I was first introduced to Art some thirty years ago by a friend. She asked me if I wanted to visit the National Gallery in London. I must admit I was a little apprehensive at first but I still went anyway and I am so glad I did. We are, pretty much, social media friends now, mainly because we live at opposite the ends of the country. I suppose, added to that our lives drifted apart too. That said, I have Mandy to thank profusely for my love of Art!
Over the years I haven’t indulged myself as much as I would have liked what with family and work commitments, however, more recently I have been able to.
I visited the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to see ‘Victoria & Albert: Our Lives in Watercolour’. I am a big fan of the TV Series ‘Victoria’ so when saw the advertising for it I was determined to go. All I can say it did not disappoint! Victoria and Albert loved art, especially watercolours so made a point of commissioning artists and amateur artists alike to paint their public and private lives then took great pleasure in arranging them in albums. This exhibition is a tribute to that. It is both fascinating and interesting! I enjoyed it so much that I bought the accompanying book and am in the process of reading it.
Next month I am going to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and then the month after that I am visiting NYC so plan to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and perhaps the Guggenheim Museum too (as long as time allows, of course).
Impressionist Art is probably my favourite. I have been lucky enough to visit Monet’s House & Gardens in Giverny as well as other Art Museums in Paris, for example, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Petit Palace (a special trip to see a Georges Seurat exhibition) and Eugene Delacroix Museum.
When Mandy and I visited the Louvre we attempted to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. I remember we couldn’t even get anywhere near it for all the people trying to do the same. There was no orderly (very British) queue, there were just crowds and crowds of tourists. The painting itself was so small, so much smaller than I ever expected it to be!
I know Salvador Dali is far from an Impressionist artist but I have even visited the Salvador Dali Museum in St Peterburg, Florida and long to visit his Museum in Spain.
Going forward, I will look to tell you some of my other past art gallery visits and my future art gallery visits. I may have to dig deep into my memories for the past ones, of course. Hopefully I can share some more stories soon but for now hope you have enjoyed reading the above!
it's time to get creative! 