A brief indulgence in Art

I never knew Contemporary art would pique such curiosity and interest in me !

It all started with my visit to the National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square today. Luckily for me, one of our prospective clients’ called for a meeting at the basement cafe in NPG. While waiting for our guest, my colleague asked me whether I would be interested in having a look at the Art display once the meeting was done … to which I replied, “I aint too sure”, took a moment and said again, “Art has never been a priority”. (If only I knew, how drastically this was to change)

Once the meeting was done, we were making our way out of the gallery when our client suggested taking a look at the display. I wasn’t too sure again, but decided to go. He said, “You know what’s good about the muesuems and galleries here? … They are all free, and there is so much you can learn”. I walked on.

The first thing to catch my glimpse was the John Donne Appeal. NPG is taking donations to buy a Â£1.652 million painting of John Donne by an unknown English artist. That was my 1st impression of the gallery, and I was wowed !

I then entered the Ondaatje wing. By this time my colleague and our client had briefly had a look at some portraits and were ready to leave, but I just couldn’t. I was surprised myself, how I felt so involved with art, all of a sudden !

I hurried through the ‘Searching for Shakespeare’ gallery, and moved towards the area displaying contemporary art. I guess, watching the Icons and Idols section was the most fascinating of all, may be because I could relate with the identities. I took ample time reading about each portrait and understanding the artist’s inclination behind creating that piece of art.

Some of the most impressive were … A video called ‘David’ by Sam Taylor-Wood’s … an intimate portrait, which was shot in a single long take. Beckham was filmed sleeping, after training in Madrid. Simply lit from one light source this rich, painterly film presents a reverential and vulnerable image of an international football icon.

Yet another was a collage of Sir Richard Branson. Only when you look at work like this, you can realize the amount of work that goes into creating a masterpiece. Creating a portrait out of 1000’s of postcards .. that takes a helluva lot of planning and patience.

A few others were a portrait called ‘Five Women’ for Guardian, portraits of Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles, Princess Diana and a 8-ft portrait of Judi Dench.

All in all : A wonderful experience … Very Intriguing ! Now, that I have discovered a ‘new found interest in art’ … I very much look forward to similar indulgences soon.

After my (over)indulgence I spent sometime at the Trafalgar Square. Here are some pics I took. (Sorry about the quality, my cel fone was the best I could manage)

[tags]National Portrait Gallery, London, Trafalgar Sqaure, Contemporary Art, David Beckham, Richard Branson, Judi Dench, Art, London Sightseeing [/tags]

2 Comments so far

The Cool Scrolls

Battle of Encylopaedias - III…

Incidentally, Saumil has discovered a new dimension to his personality, that of an Art Connoisseur. He visited the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square and fell in love with Fine Art. He’s posted some interesting pictures on his blog….

April 7, 2006

Nirali

Hey, those are excellent pics. I luved the one of beckham. I was watching this show on europe’s riches people wherein they showcased Ratan Chadda - the ceo of mexx, he is particularly interested in interactive art. Apparently its very expensive. I am not sure if the beckham video was about interactive art but it sure makes one think about how much technology has become a part of everything that a man does these days.

A very interesting read i found in this post of yours. Set me thinking. Though I myself am not much into art. Keep up the good work

April 8, 2006