Today we ventured off to south London to Dulwich Picture Gallery. I wasn't really looking forward to it because I had never heard of it and didn't think there was going to be any work that was particularly famous or interesting; however, I was wrong. When we got off the train (which was different than the underground we'd been taking!) it felt like we were in the suburbs. It was much more country-esque than central London. The gallery sat on an open green lot and it was beautiful and inviting. It was a relatively small gallery, but it was clearly packed with lots of history. Fiona's cousin is the director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery and he was nice enough to give us a tour and mini-history on some of the pieces and rooms. Not only was he quite knowledgable, but he was incredibly funny and engaging during the tour. It made me think that I should join tours in other museums because he added a new layer and depth to many of the paintings. He began the tour with a bit of the history of the Gallery. It was quite interesting to learn that it the collection really started due to Edward Allan, Shakpeare's friend. It was also interesting to learn that the collection was meant to educate the public, since at one point it was a college. The Dulwich is also the oldest public art building in England and the first public gallery. After the history of the grounds and Gallery, he brought us to individual pieces to discuss their importance and meaning. I thought it funny when he was telling us that the art world is cyclical and that even though things are out of style they will be in favor again eventually- but I can totally agree with him. I found Jacob van Ruisdael's "Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem" from 1650 and John Constable's "Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem, after Jacob van Ruisdael" from 1830 interesting. Not only was it a gorgeous painting, but Constable's copy was pretty much an exact replica. It was also intriguing that Constable was one of the firsts to introduce Dutch artists and non-masters into the artistic curriculum at The Academy while he was teaching. I was further surprised to see some big named artists such as Rembrandt, Watteau, and Reubens. One painting by Anthony van Dyck, "Venetia Stanley, Lady Digby, on Her Deathbed", was particularly stunning. Not only was it an alluring and pretty image, but it had a haunting story to go along with it. Evidentally Lady Digby, still a young woman, went to bed perfectly healthy but died in her sleep. Her husband had an artist come and paint her the next morning as to remember her. So the seemingly peaceful woman is actually dead. The soft, eerie tones, mixed with the wilting flower is somber, yet still maintains a sense of serenity. Adriaen van der Werff's "The Judgment of Paris" was quite spectacular also. I've seen a number of "Judgment's of Paris"; however, I truly enjoyed his use of light and highlight on the figures. The flesh looked so soft and real. The background was darker, but complimented the figure, and the similarity of features on the three goddesses just accents the absurdity of the request at hand: to find the most fair goddess. It was a stunning piece, as were many of the works. It was sort of ironic that the rotating exhibit was Norman Rockwell, since we travelled to Europe to see an artist that specialized in Americana. I just looked at it as a little reminder of home. I had never seen any Norman Rockwell pieces in person, so it was a nice experience. I was familiar with his style, but I was quite impressed by two particular pieces. First off, the "April Fool's- Girl with Shop Keeper" because ther was just so many things going on in the painting, making it almost chlostrophobic, but it was still very clear and painted masterfully. All the details could be seen and understood. It was also funny that he signed his name backwards. It's clear that Rockwell had a sense of humor, and it was especially reflected in this piece. The second piece was "Bridge Game- The Bird", this piece impressed me because of the challenging bird's eye view and foreshortening. It must have been difficult to make such a realistic scene from an awkward angle, but once again, it shows his mastery of perspective and painterly technique. Rockwell managed to create moments in time in which look spontaneous, chaotic, yet still completely in control. I didn't realize that Rockwell had created propaganda posters, so I found those of interest. The large collection of Saturday Evening Post covers were phenomenal. It was amazing to look at all 323 in a row as they progressed, not only because they were by Rockwell, but because you got to see historical events as they unrolled throughout the ages. Rockwell managed to always tell a story in which connected with viewers in his pieces, which is why I think he was so successful. I was again disappointed that I didn't get to spend more time in the Gallery, but the group that I was with wanted to go elsewhere. Also, I think all the walking and art-looking has been catching up to me because my back and feet were very sore...so I didn't mind going to sit for a while. I'll have to come back to the Gallery at another time.
After the Dulwich, we went to the London Zoo since we had missed it a few days earlier and our London pass expires tomorrow. This time we thankfully got there before last admission! It was a perfect day for a walk around the zoo; it was sunny and gorgeous even thought it was a bit frigid, but still nothing compared to Oneonta. It seemed that the zoo expanded forever. We saw lions, tigers, bats, monkeys, flammingos, giraffes and more. It was really neat, and a great photo opportunity, but I felt really bad for the animals. It didn't seem like each group of animals had too much space to run around and live in. Also, the birds had this huge net over their section and I just kept thinking how sad it was that they couldn't fly away with all the pigeons and robins that were flying around the cage. While we were at the lion section I was a bit nervous because the lioness was stalking the glass section where we could look in and kept clawing at the glass...I was paranoid that she was going to get out and go on a rampage. Luckily, that didn't happen.
After the zoo, we headed down to Camden Market, which was this series of shops that lined the streets. This was a lot of fun to haggle and buy various souveniors. I got quite a few articles of clothing for cheap and the three of us had a fun time shopping and chatting away. When we started looking for a place for dinner we accidentally ended up in a gay bar which seemed to be a favorite for the older gay gentlemen. While none of us had a problem with gays or their bars, we felt a bit out of place and ended up leaving before the waiter got to us. We felt a little more comfortable at The Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
There are quite a few things about London that are quite unique; however, the fact that they let muscians play for money in a designated area in the underground and also let children make art in museums intrigue me. In various underground stations, there is a colorful semi-circle off to the side in which muscians can come down and play for money. So far I've seen a guitarist, a floutist, a harpist, a keyboardist, and a saxaphone player. In America I feel like the subways frown on this, but here they promote it. I'm sure you have to sign up for a time or something, but either way- it's an ingenious idea, and I enjoy hearing the different types of music and instruments. The other thing is that children are encouraged to make their own artwork with various available materials. I've seen this in almost every museum. I think this is wonderful- the fact that this not only engages children and promotes their interest in museums, but it also allows children to be creative and think about the artwork and reflect on their feelings towards it. I've been amazed at how articulate the children are about the pieces in the wall- it seems that many of them are much more aware and educated about art. Either way, I've never seen this happen in the museums at the states, so I thought that was wonderful.
I can't believe we only have two more full days in London left. I've truly fallen in love with the city and don't want to leave! There's still so many things to do and I know I won't get to half of them. I hope I have this much fun in Paris.
Question of the Day: Describe a market that you have been to.
Camden Market was set up in a shopping area where there were indoor stores accompanied by outside vendors. It was at Camden Town, which was only a couple stops away from Russell Square and not too far away from the zoo. The tents included various clothing items, jewlery, and other souveniors. Many of the tents had the same items but with varying prices. There was also a number of farmer market-like tents selling local fruits and vegetables. On one side there was a lone guitarist who sang along to popular British bands such as Coldplay or Oasis. Of course you had to haggle all the prices and try and get things for a decent price, which was a fun experience in itself.
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