Sunday 16 September 2012

The National Gallery - London

Firstly, I was very disappointed to discover that photos are not allowed in the Gallery.  I am sure you were, in the past, able to take photos.  I can understand no flash and with the older, more delicate paintings due to the damage that can be caused.  But that is the rule so all I could do was make a note of the paintings I enjoyed.

I always seem to get lost when walking around a gallery, especially if there is more than one connecting room.  To combat this I decided to follow the floorplan in numerical order, even if they did mean doubling back a few times.

Due to time, I actually did not manage to see the entire gallery, I completely missed the 12th-15th Century paintings housed in the Sainsbury Wing.  My excuse is having to take time out to enjoy Afternoon Tea with my friends.  I also purchased the Audio Guide and this covers over 90% of the paintings held in the gallery.  You are given a very good, in depth analysis of each painting so this adds time to your visit, but it is so worth it.

So what did I see and what did I enjoy?  I think the easiest way to do this is to post the title of the painting along with a photo I have from the Official Website.

Raphael - The Madonna of the Pinks


Salomon van Ruysdael - River Scene


Salomon van Ruysdael - A View of Rhenen Seen From the West


Esaias van de Velde - A Winter Landscape


Aelbert Cuyp - A River Scene with Distant Windmills


Aelbert Cuyp - Ubbergen Castle


Cornelis Vroom - A Landscape With A River By A Wood


Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder - Flowers In A Glass Vase


Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder - A Still Life of Flowers In A Wan-Li Vase


Roelandt Savery - Flowers In A Glass


Sebastien Bourdon - The Return Of The Ark


Claude - Landscape With Goatherd And Goats


Gaspard Dughet - Imaginary Landscape With Buildings In Tivoli


Meindeet Hobbema - The Avenue Of Middelharnis


Meindert Hobbema - The Watermills At Singraven Near Denekamp


Jan van Huysum - Hollyhocks And Other Flowers In A Vase


Rachel Ruysch - Flowers In A Vase


Jacob van Ruisdael - Two Watermills And An Open Sluice At Singraven


Harmen Steenwyck - Still Life: An Allegory Of The Vanities Of Human Life


Hendrick Avercamp - A Scene On The Ice Near A Town


Hendrick Avercamp - A Winter Scene With Skaters Near A Castle


Peter Paul Rubens - A Landscape With A Shepherd With His Flock


Salvator Rosa - Landscape With Mercury And The Dishonest Woodman


Thomas Gainsborough - The Watering Place


Thomas Gainsborough - Cornard Wood Near Sudbury, Suffolk


John Constable - The Cornfield


John Constable - Cenotaph To the Memory Of Sir Joshua Reynolds


John Constable - The Hay Wain


John Constable - Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows


Domenichino - Saint George Killing The Dragon


Francesco Guardi - View Of Venetian Lagoon With The Tower Of Malghera


Alfred Sisley - The Seine At Port-Marly


Vincent van Gogh - van Gogh Chair


Vincent van Gogh - Long Grass With Butterflies


Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers


Vincent van Gogh - Farm Near Auvers


Camille Pissarro - The Little Country Maid


Camille Pissarro - The Boulevard Montmartre At Night


Camille Pissarro - Fox Hill, Upper Norwood


Camille Pissarro - View From Louveciennes


Pierre-Auguste Renoir - The Skiff


Pierre-Auguste Renoir - The Umbrellas


Claude-Oscar Monet - Bathers At La Grenouillere


Claude-Oscar Monet - La Pointe De La Heve Sainte Adresse


Claude-Oscar Monet - The Beach At Trouville


Claude-Oscar Monet - The Gare St-Lazare


And I have saved the best for last

Claude-Oscar Monet - The Water-Lily Pond


All photos can be found on the Official Website for The National Gallery here

I purchased 3 prints from the Gift Shop, Constable - The Hay Wain, Renoir - The Skiff and Pissarro - The Boulevard Montmartre at Night.  Each cost £5.  I also bought the Pocket Collection book for £6.99.

As I mentioned at the start, I did not have chance to see everything and when I go back to London in December for my Opera House visit I am going to return to The National Gallery and view the entire collection.

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