The National Gallery
As with most of the other galleries I have visited so far (including the Tate Modern), I can safely say I was more impressed by the gallery itself, than the works within them. Paintings from the 1500s through to the 1800s don’t settle well with me, seeming to focus too much on depictions of Christ and the elite. But it is understandable why those tend to be the main subjects. From the start, I don’t think I could take it seriously. I understand that that period in time was much more ‘religious’ than it is now, but I struggle to understand, in the first Titian I saw, what the symbolism a man with snakes beating up a goat-legged cherub dragging a deer head was.
Looking further into Titian as a painter, he appeared to be sought out by members of the Hapsburg family, away from the religious motifs present in his earlier work.
Most paintings seem too ethereal for my liking, and I feel as though having an ornate frame is an equally important part of the piece, when in my opinion, acts as more of a distraction.
I found it hard to extrapolate the way the painters used light and other techniques, and reinterpret it in a way that a photographer would. Clearly, this is due to the fact that this was the 1500s; electricity wasn’t a thing; leaving only candles and ambient light. Therefore, any techniques used would be appear to be very subtle. The only time I could see this be used was with Rembrandt’s self portrait, where it is clear that he has softened the foreground details in favour of drawing the viewer towards his face.
That being said, the only painting I really liked was Constable’s ‘The Hay Wein’. It just seemed the most natural of all the paintings I saw, with no exaggerated forms, and over-emphasised ideals of the time.
Tate Modern
3D – Donald Judd – Untitled – 1980
In my photos, I am drawn to blocks of repetition and pattern. This installation seems to sum up my photographic ideal perfectly.
2D – Stephen Shore – American Surfaces – 1972/73
It has been a while since I had seen any work on 35mm film, so it was refreshing to see a roadtrip like this be as well documented on film. I also like how casual, and almost grotesque, the images are.
Book – Holidays in Soviet Sanatoriums
I’ve always had a vague interest in history, and more recently, historical design movements; among them; Soviet propaganda. It’s a failed experiment, the remnants with still remain today.
Ryan Trower 