A View From The Cheap Seats: October 2012

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Rotterdam Art Theft

The art world suffered a blow today when thieves broke into Rotterdam's Kunsthal and stole priceless works of art from artists including Monet, Matisse and Picasso.

The works stolen have been named as:

Pablo Picasso - Tete d'Arlequin
Henri Matisse - La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune
Claude Monet - Waterloo Bridge, London
Claude Monet - Charing Cross Bridge, London
Paul Gauguin - Femme devant une fenetre ouverte, de Haan's Autoportrait
Freud - Woman with Eyes Closed

Police believe the thieves may have been planned the early morning raid for months and used the Port as the means of escape. The design of the gallery may have help with the theft, with one security expert calling it "a nightmare to protect"

The value of the 7 paintings has not been released but experts believe the figure to be in the tens of millions. Will the paintings ever be seen in public? Hopefully so.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

National Museum of Art - Cardiff

Official Website

The second day of my trip to Cardiff was spent at the National Museum of Art housed within the National Musuem. The gallery is split into 3 main parts, Contemporary, Impressionists & Modern and Historic Art. I actually found a few pieces in the Contemporary section that I liked, which is rather surprising.

You are allowed to take photos and I have permission to publish images here. All Copyright and permission belongs to Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Rene Magritte - The Empty Mask

Maurice de Vlaminck - Village Street

Maurice de Vlaminck - The Bridge

Terry Setch - Midnight Columns II

Jeffrey Steele - Harlequinade

James Dickson Innes - Canigou in Snow

Robert Bevan - Maples at Cuckfield, Sussex

Paul Cezanne - Still Life with Teapot

Harold Gilman - The Kitchen

Spencer Gore - Mornington Crescent

Gwen John - A Corner of the Artist's Room in Paris

Pierre Auguste Renoir - La Parisienne

Edouard Manet - Argenteuil, Boat (study)

Alfred Sisley - Moret-sur-Loing Rue des Fosses

Camille Pissarro - Pont Neuf, Snow Effect

Pierre Bonnard - Sunlight at Vernon

Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier - Innocents and Card Sharpers

Gustave Courbet - The Mill at Orbe

David Cox - The Road to The Mill

John Constable - Cottage in a Cornfield

Edwin Landseer - Rat Catchers

Monday, 8 October 2012

Cardiff Castle

On Saturday 6 October I went to Cardiff for the weekend. I have been to Cardiff I few times but only ever to watch the FA Cup Final at the Millenium Stadium. Everytime I saw the Castle and thought to myself that "I must visit here one day". So I decided to extend my art trip to the Welsh capital.

The entrance price was a little on the expensive side at £11 per Adult. You can upgrade this to include a 45 minute extended guided tour of the Castle Apartments. I bought the cheaper ticket.

Included in the price is an Audio Guide which I found very useful in terms of history and insight into the Castle. Thankfully the weather was nice so I enjoyed my leisurely stroll around the Castle Wall & Keep. As usual I took photographs for you to enjoy.

For more information about Cardiff Castle visit the Official Website here

The Keep

The Keep & North Gate

The Air Raid Shelter - During WWII the 6th Marquess of Bute had the walls of the Castle converted into public air raid shelters

The Black Tower - The Castle jail which over the years held some important prisoners. Rawlins White was a Protestant Martyr who was held here before his execution for heresy. Two Roman Catholic priests were held before being hung, drawn and quartered for High Treason.

The Clock Tower

The ceiling of the Arab Room in the Castle Apartments

The Banqueting Hall in the Castle Apartments

The Castle Library. The five figures each represent ancient languages of Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian, Hieroglyphics and Runic

A view from the Keep towards the main Castle entrance (Black Tower ahead, Clock Tower to the right)

Inside the Keep

A view of the Castle Apartments from the Keep

The Moat around the Keep with waterlillies

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

The National Gallery of Scotland - Edinburgh

Again no photographs were allowed in the gallery so I went around with my pad & pen writing down the details of those paintings that caught my eye. Unfortunately I have not been able to find pictures online for all the paintings I liked. The ones I have been able to find are shown below.

I found the Gallery to be very nice with large rooms giving everyone enough space to move around and view. There were two little exhibtions within the Gallery that were free, I only got to the Bute Collection. When I arrived I was greeted by a very helpful Gentleman on the reception desk who went through the map with me, pointing out highlights for me to view. I dined in the Restaurant on the Lower Ground Floor. The prices are on the high side (£15 inc tip for soup, sandwich and a pot of tea) though the soup was lovely and they gave me a pot of hot water to get a few more cups of tea.

Overall it is an impressive Gallery and I am glad I made the trip. I was there around 4 hours including lunch break and shop browsing. The only downside is that they do not offer an audio guide. Lockers are available as large bags etc are not allowed in the gallery (£1 refundable on collection).

Here are the paintings I enjoyed (and have been able to find online)

Aelbert Cuyp - A Horse, Cattle and A Cowherd Resting in a Landscape (Bute Collection)