Saturday 19 February 2011

February 15: National Gallery

This morning I got up at 8 as usual and got ready for my 9:30 class. I think I'm getting the nasty cold that's going around. When I got to the classroom at 9:15 though, I found out that the professor had called in sick. At least it was a pretty day, so I was able to have a nice walk. In the afternoon, we went with the Museums class to the National Gallery, where lots of pretty paintings are kept. I was feeling pretty sick so I'll have to go back some time when I'm better, but it was fun to see all the famous paintings, like Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and "Wheat field with cypresses," Delaroche's "Execution of Lady Jane Grey," several of Monet's "Waterlilies," Michelangelo's "Manchester Madonna," Seurat's "Bathers," and many others. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed.

My favorite painting of all was JMW Turner's "Ulysses deriding Polyphemus." It's just lovely, done in the bright colors of a sunset, showing Odysseus/Ulysses on his ship, taunting the cyclops Polyphemus, who is represented as a dark figure in the clouds. I wish I could have taken a picture! I found a postcard of it but the colors are horrible, looking drab and grayish instead of bright and vibrant. I Googled the painting, but as you can see, the colors just don't show up as well as they should. In real life it's just stunning.

"Ulysses deriding Polyphemus," JMW Turner, 1829

The National Gallery from the outside

No comments:

Post a Comment