Tate Gallery
Written: Feb 04 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pre-Raphaelite Collection, Airy Galleries, Not tremendously crowded
Cons: Out of the way location, Not all paintings displayed
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| piggywig's Full Review: Galleries |
I had been to London about half a dozen times before deciding to take a day to make the journey to the Tate Gallery. Instead, I chose to visit the more usual museums like the National Gallery and the British Museum. Part of the reason for this is that the Tate is a bit out of the way. There is an upside to it location, however, as the crowds are not as large as in many other London museums.
After having been there (twice), I highly recommend that you make the trip almost regardless of your art preferences. The Tate is quite an eclectic gallery. When I was there, in the the main hall was a large machine that (when it worked, which was not often) would make small balsa wood airplanes entirely robotically. It was an interesting looking piece of machinery and even more so when it worked. There was some interesting modern scultpure there as well. Moving from the main hall into the galleries is a transformation in the style of the gallery. These rooms tend to be airy and contain (in this section) mostly nineteenth century art. A nice collection of twentieth century art is also to be found.
For me, the highlight of the museum is the Pre-Raphaelite room. I think it is fair to say that the Tate has the best Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world. The Pre-Raphaelites are not as well known as other nineteenth century art movements, but are absolutely delightful. One of the best works at the Tate is "Ophelia" by John Everett Millais. The photo-realistic details of the flowers floating on the water beside the dead Ophelia is breathtaking. The flowers are not just done with a naturalist's eye, but also with a view toward their symbolic meanings as well. Thus, the painting can be viewed on many levels, even just from the perspective of the flowers without regard to the composition as a whole. Other Pre-Raphaelite works are in a similar spirit. Another highlight is Waterhouse's enormous painting "The Lady of Shalott." This is a spectacular work filled again with tremendous realism combined with allegory and symbolic meaning. There was a padded bench thoughtfully placed at an optimal distance for viewing this painting for an extended interval. Other highlights were a number of works by Leighton and Dante Gabriel Rosetti were also on display.
One caveat: Not all of the work for which the Gallery is famous were on display. "Beata Beatrix," which I think is the best of Rosetti's paintings was in storage and the original drawings by Beatrix Potter were likewise not to be found.
After spending the afternoon in the Gallery, there is a lovely walk along the Thames that one can take. This leads you up a pedestrian thoroughfare bordering the river until you come upon Parliament. On the day I did this, it was warm and the sun was just starting to set at the time I arrived at Parliament.
To sum up, if you're a fan of the Pre-Raphaelites, the Tate Gallery is an absolute must stop on any trip to London. Even if you're not, it's still an terrific museum. And you can't beat the price either...absolutely free.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
piggywig
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
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