Unfortunately they don’t allow pictures to be taken in the museum so I just had to get “The National Galley Companion Guide”, 200 pieces ranging from 1250 to 1900. The book is a treasure, including history on each piece featured, commenting on style, technique and genre. I think I’ll be doing my essay on this museum :).
What did I see? So much! I finally saw De Vinci’s “Virgin on the Rocks”, he has two. The one in the De Vinci Code is at the Louvre but we studied both in class so it was pretty awesome to see it in person. And it was just as breathtaking and more. They also had one of my favorite paintings on display “ The Arnolfini Portrait” by van Eyck, it’s even more breathtaking in person. I’ll have to go back and spent more time looking at it. Then there was Vermeer’s “A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal”, again it was amazing seeing it in person. Vermeer was a genius at the use of light in his paintings. There were Ruben's, Velasquez’s “The Toilet of Venus” , which incidentally during the suffragette movement a young women took a knife to the painting and slashed it! Then it was off to Van Gogh’s “Sunflower”. Beautiful and the most looked at painting at the National Gallery.
I think on Friday I’ll spend the day at the museum, it will take me that long just to get through it all! it’s huge and there are so many painting to see... you can’t see enough in just two hours.
This is one of the reason to come to London, seeing such historical treasures... what came before us and how inspirational they are... you can’t help but be in awe of such talent. It just makes me even more excited to have this at my finger tips and only a tube ride away. :)
Unfortunately I couldn’t stay long to explore, I had to get home to get ready for the play at the The Globe tonight (yeah!).
Get home for a quick bite to eat and wait for the flatmates to get ready. We hope on the train and head to Mansion House tube and arrive late to The Globe, no matter, we are on the floor to the right of the stage. I had forgotten how much fun a Shakespeare play is, and this one is in traditional costume dress and the actors are good and funny (it is a comedy). Half the stuff I don’t understand but I’m sure I’m not the only one. The Globe is not the original globe, I learn later that the actual site of the Globe is a couple of streets over but they modeled it after the original with standing room on the floor and 3 tiers of seats above and open roof. It was fun but standing on your feet for 2 and a half hours gets old. On a fun note, because of my screwy eye sight, I could of sworn I saw JC across the away at the top.. it looked just like him!!! In a freaking bright red trucker hat, skinny and huge watch. lol. I called Whitney to see if you knew if he was in town but she has not called me back!!! Oh well, I’m sure it wasn’t him.
Made it back home by 11, and tomorrow no class! My Museum class was canceled for tomorrow so the plan is to spend it doing homework and maybe some shopping :) After sleeping in of course. lol I need my sleep.
1 comment:
I don't know about JC, but Justin is still in London...you should find him! lol
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