadors' and I still have postcards I bought of the Pissarro of Upper Norwood and of the paiting at Penge station x
ReplyDeleteps - have left you replies on both of your recent comments on my blog:)
Hi Rosie. I've checked into your blog and seen your replies, thankyou. If you get to London in the near future, reckon you need a week or so, to get around the museums and galleries.
DeleteWhat a great quick tour of the gallery, bringing back memories of our trips to London. The skull always fascinates, and the Stubbs is so dramatic, one could never forget it! We had the same experience of 'something missing', when we sought Manet's 'Music in the Tuileries' which had gone off to visit Dublin! Still have not seen it... Lovely post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Patricia. Have you an equivalent gallery near you?
DeleteBrilliant! I was looking out to see if you had found me somewhere in there taking photos of the ceilings!! I plan on spending a day there and starting in room 1 and working my way round rather than randomly one day :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks. Take your time, perhaps plan a series of days, with different friends. See what they make of it.
DeleteForgot to say, I saw your YOUR ceilings. Missed them on my visit.
DeleteI (nearly always) turn right. Many years ago, I worked nearby, so enjoyed many a flying visit at lunchtime instead of the pub. I still haven't forgiven the V&A for the way they so enthusiastically embraced admission charges back in the 90s.
ReplyDeleteFree museums are great for making it possible to pop in and also not to feel you have to cram everything in. If I pay, I feel I have to get my money's worth and see evrything. Too much pressure.
DeleteFabulous. To my shame, I can't remember the last time I was there. And of course free entry makes it more likely that people will get to know it so well - and makes a whistle-stop tour possible.
ReplyDeleteYes pop back. It's free and there's so much to see. Plus other galleries very close by.
DeleteHello Katharine! Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving such a nice comment. I love the contrast from London to the Highlands of Scotland. We went to the National Gallery when we were down last week, but didn't have a plan and wandered round in a bit of a blur! Before we come down again I shall nip over here for ideas and inspiration! I was born in London but know so little of it!
ReplyDelete