Afternoon at the National Gallery

I spent a solid 4 hours at the National Gallery yesterday. Admission is technically free (though I donated a pound to keep it free), and I got the headset for suggested £3. It was a relatively cheap and very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

I first explored the "Art from 1200-1500" area, where I came upon famous Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck:



Not only is it an artistically impressive piece (particularly the reflection in the convex mirror, the bronze chandelier, and the small dog), it full of symbolism. The Disembodied Headset Voice (DHV) told me the dog represents marital fidelity, the discarded shoes indicate the sanctity of marriage, and the single candle shows the presence of God. I laughed at myself when I first saw the work because I automatically associated it with the Desperate Housewives title sequence:



In the 1200-1500 section, I was also quite impressed with the "Painting of the Month," Bermejo's Saint Michael triumphant over the Devil with the Donor Antonio Juan.

A piece that caught my fancy from the 1500-1600 era was Vernonese's The Family of Darius Before Alexander, a massive work which depicts a historical scene. According the the DHV, Darius' family mistook Hephaestion (Alexander's closest friend) for the King because the former is taller. But Alexander nobly smoothed over the potentially embarassing faux pas himself.

From the 1600-1700 era, I was particularly struck by the works of Claude Gellée (aka "Claude Lorrain" or just "Claude"). I'm sure I have seen his work before, but the Gallery has such an impressive collection of his works that I couldn't help but notice his genius. His pastoral and seaport landscapes are simply gorgeous. (Examples here and here). The Embarkation of Saint Ursula was one of my favorites:



The DHV told me the legend of Saint Ursula (depicted above), a British princess who made a pilgrimage to Rome with 11,000 virgin companions. When she returned with them to Cologne, Germany, Ursula refused to marry the local Hun king. As a result of this decision, all 11,000 virgins were martyred.

I would love to drone on at length about the other impressive works I saw, but that would probably take me all day. For posterity, I will mention other particular favorites--Canaletto's Venice scenes, John Constable, Van Gogh's Sunflowers, and Holbein's The Ambassadors.

Now, I really must get some shopping done. Having postponed our plan to see a show until tomorrow, tonight will be a quiet evening. I will probably just work on my externship journal, do a bit of reading, and make a few phone calls. So unless anything exciting happens in the next 24 hours, don't expect an update until Friday, when I tell you all about this week's show.