Courtauld Gallery
Is a very small gallery I thought it was going to be much bigger than it was. When I walked in I was overwhelmed with the feeling of chaos. I felt like there was a lot of people trying to walk around in a small confined space. The stairwells were tight and cramped there were small rooms with a few pieces in each room. I spent most of my time on the second floor looking at the many different paintings by the various artists that were displayed along the walls and some in the middle of the rooms. I found the two paintings I was set out to find on this floor fairly close to one another. Making my time at this gallery even more worth my while.
Vincent van Gogh "Self-Portrait With A Bandaged Ear"
Van Gogh mutilated his ear after a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, his self portrait was the first work he did after the incident. He believed that painting was a way to help his mental equilibrium recover. In this painting van Gogh has his back turned to the Japanese print and the easel with a scarcely worked painting. Although we aren't sure whether or not he is giving up on his dreams to found an artistic colony based on Japanese inspiration or he is diligently working toward that. He leaves it to you to interpret it however you feel it should be. Van Gogh is probably the most famous painter in the world for the very fact he cut off his own ear and in his infamy he was a master at his art. Misunderstood and masterful he has an intriguing style that asks questions and leaves you pondering his meanings.
Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas "Two Dancers on a Stage"
Degas is one of my favorite artists and this painting is one my favorite pieces of art. I love to dance and the delicacy of these two dancers portrays the talent and work it takes to be a dancer. They seem to interact, even though their poses are hard to read. The view of the third dancer is deliberately cut off. Degas is was fascinated by the ballet he painted in a way that would evoke modern city life by painting in viewpoints that were unconventional. He paints from the vantage point looking down from the box watching these dancers glide across the stage telling a story that only dancers could understand. I love this painting because I love to dance and it speaks to me in a way that not many other paintings can.
My Thoughts On The Courtauld Gallery
I feel like my time in this gallery was not time wasted. I loved the various kinds of pieces that are hung throughout the entire building. Impressionist paintings are my favorite kind of art. When I was walking around looking at the many different paintings on display I was mesmerized by my surroundings. Some of these pieces I would have thought would have been in a larger more well known museum such as The Louvre or the National Gallery. The beautiful paintings that I saw made me wonder how a person could paint such masterpieces and create them in such a way that they speak to various different people in a way that draws so much emotion. I am astounded by what I saw and the things I felt while reading the various descriptions about all of these pieces. They are all so different and speak in many different ways.