Something you should see… Seduced By Art at the National Gallery

The Cultural Exposé — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:00:20 +0000

In a time of financial crisis, people really need more of a reason to spend the time and money in art galleries – but one of those reasons is definitely the National Gallery’s new exhibition Seduced By Art. Offering a ‘provocative look at how photographers use fine art traditions’, the exhibition intends to show how major early works by French and British artists have gone on to inform photographers, from the 19th century photography of Julia Margaret Cameron, to new photography and video commissioned specifically for the exhibition and on display in public for the first time.

Without climbing too far on my soap box (oh alright, give me a second), this kind of work is what I want to see art galleries do. As a fan of both painting and photography, the distinction between the two disciplines has always seemed a little arbitrary, and a way to keep things segregated for no good reason, particularly given the number of prominent artists who’ve crossed codes. Luckily, it seems that Hope Kingsley (curator for Education and Collections at the Wilson Centre for Photography) and Christopher Riopelle (Curator of Post-1800 Paintings at the National Gallery) have heard my plea for a little more integration, and are going to do just that.

The show will include almost 90 photographs, sourced internationally and from the photographers themselves. What is really on show is the way that photography dares to claim traditional ‘high art’ as its own, and to legitimise the place of photography as a high art discipline in its own right. As the first major photography exhibition to take place in the gallery, whether you agree or disagree, this exhibition will certainly be a spark for igniting the discussion on where photography sits. (Words: Charlotte Lydia)

Seduced By Art: Photography Past & Present is showing at The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, from October 31st to January 20th. For more info visit www.nationalgallery.org.uk/seduced-by-art

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Something you should see… Leonardo Da Vinci at the National Gallery

Laura Thornley — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:00:20 +0000

Do we need an introduction here? (If you do, where have you BEEN??) Perhaps the greatest mind in history of the West, Leonardo Da Vinci was master of just about anything he touched – light years before his time, living and pioneering the Italian Renaissance around late 1400s, as well as being a scientist, engineer, anatomist, cartographer, sculptor, musician and painter. His drawings are evidence that he conceptualised helicopters, solar power, a calculator – inventions us mere mortals were just stumbling across in the last 150 years (no wonder he was a member of the Priory of Sion and privy to the grail secret, eh?). He is also, not forgetting, the painter of two of the most famous paintings in the world: the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper and as such, is probably one of the greatest and most famous painters of our time.

This new blockbuster exhibition is already being dubbed ‘a once on a lifetime experience’ and brings together 9 of the only 15 or 16 paintings known to exist by the legend. Most notably, it unites two versions Da Vinci painted of The Virgin of the Rocks, one newly restored by the National, the other on loan from the Louvre. Where other exhibitions have taken their focus on the artist as a engineer or anatomist – this new collection focuses on the unique way Da Vinci approached painting. With examples of his work that you would otherwise have to travel the length and breadth of Europe to experience them, you would be a fool to miss them on your doorstep. See you there! (Words: Laura Thornley)

Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is on until February 5th, 2012. Click here for more info.

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National Gallery – The Cultural Exposé

Something you should see… Seduced By Art at the National Gallery

Something you should see… Leonardo Da Vinci at the National Gallery