Threw on my sunglasses (the weather here is gorgeous, high 60s and sunny), plugged in my iPod, grabbed a Starbucks iced latte and walked along the Thames River. It was around lunchtime so all the businessmen and women were out sitting with their bag lunches and colleagues. So cute! The St. Paul's lawn was filled with people, as was every bench within half a mile. Islington and the City of London are two huge business areas, so when noon hits, everyone is out and about in their business attire. I love it! Makes me want to be a businesswoman.
I've been to the National Portrait Gallery briefly before but seemed to have missed most of the Monet and Van Gogh artwork... how does that happen? Anyway, I get there and the first room I walk into ends up being a lot of Monet work. Ah, I just love Monet. Some of the most famous paintings in the world are by him.. the water lillies for example. Here are a few of my favorites! (photos courtesy National Portrait Gallery website)
Water-lilies, Setting sun. 1907. It's prettier in real life, but I just love the use of pinks and oranges in the reflection.
The Thames below Westminster. 1871. I bought a print of this in the gift shop because I loved it so much. I'm biased because it's a painting of London, but in a general sense, I like the muted colors. It also kind of represents what I would picture the atmosphere of that time.. just kind of industrial, gloomy, gray, etc.
The Grand Canal, Venice. 1908. I love this because... I love Venice. The colors are just so pretty.. blues, oranges, pinks, greens, whites. Venice definitely deserves all those colors. I think it's neat how even though there's not a lot of definition, you can still tell where the buildings meet the water.
Bathers at La Grenoulliere, 1869. One of his first paintings it seems like! I love that there's just so much involved in this painting, boats in the foreground, people on the dock in the middle, swimmers (look like little dots) in the background.
Next up we have Van Gogh... as crazy as he was, he was nonetheless a brilliant artist.
Sunflowers, 1888. I bought a print of this.. just because, it's the Sunflowers and one of the most famous pieces of art ever.
A wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889. It's just so swirly! The clouds, the trees, even the wheat a little bit. I love his use of bold colors, dark greens, light greens that even have a certain "pow!" to them, blues, golden yellows... so pretty! You can bet I have a print of this, too.
I also love, love, love Degas. He focused a lot on dancers, but this painting is one of my favorites.
Four Dancers. I like how a lot of the background is more impression-y and uses broad strokes, but there is a lot of definition and fine black lines on the upper half of the dancers. It really sets them a part from the background.
I also think Manet is great (not to be confused with Monet!). This is, "The Grand Canal, Venice." Again, just because I love Venice. I like how things in the photo are a little crooked, such as the buildings in the background, the striped poles in the foreground.. even the gondola is tipping over.
Basically I just really like impressionism. Here is one of my favorite's by artist Camille Pissarro.
Fox Hill, Upper Norwood, 1870.
If you've been following my blog.. at least back to the Spain posts... you would know I am a big fan of Picasso. Although he's not really everyone's cup of tea.. seeing as his paintings got really wacky as time went on, I think his style is just so unique. You know a Picasso painting when you're looking at one. There's no second guessing.
But, you may to be surprised to find out Picasso doesn't just paint weird looking creatures. A lot of his early work was of landscapes. This is one of my favorite Picasso works... I love the dotted colors and how they're just kinda thrown on in no particular sequence or design.. but it works.
Woman in a Mantilla (la Salchichona), 1917.
When I took my weekend trip to Manchester, Pat and I took a look at the Lowry museum in the Lowry theater (before the play we saw). L.S. Lowry was famous for his paintings of industrial northern England in the early 1900s. He has a really unique style, that again, might not be everybody's cup of tea. But I just loved it!
The people are so goofy and cartoonish looking.. and then you have the guy on the far right who's standing at a completely different direction than the rest of them.
As you can see, Lowry is a pretty unique artist.. and even though he uses a lot of darker, dirtier colors (even the pinks and greens in the photo are dirty looking.. but I think that successfully portrays the "industrial" feel), it all seems pretty lively and funny.
So that was my art rant. I'm probably the last person who should be talking about art but hey, I'm learning. An art connoisseur in training if you will. I cannot wait to live in NYC this summer and check out some more of the best museums in the world... woooohooo!! Everything is going to be at my fingertips this summer. The mecca of all things culture is New York City. My fellow ASME interns and I have been chatting recently, and it's making me so excited for the summer. They all seem super great. It's going to be an amazing two months in the big apple, that's for sure. 2011 is getting a thumbs up from me, thus far.
Today Jackie, Liza, Jordan and I went to Picadilly Circus for some souvenir shopping... we've been here for 4 months and I don't even have my London memorabilia! Then it was over to Lillywhites (sports store) where I purchased a Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo jersey. Ronaldo doesn't play for ManU anymore, but it's kinda cool to have a player's old jersey, right? I'm not really a football/soccer fan in the first place, even though I should technically be an Arsenal fan.. living in London and all. I'm just a really big Ronaldo fan haha
Then we roamed around Covent Garden and Leicester Square, eventally making it to Oxford Street and beginning the long walk back to the dorms. But, now that I'm looking at the actual distance (a little over 2 miles from Picadilly to the dorm), it's not TOO far. It just seemed longer because of the 2395829034853 tourists and their mothers who were out walking around, too. Sometimes I wish everyone just walked at the same pace. Yeah, that would be robotic and weird, but it would be so much less annoying!
Tomorrow I'm off to Borough Market.. haven't been there yet and they supposedly have the best food samples.
Oh London... our time together is dwindling down :(
xxx
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