2. van Gogh: I'm conflicted about my opinion of the van Gogh paintings. I have heard about Vincent van Gogh since I was a child, and seen his works manipulated in prints and on merchandise, so it was a strange experience to observe the actual pieces in person. Ultimately, I think the paintings did live up to the hype. However, I didn't have a particularly high opinion of his artwork to begin with. As a result, I was impressed with the texture and brushstrokes of the oil paints that I was able to see close-up, and which aren't really reflected in the myriad prints of his work that I've seen. But in terms of the paintings being visually pleasing to me personally, I was underwhelmed. I should qualify that this is largely in reference to the particular sunflower painting in the collection, which was my least favorite van Gogh in the gallery. It just doesn't stand out to me as beautiful, harmonious, or cheerful, which I think is what he was going for. I love sunflowers and the color yellow, but I do not particularly enjoy this painting. Perhaps I was put off by the lack of contrast, which usually characterizes impressionist paintings. My favorite van Gogh was the Wheatfields, which conversely I did think was quite beautiful. This painting definitely employs the contrast of colors typical of impressionism. The swirling paint strokes were reminiscent of his signature style in Starry Night, and I love the dramatic differences between the colors in the landscape. Perhaps if there was a broader collection of van Gogh's work in the National Gallery, I could have appreciated his body of work more comprehensively.
3. Object of Desire: I have two objects of desire. The first would be suitable for my mansion/palace/villa, while the later would be suitable for my (realistic) future home. Pierre Mignard's "Marquise de Seignelay and Two of her Sons" is one of my favorites from the collection. It is French, bright, bold, dramatic, and regal. This is exactly the kind of artwork I would hope to have in my future palace. Ordinarily, I wouldn't like to have a painting of actual people on my walls, but I could make an exception for this one. Also, it would have to be in a grand, intricate golden frame, of course. The second object of desire that I could realistically put in my future home is "The Western Railway and its Exit from Paris" by Charles Angrand. The subject matter of this painting isn't of much interest to me, but the colors of the oil paint and the brushstrokes stood out to me immediately. I specifically am drawn to the yellow-hued field in which an onlooker sits. I think the colors in this field are beautiful, especially in combination with one another. I would put this painting up on my wall during the springtime, or possibly late summer, but I wouldn't keep it up year-round.
4. Gallery/Display: I loved the display style of the National Gallery, especially in comparison to the Tate Modern last week. The dark, richly colored walls in shades of plum and turquoise and occasionally with patterned wallpaper, combined with dramatic, ornate golden frames was much more appealing to me than the blank, utterly white walls in the modern style. This really intensified the drama of the galleries, but I liked it. I think that giving these paintings a sort of regal surrounding does them greater justice. I also preferred the salon style because, as I discussed last week, there is less pressure to focus on one piece. This seems counterintuitive to be pressured by a blank white background, and feel at ease with a dark, dramatic background, but for some reason that's how I responded to the two different gallery styles. Also, I think I like the rich colored walls and ornate frames because that's how I want to decorate my house as an adult--the more gold, the better.
5. Exploitation/Merchandising: I don't think all the merchandising in museum gift shops diminishes the artwork, but some of it certainly does. I think producing postcards, poster prints, and books of the artwork is acceptable because it's not really manipulation of the image, but rather reproduced and appreciated for the piece itself. The National Gallery gift shop included all of these forms of reproduction, but they also stocked some rather demeaning products as well. In my opinion, selling umbrellas, neckties, refrigerator magnets, jewelry, and DVDs with images of famous paintings on them is unfortunate. I think the people who purchase said items probably don't appreciate the actual piece of art as much as they should. I also think that when an image of a famous work become so ubiquitous, people on the street would start to take a masterpiece for granted. Their images are on everyday, forgotten objects that don't do justice to the pieces of art. Rather, they are mass produced, and in my opinion, belittle the classic paintings they depict. That being said, I'm guilty of owning a few of these objects myself.
6. Object of Appreciation: The painting that caught my attention more than any other in the collection at the National Gallery was "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey" by Paul Delaroche. Once again, my reason for appreciation is the subject matter of the painting, which again reflects my interest in history, specifically British history. Jane Gray is particularly interesting to me because it was her rival, Mary Queen of Scots, who was responsible for her beheading after only nine days on the throne. She was only sixteen when she was executed, and her youth is clearly visible in this painting by Delaroche. The painting is incredibly dramatic, with dark shadows surrounding the central, bright angelic figure of Jane Gray, on her way to the chopping block. Her figure is clearly distraught, young, and scared, and the executioner dawned in red clothing waits exasperatedly to finish his duty. The painting is very striking (no pun intended), and I'd love to revisit it again.
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