As an art history major {camille I feel dumb using the phrase in real conversation now} you know museums are my thing. This week I have already gone to three major sites: Tate Modern, National Gallery, and the British Museum. I think the National Gallery was my favorite but it's a pretty close three way tie and I have dozens of more museums to go to.
The National Gallery.
[ from the main entrance in Trafalgar square ]
Here is housed just a little bit of everything. I went with some friends who were there to work on a assignment so I grabbed a map and went off on my own. Being this my first trip to the National Gallery I wanted to go see all the canonical works of art and then, when I come back a thousand more times, I can go from room to room. I only knew of a famous pieces that I definitely needed to see. Every art history major knows that they have to be at the top of your list. I saw Rembrandt's Self Portrait, Reubens' Samson and Delilah and the ever studied van Eyck's the Arnolfini.
After seeing those I started to walk through the more contemporary rooms. There I met Monet's lilies, Seurat's bathers, Cezanne's landscapes, and Degas' ballerinas. All more gorgeous in person than the last. And then it happened, the best feeling in the world. I glanced up as I walked into the next room and there was
[ Van Gogh's Sunflowers 1888 ]
I've always had some sort of connection to this piece, I remember trying to recreate it at a Brownies activity in the second grade. Walking into that room and seeing the Sunflowers unexpectedly made my heart race and chills run up my spine leaving me starring at it with a cheesy smirk on my face. I sat on the bench directly across from the painting for nearly forty five minutes gazing upon it as asian tourists come and go. I wonder how many millions it would cost to have that hang in my house....
the Tate Modern.
[ the Tate Modern as I crossed millennial bridge over the Thames ]
I am very much a fan of modern art. In fact the time period I love the most {1870s-1930s}is considered modern art. This museum houses two galleries of art that range from the late nineteenth century to about the 1960s. Which I most thoroughly enjoyed. The other galleries however were contemporary installations and film pieces. While some of these were rather interesting, only those select few did I really stop to look at. One entire exhibit was on a man's computer generated anime character, not my cup of tea.
We were being installation pieces.There's this really cool timeline on the wall of art periods from 1900-2000. I want to do that in a room myself one day. Luckily we went to the gift shop and of course I bought a miniature copy for myself.
I had a few favorites there of course, there was a lot of cubism by Braque and Picasso. There were also some classics such as Rodin's {ps I want to name one of my kids after him, August that is} such as the Kiss, which was left out of the BYU exibit back in the day. There were some contemporaries I liked, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koon's pop art is always fun. But there was a whole room dedicated to artist I didn't know. Most of his works are pretty classically themed paintings but than have block letter phrases painted over top. I really liked this one
[ Ed Ruscha's Hollywood ]
I like it no so much for the content, but then again who doesn't like hollywood? Its more because it was a modern pointillism, it was really cool to see up close all the tiny little dots.
the British Museum.
[ sun shining on this temple of learning ]
I went to the British Museum today with my classic civ class. We went to see the Bassae Temple frieze, the Elgin marbles and a few other Greek pieces. I must say my professor MJ really prepared me for this. You know you are an art history major when your heart starts pounding when you enter the Parthenon gallery, come on the west pediment sculptures? How could it not?
[ Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon ]
I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time here today, but I will be back.
so.
ReplyDeletejealous.
it physically hurts.