For my last two days in London I had a number of places I wanted to see. Top of the list was the V&A . I wanted to see the collection as well as one of the special exhibitions: Ballgowns. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/ballgowns it was great fun, but I really needed to have Alli with me to share the beautiful, the extraordinarily and the ugly.
V&A is a beautiful and huge museum and I really couldn't do it justice in the time I had so I had to choose a few galleries. The jewellery area was a 'must do' and I loved it. One of the amazing things I saw was a necklace from La Alberca, the little town where we stayed for our pueblo ingles program. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O144083/necklace-unknown/
I also wandered through the Arthur Sullivan rooms, which was an amazing collection of snuff boxes and other exquisite pieces, all donated to the gallery. There was a clock which was just extraordinary, which I'll put in the photos. There were also two whole rooms which were literally that: they had been moved out of houses which were being demolished. One was the Norfolk House music room http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/norfolk-house-music-room/ an extravaganza of cream and gold.
I wandered into the sculpture section, enjoying the marbles and bronzes then was blown away when I saw the huge galleries to the left and right including Trajan's column in two parts. (casts not originals) http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/b/behind-the-scenes-trajans-column/
After the V&A I walked literally across the street to the Natural History museum. Again I had to choose a part and I went for the Earth section, looking at earthquakes, geology and minerals, as well as a lovely array of jewels. It has a great collection of hands on exhibits including one where you can alter the flow of water to see the effect on the erosion pattern of the sand. It looked just like the sand at Tidal River where it meets the bay. The earthquake/volcano section looked at the Philippines, Vesuvius, and Japan. I always enjoy looking at minerals, especially the crystal formations. There was also a beautiful table top made from an array of Italian marble. The last section was an extensive collection of jewels, showing the different cuts and colours of various gems. It was fascinating to see the range of colours of gems we assume are a single colour eg. garnets.
The following day it was time for more art galleries, the National Gallery and the Royal Academy. Again I had to be selective. It was very hard, but I particularly love the Impressionists and Turner, Gainsborough and Constable so the gallery satisfied me completely. A random painting which caught my eye was the Citadel in Copenhagen, the military section Paul and I had walked around just days before. The painting was from the bridge we had walked across. Apparently the artist had lived there as a boy because his mother ran the bakery and he painted it for her. Without the visit to Copenhagen I would have walked by the painting completely. I also spent time in the Italian and French sections post Renaissance but was hoping to see more David. Perhaps his were in a different section.
Then the Royal Academy had a display of Constable and Turner and their influence, with particular emphasis on engravings. I'm not really into engravings but the comparison between painting and engraving was interesting.
All the museums and galleries I have been to have had students in them. It's really pleasing to see them being utilised, and from a young age. There was a group of kids today who looked like they were in about Grade 2. I suspect that many wouldn't have parents who would take them to galleries, so it's great to see the schools doing it. Having free access is vital, I believe.
V&A is a beautiful and huge museum and I really couldn't do it justice in the time I had so I had to choose a few galleries. The jewellery area was a 'must do' and I loved it. One of the amazing things I saw was a necklace from La Alberca, the little town where we stayed for our pueblo ingles program. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O144083/necklace-unknown/
I also wandered through the Arthur Sullivan rooms, which was an amazing collection of snuff boxes and other exquisite pieces, all donated to the gallery. There was a clock which was just extraordinary, which I'll put in the photos. There were also two whole rooms which were literally that: they had been moved out of houses which were being demolished. One was the Norfolk House music room http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/norfolk-house-music-room/ an extravaganza of cream and gold.
I wandered into the sculpture section, enjoying the marbles and bronzes then was blown away when I saw the huge galleries to the left and right including Trajan's column in two parts. (casts not originals) http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/b/behind-the-scenes-trajans-column/
After the V&A I walked literally across the street to the Natural History museum. Again I had to choose a part and I went for the Earth section, looking at earthquakes, geology and minerals, as well as a lovely array of jewels. It has a great collection of hands on exhibits including one where you can alter the flow of water to see the effect on the erosion pattern of the sand. It looked just like the sand at Tidal River where it meets the bay. The earthquake/volcano section looked at the Philippines, Vesuvius, and Japan. I always enjoy looking at minerals, especially the crystal formations. There was also a beautiful table top made from an array of Italian marble. The last section was an extensive collection of jewels, showing the different cuts and colours of various gems. It was fascinating to see the range of colours of gems we assume are a single colour eg. garnets.
The following day it was time for more art galleries, the National Gallery and the Royal Academy. Again I had to be selective. It was very hard, but I particularly love the Impressionists and Turner, Gainsborough and Constable so the gallery satisfied me completely. A random painting which caught my eye was the Citadel in Copenhagen, the military section Paul and I had walked around just days before. The painting was from the bridge we had walked across. Apparently the artist had lived there as a boy because his mother ran the bakery and he painted it for her. Without the visit to Copenhagen I would have walked by the painting completely. I also spent time in the Italian and French sections post Renaissance but was hoping to see more David. Perhaps his were in a different section.
Then the Royal Academy had a display of Constable and Turner and their influence, with particular emphasis on engravings. I'm not really into engravings but the comparison between painting and engraving was interesting.
All the museums and galleries I have been to have had students in them. It's really pleasing to see them being utilised, and from a young age. There was a group of kids today who looked like they were in about Grade 2. I suspect that many wouldn't have parents who would take them to galleries, so it's great to see the schools doing it. Having free access is vital, I believe.
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