Unfortunately, we only had about an hour in the gallery itself, but in that time we visited two parts and, I would say, got a lot from both of them.
Both of us are currently studying GCSE Art and so the trip gave us the time to gather some new art pieces, and artists to take inspiration from for our project on texture. With the project we each had to take different routes or 'artistic journeys', which have went well sometimes and other times not so much...
We spent most of our time in the 'Inventing Impressionism' exhibition, which 'features 85 masterpieces from the movement' sparked by Durand-Ruel, an art dealer from Paris who helped make the Impressionism market what it is today.
Alison
The first, shows a man and woman dancing, but as the man leans closer into the woman, she seems to be pulling away from him. We see a polite smile on her face, knowing she can't cause a fuss but also really not wanting to be there. His arm is tight around her back, which is arching away from him. Behind them there is people talking away, completely oblivious to the woman's emotions- this lack of knowledge of people's thoughts linking itself to my project.
The other image shows a young girl. I didn't care much for the picture as a whole, but looking closely at her face, again, emotions are easier to spot. We see her eyes looking off to the side and down as if she is preoccupied by other thoughts- rather than actually wanting to be seated in a room to be painted. The polite smile, like in 'Dance at Bougival', is also there, as she is probably of importance and also can't 'cause a fuss'.
Sabrina
With my other painting of choice, 'The Train in the Snow' by Claude Monet, shows a train leaving on a bleak, winter's day. The landscape is blank, white and sparse- lacking in hopes and meanings, but the train is a blue, albeit dull. This shows me the possibilities often associated with leaving. Whether that is home, a job or a situation you are unhappy with, I think that it's an important point to remember; that we can leave, and even if your situation looks bad there is always hope for change and a brighter future.
The 'Inventing Impressionism' exhibition will be at the National Gallery until the end of May 2015, if you are interested in delving into an impression journey.
See you soon with another blog post,
- Alison and Sabrina