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| InsideThe National Gallery |
Yes, I’m going to talk about
one of the great art museums in the world, but first let’s chat a bit about
London itself.
One thing that makes London so
easy to visit is the transit system.
Subways, buses, taxis are all available, convenient, and very
affordable. But, another thing that’s
even better is that you can easily walk between many attractions. Five minute walk too much? Drop into a pub and refresh yourself. Consider it a stroll between pubs. I do.
Let’s say you’ve just taken
the Piccadilly Line to Leicester Square to buy some discounted theater
tickets. From there you can walk six
minutes in one direction and you’re in Piccadilly Circus, with the famous
statue of Eros at it’s epicenter, and where the finest of London’s shopping
streets, Oxford, Piccadilly, and Regent Streets branch out like the spokes of a
wheel.
The famous Covent Garden is
only seven minutes away.
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| From the balcony of The National Gallery looking into Trafalgar Square |
Walk another direction for six
minutes and you’re in the equally famous Trafalgar Square, with its heroic
column holding a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson.
You’ll pass The National Portrait Gallery on the way, which is also well
worth a stop. From Trafalgar it’s a quick
walk to The Strand for more shopping, some famous restaurants (Simpson’s on the
Strand) and the famous Savoy Hotel. Pop
into the American Bar for a drink and a gander at all the photos of the
celebrities who’ve imbibed there. Maybe
you’d like to visit the parade ground for the Queen’s Cavalry, and stroll past
Number 10 Downing Street, home to the Prime Minister. Fourteen minutes, max.
Honestly, we’re only talking
about a few easy steps from one perfect spot to another.
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| When you enter, don't forget to look up! |
But, while we’re in Trafalgar
Square, let’s walk up the short staircase to The National Gallery. Free admission and open over 360 days a
year. What’s special about The National
Gallery? One of the most famous art
galleries in the world. Name some
painters you like, or that your art teacher mentioned while you thought about
the cute blond at the desk across the room.
Rembrandt? Van Gogh? Monet? Michelangelo? Bells ought to be clanging! They’re all there, from the old masters to
the French Impressionists and beyond.
The current special exhibit is
Australian Impressionists. Yes, there is
a fee for the specials.
Let’s digress and talk about
the Impressionists. I thought they were
all French, sez you. That’s what I
thought too. Boy was I wrong. The French are only the most well known. You might like to know (because of your
insatiable thirst for knowledge) that the label impressionism began as a satirical term by an art critic writing
for a Parisian newspaper, as in “It’s not really art, just an impression.” The strict
judges of the French art establishment wouldn’t let Monet, Renoir, Pissarro.
Cezanne, Degas and others, enter the prestigious events at the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
Not to be stifled after being turned down several times, the artists
formed their own group and had their own exhibit. The public went wild. Seldom does the establishment know what the
public wants.
What freed artists from the old rules? One thing was the invention of the camera
(1814) and by the 1860’s it was in wide use. Remember Mathew Brady and his
famous American Civil War photos? No
longer did artists have to paint an exact replica of what they saw.
What was different about the Impressionist
paintings? The artists used lighter
colors, feathered brush strokes, and faintly recognizable forms. They also had a passion for painting en plein air, meaning outside, which
allowed them to paint as the natural light changed during the day. As light changes, color changes. Ever see an
exhibit of Monet’s Water Lilies? He
painted dozens of gargantuan canvases, attempting to capture the changing light,
a reflection of how he viewed the same scene.
Monet found that light changes every seven minutes. We intuitively know that the day grows
lighter, then darkens, but every seven minutes? You can easily test it yourself
with a camera and a watch.
But, enough dallying. Let’s get to the Australian Impressionists,
and specifically the four artists on exhibit, which runs through 26 March
2017. You don’t want to miss it. The word I use to describe these paintings by
Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Charles Conder, and John Russell is: Astounding!
What’s so special about the Australian
painters? For me, even more than the
French impressionists, they bring a scene to life. You find yourself stepping into the painting
to feel the swirling dust, to smell the cows, and hear the sound of a rippling
stream. But, endless discussion of
paintings is as sleep inducing as slugging through the rules of Ping Pong, so let
me stop there and just offer some poor photographic evidence of what I mean. Photos weren’t allowed in the museum and
stern faced attendants saw to it, so I had to scavenge on the internet.
I have asked myself, what is it about the
Impressionists that over a hundred years later still grabs people and makes
them stare and dream? My answer is:
unexpected encounters that pull you in and brand your memory. The Impressionists were experimenters,
changers, collaborators, switching from one style to another, merging reality
and dreams. Even today they still
represent freedom of expression. No
rules except eyes, light, and a paintbrush.
And the style and feeling weren’t exclusive
to the French. John Paul Russell painted
along side Van Gogh, and in fact was the only Australian artist to be directly
in touch with Monet. Yes, these men and
women in many ways broke down the walls of art.
They were slaves to shifting light and ambient hues, and shameless
copiers who borrowed from each other.
These photos in no way do justice to the
paintings. But, they give you an idea of how the artists captured the raw
roughness and stark beauty of turn-of-the-century Australia. You just gotta go see the actual painting for
yourself!
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| Charles Conder: A Holiday at Mentone |
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| Arthur Streeton: Fire's On! |
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| John Russell: Rough Sea |
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| Tom Roberts: Winter Morning After Rain |
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| Tom Roberts: Bourke Street West |
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square,
London! Somebody in your party lukewarm
about art museums? Use this to entice
them: Pubs are close, very close, before
and after.
