I've now changed the layout/format but I've breached my word count by 256 words. Shit!
Feature idea:
A Bluffer’s Guide to London’s Art
You don’t have to be an art connoisseur with a Masters in gazing pretentiously at canvases to enjoy what London has to offer.
London is a fantastic city for art - from the Tate Modern and the White Cube to the Royal Academy and the National Gallery, there’s a multitude of classic and modern art to feast your eyes on.
The range of art available can seem somewhat overwhelming so here’s what you need to know about essential art to see in London.
Modern and contemporary art:
Most young art-types, naturally, may tend to flock to places such as the Tate Modern or the White Cube as these galleries offer art that pushes the boundaries. From Tracey Emin’s Turner Prize-winning My Bed (which was later sold) to Damien Hirst’s Formaldehyde Shark, many big, temporary projects are housed at the Tate.
The Tate Modern is a goliath building located just opposite St Paul’s by the Millennium Bridge. It used to be a coal-fired power station in the 1940s and 50s but it was converted to suit its current use in 2000.
The building is comprised of five floors. Floors three and five house modern art from 1900 onwards, whilst the fourth floor is reserved by big, temporary projects. A new exhibition, which is part of a BP art display, is being launched in September and will feature Tracey Emin’s new collection of sketches called 1000 Drawings. Currently showing is a Futurism exhibition – a technique stemming from 1909 that expresses the dynamism of modern life.
Two other well-suited galleries are the White Cube and the Royal Academy. The White Cube is tipped to also showcase Emin’s work in September and The Royal Academy of Arts will display Anish Kapoor’s new work on September 26th.
Addresses:
Tate Modern: Bankside, London, SE1 9TG.
Tate Britain: Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG.
The White Cube: 48 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6PB.
The Royal Academy: Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD.
Classical art:
If you’re more a prudential and conservative art-lover – or If you just want to see some more time-tested, well-known art – the Tate Britain, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert may be more your cup of tea.
The Tate Britain is, pretty much, the Tate Modern’s more bookish elder sibling. It houses some modern art but most of its collections go back as far as the year 1500. There are currently two decent exhibitions on by Stefan and Franciszka Themerson and Tony Swain (see www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions).
The National Gallery holds some of the most well-known work from some of the most world-renowned artists. You’ll find Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Rembrandt’s Lamentation Over the Dead Christ, Monet’s The Thames Under Westminster and Cezanne’s An Old Woman With a Rosary, amongst others. There are guided tours every day from 2.30-3pm.
If public and historical figures are more your thing the National Portrait Gallery should cater to your tastes. From Churchill to Lord Nelson, to the supposed Portrait of Shakespeare and beyond, this gallery has it all. Also, the BP Portrait Award is currently being held here in which 56 portraits will be selected from a record 1900 entrants. Admission is free (see www.npg.org.uk).
The Victoria and Albert is a final must-see. Currently, a free Baroque Art exhibition is being held ‘til July 19th in which art from 1620-1800 is being displayed. Also on display are religious paintings by Rubens and Tiepolo.
Addresses:
National Gallery: Trafalgur Square, London, WC2N 5DN.
National Portrait Gallery: St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H OHE.
Victoria and Albert: Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL.
The best bet:
The highlight of the entire London art scene has to be Picasso’s Guernica – a huge blue-shaded mural lamenting the cruelness of war - which was first painted in 1937 after the bombing of a Basque village of the same name. It’s being shown at the White Chapel Gallery.
- 77-82 White Chapel High Street, London, E1 7QX.
Artists to look out for:
Van Gogh: Van Gogh had a short, eventful life. He was an advocate of expressionism - a method originating in Germany in which artists sought to express the meaning of being alive. He cut off part of Gauguin’s earlobe in an epileptic fit. He’s rumoured to have cut off one of his ears but a new theory suggests Gauguin exacted revenge in a final altercation between the two. He shot himself in July 1890. Look out for Sunflowers and The Potato Eaters.
Picasso: Picasso developed the style of Cubism. He went through two short periods in the early 1900s – his blue and rose periods. His most famous work is Guernica (1937) about an air-raid on the Spanish town of the same during the Spanish Civil War. You can find Guernica at the White Chapel Gallery.
Monet: He founded the French movement of impressionism, focusing on ‘plein air’ (plain air) subjects such as woodland scenes and other scenic settings.
The jargon (the ‘-isms’):
Cubism: A painting method in which subjects are reduced to geometrical shapes. Picasso was one of the major advocates of this technique.
Expressionism: A method originating in Germany in which artists sought to express the meaning of being alive
Impressionism: The name of the technique originates from a painting by Monet entitled: ‘Impression, Sunrise’. The technique involved visible brush strokes and an emphasis on light.
Surrealism: A technique in which subjects were distorted and time was fractured. Ominous landscapes were often used. Salvador Dali pioneered the method in the late 1930s.
Baroque Art: Art of the 17th and 18th centuries which reflects the opulence of Rome as laid down by such figures as Bernini.
Futurism: A technique originated by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909 which expresses the dynamism and chaos of modern life.
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