A few years ago I saw Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
in London’s National Gallery. Thanks to jet lag, the experience was a bit of a
blur. But there’s something about this painting that lured me back. Perhaps
it’s the expression of cheerful, positive energy from a man better known for a
life of emotional turmoil and tragedy.
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| The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square |
Sunday morning on Trafalgar Square was much
quieter than the other times we’d passed through this famous square in the
centre of London.
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| Trafalgar Square, London |
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| Trafalgar Square Fountain |
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| Nelson's Column |
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| Team GB's BFG Dream Jar: Believe in Extraordinary |
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| Lion at the Base of Nelson's Column |
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Gift Horse, by Hans Haacke
Trafalgar Square Fourth Plinth |
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| Canada House |
The National Gallery opened at 10 a.m. and I was one of the
first art lovers to walk through the door. The gallery doesn’t charge admission
to see their magnificent collection, although donations are welcome. Mindful of
the time, I targeted my favourite paintings by Canaletto, Vermeer, Seurat and Monet.
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| National Gallery Portico Entrance |
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| National Gallery Barry Rooms |
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Venice: The Doge's Palace and the Riva degli Schiavoni, by Canaletto (late 1730s)
National Gallery, London |
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Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, by Johannes Vermeer (1670-02)
National Gallery, London |
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Bathers at Asnières, by Georges Seurat (1884)
National Gallery, London |
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The Skiff, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1875)
National Gallery, London |
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Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway, by J.M.W. Turner (1844)
National Gallery, London |
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Hillside in Provence, by Paul Cézanne (1890-2)
National Gallery, London |
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Irises, by Claude Monet (1914-17)
National Gallery, London |
I saved the best for last. Vincent Van Gogh
fell in love with the south of France and had hoped to establish an artists’
colony in Arles. He invited Paul Gauguin to join him there and painted sunflowers
to decorate a room for his friend in the “Yellow House”. Tensions between the
two artists eventually led to the famous incident with Van Gogh’s ear and his stay
at an asylum. The following year he took his own life. On a quiet Sunday
morning I delighted in his Sunflowers without the distracting presence of a
crowd.
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A Wheatfield with Cypresses, by Vincent van Gogh (1889)
National Gallery, London |
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Long Grass with Butterflies, by Vincent van Gogh (1890)
National Gallery, London |
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Van Gogh's Chair, by Vincent van Gogh (1888)
National Gallery, London |
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Sunflowers, by Vincent van Gogh (1888)
National Gallery, London |
Afterwards we had a quick lunch at the
cafeteria-style Café in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. I’d enjoyed a
delicious (and inexpensive) meal here on my previous visit before a Vivaldi concert
in the church. This time we arrived a little too early for a hot lunch but
sandwiches were available.
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| St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Trafalgar Square |
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| Café in the Crypt |
From Trafalgar Square it was a short walk
to the Palace Theatre in Soho for an afternoon performance of the new play, Harry
Potter and the Cursed Child. I’ll tell you about that next time.
My Tip for the Day:
I was fortunate to be in Vienna several years ago when they had a special exhibition of Canaletto. Though I love art, I had never seen his work before then. I was awestruck by the detail. Last year I visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I certainly had a new appreciation of his work.
ReplyDeleteAmsterdam and the Van Gogh museum are on my bucket list!
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