I don't know much about art but I still had a lovely time
Written: Jul 14 '05 (Updated Jul 19 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Free! Beautiful facility, well air-conditioned, highlights tour, great collection
Cons: Wish I knew more about art!
The Bottom Line: If you love art, you'll be in heaven!
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| chelledun's Full Review: The National Gallery - London |
Although I go to school only about fifty yards from the National Gallery in London, it has taken me three weeks to work up the courage to go there. I have to be honest, I don’t know very much about art. History and science museums I do fabulously at, but I never know what I am looking for at art museums and I sometimes get a bit bored. However, I really did enjoy the National Gallery because of the beautiful facility, well marked ‘highlight paintings,’ and ease of navigation. Keep in mind that the following is a review by an individual who had has little exposure to famous paintings.
General Information
The gallery is located on Trafalgar Square. If you can find the square, you can’t miss the beautiful building. There are several guest entrances. If you wish to do the exhibits in chronological order, I recommend the Sainsbury Wing entrance. The main gallery is located on the second floor and many lifts are available for accessibility. There is no charge for museum admission although a donation of one or two Euros is suggested. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily except on Wednesdays when the gallery is open until 9:00 p.m. An excellent website for the gallery is available at http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/default.htm.
Security note: Following the bombings, security is heightened and you may have to wait in a line to have your bag searched. I arrived at opening and only waited a couple of minutes but I have seen long lines piled up outside in the late morning and early afternoon. Do not bring a large bag as you will not be admitted into the museum. The coat check is temporarily out of operation as well.
The Collection
The collection is divided into four sections by rough chronological order. Each of the sections is represented by a different color – blue, red, yellow, or green. The color of the section then plays heavily into the décor of the exhibition rooms so it is easy to tell where you are and when you cross into a different area. The galleries have very high ceilings and are immaculately clean. Each section is divided into ten to twenty small rooms with a security guard monitoring the situation.
One thing I really appreciated as an art novice is the museum’s identification of thirty “highlights paintings,” identified as the gallery’s most popular works. There is a highlights painting in about every other room, sometimes two are in the same room but never more. These paintings are spread out thoughout the museum so even though I didn’t know many of the artists or paintings overall, I did recognize some of the highlights paintings and their artists. I was able to see most of them so I felt that I accomplished something in my time at the museum. A list of highlight paintings is available at http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/collection/glance.htm.
Paintings 1250-1500 - BLUE - I loved the paintings from this area, located in the new Sainsbury Wing. Many of the works are alterpieces and portions of art from churches and it all is wonderfully maintained. Walking through the rooms I had the feel that I was walking into some of these amazing churches. I loved the various Botticelli pieces, and one of the highlight paintings is the very interesting Venus and Mars. There are dozens of wonderful religious pieces on display as well such as The Baptism of Christ by Piero Della Francesca. This section of the museum was the emptiest during my visit which surprised me because I found the works to be extremely interesting.
Paintings 1500 to 1600 - RED - The red theme of the gallery is carried out throughout its red walls. My favorite painting here was the very vibrant Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian. The Greek gods just look so jolly. The highlighted Michelangelo work is The Entombment, which shows Christ’s body being carried to the tomb. The painting is unfinished and for some reasons seeing works in progress always fascinates me.
Paintings 1600 to 1700 - ORANGE - One of the big hits here is The Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio. This painting illustrates the moment when Jesus is recognized by his disciples after the resurrection. I found it to be a lovely subject for a painting. There are also a number of Rembrandt works which I know are fabulous art but I just find them to be a bit dark for my taste.
Paintings 1700 to 1900 - GREEN - This was my favorite gallery because of the works by artists I was familiar with. I loved seeing the much hyped Sunflowers by Van Gogh, but I actually liked some of his other works better such as Farms Near Auvers. There are about five of his works on display together. Another popular painting in this section is Bathers at Asnieres by Seurat, which is much larger than I expected and really dominates the gallery in which it is located. Some of Monet’s work was particularly interesting to me because it had London as a subject. This can be seen in Houses of Parliament, Sunset and The Thames Below Westminster.
Tours
If you are as clueless about art as I am, a tour might be the great way to make sense of the thousands of paintings around you. During my visit I did the walking highlights tour printed on the brochure. Guided tours are available at 11:30 and 2:30 daily. Unfortunately I have class during both of them and will be unable to attend one unless I can squeeze it in on the weekend. You can get a free audio tour set at any of the gallery entrances to do a highlights tour or other special tours geared toward children. There are also books in the gift shop which provide more insight into the collection for experienced art fans.
Eating and Shopping
The museum offers a restaurant and a café. The restaurant offers a lovely view of Trafalgar Square if you are willing to pay a bit for the pleasure. Both serve alcohol if you would like a drink with your meal. I noticed the café was a bit chaotic today because the security check line runs right by its entrance so I’m not sure how relaxing it would be to dine there.
There are three places to shop in the museum. This means you will be unable to sneak out of any of the exits without running into a place to spend some money. I thought the small framable posters of the museum “favorites” were a pretty good deal. For 5 pounds, you can have a copy of Sunflowers or another favorite for your office. The stores also sell post cards, t-shirts with paintings on them, and a wide variety of art books. The largest shop is located in the Sainsbury Wing and offers the same print-on-demand service as the Natural Portrait Gallery. You can order the print of your choice and pick it up the same day.
Overall…
I don’t know very much about art, but I still enjoyed my time at the National Gallery. The museum’s emphasis on “highlights” made it less intimidating for me and the galleries are absolutely beautiful with their high ceilings. I also love the fact that the public can enjoy such a vast collection of art for free. The museum is big enough to spread people out a bit but not so large as to be overwhelming. I’d rather spend time at the British Museum myself but I am going with a five star rating because I know this is a top-notch art museum.
*Planning a trip? Here are some other London Museums!
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
British Museum
National Potrait Gallery
Natural History Museum
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
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