Visiting the National Gallery

Since I have a week off work, I decided to come down to the smog (as we northerners like to call London). I've come down for one reason: to visit the National Gallery.

Stepping into the National Gallery in London, I was immediately struck by the sheer magnificence of the paintings adorning its walls. The bustling crowds only served to underscore its status as?one of the most frequented galleries in London, a testament to its undeniable allure and a must-visit for anyone in the English capital.

About National Gallery

At the beginning of the XIX century, three main galleries/museums were founded in the UK: The National Gallery, the British Museum, founded in 1753, and The Royal Academy, founded in 1768 as an educational institution and an exhibition hall.

It became necessary to create a national assembly of works of art, and in 1824, the necessary funds were allocated, which were used to purchase a collection of 38 paintings by JJ Angsterstein. From that moment on, the National Gallery began its existence, which became the Anestresteins mansion in the Pall Mall. The new museum existed, developed, and filled its funds thanks to the purchases and donations of organisations and ordinary art connoisseurs.

From 1834 to 1838, a neoclassical building designed by William Wilkins was built, which now stands The National Gallery. Within its walls is one of the largest sources of European artist painting in the world. In 1991, the museum expanded and obtained new collections of art, which are free for everyone to see.

Here is a rundown of my favourite works of art at the National Gallery

Paintings of Austrian,?English and French Artist

The exhibition gallery represents the paintings of French artists from the 17th century. The works of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain are particularly noteworthy.

The National Gallery in London proudly houses a collection of paintings by renowned artists such as Fran?ois Boucher, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Antoine Watteau, and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, all dating from the eighteenth century.This treasure trove of art is a testament to the gallery's commitment to preserving and showcasing the best of European art.

Rich exhibits a collection of French paintings of the XIX century, presented in a museum: Eugène Delacroix, Jacques-Louis David, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, the brightest representative of Impressionism.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Eduard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro supplemented a collection of paintings by artists working in this direction.

Henri Rousseau's painting "The Tiger in a Tropical Storm" interests society's primitivism and clothes works representative of post-Impressionism by Vin, such as van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Paul Cezanne.

The Tate Gallery is the repository for the most important collection of English paintings. Here are paintings by William Hogarth, the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, Joshua Reynolds, and landscape painters John Constable and Joseph William Turner.

Lord Frederic Leighton

The subject is taken from Vasari's 16th-century account of the life of the 13th-century painter Cimabue, in which he describes how his Madonna and Child (now given to Duccio) was carried from his house to the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Leighton actually paints a nod to Cimabue, in which he is given pride of place in front of the painting with a laurel wreath on his head.

This was Leighton's first monumental work, painted in Rome and exhibited to great acclaim at the Royal Academy in London in 1855. Queen Victoria purchased it on the first day of the exhibition, noting in her diary how it reminded her of Paul Veronese.

William Holman Hunt-Rienzi vowed to obtain Justice for his Brother's Death.

William Holman Hunt's painting "Vowing to Obtain Justice for the Death of his Young Brother" (1849) is a social commentary painting of the time. Hunt rejected convention in painting the landscape out of doors, not from sketches. He wrote, "Heaven against the tyranny exercising over the poor and helpless."

Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Hermine Gallia - 1904

I'm a massive fan of Viennese artist Gustav Klimt, and visiting the National Gallery to see this painting in all its splendour is so worthwhile. The great Viennese painter found a steady clientele for his portraits among the city's most elegant and enlightened patronesses. Klimt designed the dress Hermine Gallia wears, and the canvas as a whole echoes its subtle colours and rich decorative vocabulary.

Paul Cézanne - Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses) - 1894 -1905

Cézanne's Bathers (Les Grandes Baigneuses) shows eleven female figures reposing in an imaginary landscape bordered by trees. The forms of the landscape mirror the women's sculptured bodies.?Cézanne outlines the figures and the main features of the background in blue, heightening the scene's atmosphere and suggesting the unity of man with nature.

George Stubbs - Whistlejacket - c.1762

I'm not a horsey kind of man, but what is there not to love about Stubbs - Whistlejacket -painting???? It's a giant portrait of a horse with a golden background; some sources say that George III was meant to have been painting whilst riding the horse; others disagree; I'm in favour of a free horse enjoying its freedom. The painting of racehorse Whistlejacket was painted life-size for his owner, the second Marquess of Rockingham, in celebration of the Arabian-bred Stallion's superb proportions and beautiful appearance. Rockingham's interest in classical sculpture may have inspired this arresting and unusual pose.

William Turner paintings

I just love Turner, with his dramatic paintings and his storytelling. The painting above is of an English packet or mail boat, crowded with travellers, narrowly avoiding collision with a French fishing boat as it attempts to land. This painting is based on Turner's experience of a stormy landing at Calais during his first trip abroad in 1802.

The above painting,?Rain, Steam, and Speed,?demonstrates Turner's ability to capture atmospheric?effects in paint. This painting of a steam engine advancing across a bridge in the rain has been identified as the railway bridge over the Thames at Maidenhead.?

This painting by William Turner isn't one of my favourites, mainly because it still needs to be finished. It could be a study painting to capture the atmospheric effects of mist and clouds.

Why are these my favourite pieces of art? I can't answer that; I will let you make up your own mind.