The National Gallery

LOGO

The creation of a brand for The National Gallery is attempted through the use of one typeface. This solution is totally inadequate to represent such a large, impressive and not to mention colorful collection. There is a tenuous connection since a serif typeface is a sensible choice for this collection, as it consists of almost all classical art; however, choosing the most basic of serif fonts which has basically no personality implies that the objects housed within also have no personality. It really is just using a typeface in place of a logo or any real branding system. I would definitely support incorporating some sort of imagery with the text, and I like the idea of referencing the exterior of the building, or maybe the interior like the long, thin, domed hallways that dominate the inside of the museum. It would also be smart to create a clearer visual hierarchy with a lot more variety in scale instead of giving the perception that 'National' and 'Gallery' are of equal importance. I would consider a font like Garamond or Bodoni instead, still a traditional typeface but with a little more interest.

VAN GOGH

When I first read this question the night before the museum right away I was inclined to say Van Gogh paintings do not live up their position in art history, and I didn't think about it more until I saw his paintings in the National Gallery and realized it was just the rebel in me talking. I have seen my fair share of Van Goghs, I have gone through my "Van Gogh is my favorite painter" phase, and I have relegated him as one of those "oh this guy again, yeah he's alright but so ubiquitous," but this visit inspired a little Van Gogh revitalization for me. I think his paintings are quite breathtaking, and it seems like everything by Van Gogh I have seen has been a great work, not a characteristic I find true about many other artists. The painting Mother by a Cradle of 1887 is an interesting departure for him, the brushstrokes are very precise and there are none of his characteristic broad or swirling strokes nor are there defining lines that edge the shapes like in Van Gogh's Chair from just a year later, 1888. In that piece he makes great use of combining complimentary colors to heighten the visual contrast in the painting whereas in Mother by a Cradle the colors are straightforward and representational.

OBJECT OF DESIRE

 I finally developed an appreciation for Renaissance type art last year when I studied in Italy, and after my time in Italy I went to London and saw this painting in a sort of hidden room at the National Gallery and it blew me away. This is a painting by Raphael of St. Catherine from 1507. I know nothing about Christian saints or imagery but I like that this isn't a Virgin and Child painting or another famous religious scene so I don't necessarily have to only see religion when I look at it. I love that it is representative of Raphael inimitable style, the lush figure in the foreground with a nice idealistic country scene in the background. The colors are really lovely, there is a whole rainbow basically just with St. Catherine alone. The face is obviously a Raphael face, and the detailing all over and in the drapery is divine. I imagine my future home as a very eclectic place, probably and older structure but with modern and contemporary touches, as well as flourishes of boho and glamour. And I think this piece could be right at home, Catherine is sort of a diva in the painting in my opinion, like she is hitting her pose and finding her light (for her face) like Tyra Banks would say; and despite it's rather small size it packs a punch color-wise so it wouldn't go unnoticed even with busy things going on.

GALLERY / DISPLAY

Despite my rousing endorsement of white walls in museums in my entry about the Tate Modern I have to admit I really enjoyed the walls in the National Gallery. The colors can be really helpful with navigation; one that really stuck out to me were the smaller rooms of Scandinavian painters like Vermeer that were a butternut squash color, immediately upon seeing that color I could know I had been there. This color, while being helpful for orientation was a little distracting in all it's saturation, but I found most of the rest very unobtrusive. The very popular rooms with Velazquezes and Rubenses were medium hues of red and blue but the way they were not too saturated or were patterned damask just created a nice rich background for the intense shading of the paintings. I think it makes the museum setting a little more casual, like being in someone's house browsing the art, well in 1870 or something. This feeling makes it hard sometimes for me to focus on one piece at a time because my eyes wander freely around the room like the whole space is what I'm experiencing instead of specific paintings. I think it works for this setting, at least for me, because I'm not necessarily interested in looking at all these artworks, whereas in the Tate Modern the art is more my taste or what I want to look at so the different walls work in each situation.

EXPLOITATION / MERCHANDISING?

The extent museum merchandising has reached is laughable. I guess in theory I could support decorating your life with reproductions of van Gogh's Sunflowers, bring great art into your everyday life and all. But is that really where it belongs? I want to say no; seeing those great big piles of wares enveloped in sunflowers does diminish the original work especially when you see it all together in that in a soul-crushing tableau of bourgeoisie-ness. The only time I have ventured into museum goods has been to get a couple postcards and once while in Paris when I was 13 during my 'Monet is the shit' phase I got a t-shirt with a water lilies painting on it. It was far and away my favorite shirt until the painting started to flake off and crack and it looked really sad and a little diseased. Of course it wasn't just my favorite shirt because I loved Monet, it was because I thought wearing it made me look very sophisticated while eating fried chicken sandwiches in the cafeteria. This exemplifies how I feel about the extensive merchandising - it seems very status symbol-y to me, why do you need an umbrella of an art historical masterpiece, mostly to show your good taste it seems. There is also a fair amount of distortion in creating these products, repeating select parts of the painting or only showing select parts. I think postcards are acceptable because they usually show the whole piece, and they are clearly not trying to be the artwork they are just a small token to remember it by. They also coincide with my personal principles of not giving in to the often outlandish prices for these goods.

OBJECT OF APPRECIATION

My object of appreciation for the National Gallery is one of my favorite paintings of all time, Allegory with Venus and Cupid by the Florentine painter Bronzino done around 1545. I became familiar with the piece a year ago in an art history class and although I thought it was interesting I wasn't blown away. I stumbled upon the piece later that Spring during a visit to the National Gallery, and I was blown away. (I got two postcards after this visit: Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Bronzino and St. Catherine by Raphael) Something about it just really strikes me; there is a lot going on but Bronzino handles the scene with such care that it doesn't overwhelm you, and the soothing white of the nude figures are simultaneously the focus of the piece and a resting place for the eye. I love looking at this piece on a basic level for it's large size. I also enjoy the fascinating use of color, and that I am always seeing new things. The piece is sort of a mystery to critics because of all the possible connotations and the odd relationship between Venus and Cupid, and I like to just stand in front of the piece and marvel at Bronzino's skill and wonder what he was trying to say - if anything, or if he's just messing with us, in which case I appreciate his sense of humor. I came to the National Gallery in January and returned to where I first saw it, but it had been moved! Luckily I found it later, and it was in that same place this visit where hopefully it will stay because I know I will be back to visit it again, my truest object of appreciation yet.