The New Murrey and Blue blog

Which of these great paintings would you want on your wall….?

National Gallery, from Wikipedia

I know that the twenty priceless works of art shown in this article https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/national-gallery-london-what-arworks-to-see-1234722763/ about the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery are wonders to behold, but I look at them from the viewpoint of whether or not I’d want them on my wall. The answer is no. Well, except for two, the main one being the magnificent Wilton Diptych, which while very beautiful is of interest to me for its connection to Richard II. Richards II and III are the monarchs in whom I am particularly engrossed. The item belonging to Richard III that I really covet is his Book of Hours. Oh, yes, please! Give me that and the Wilton Diptych and I’d be the original sandboy.

Eighteen of the other nineteen works in the list just do nothing for me. Not even Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, because it reminds me of a grammar school corridor along which I had to walk every time I went to a maths lesson. I hated maths, and maths hated me. Every time I see that painting, I’m back in that odious corridor, with that awful sinking feeling that maths always induced in my long-suffering self. If dyslexia concerns words, then perhaps it has a sister affliction which is completely blind to numbers! I freeze completely and have never advanced beyond basic arithmetic.

Canaletto, on the other hand, pleases me because I passed it in another corridor on my way to geography, which I loved. So perhaps I’d tuck the Canaletto under my arm as I made off with the Wilton Diptych.

Does that narrow selection (and the reasons given) make me a dunce? A numbskull? Will art experts now be looking down upon me, aghast? I neither know (nor care) but it does make me honest. I can see the remaining eighteen paintings’ brilliance, but I wouldn’t want to have one around me all the time. If one came into my possession I’d sell it. Unless it happened to be the Wilton Diptych, which would never be wrested from my possessive paws! And the Canaletto, of course.

Oh well, I’ll tiptoe away now and close the door quietly on my way out. If you want to stay in with the art in-crowd, never admit to knowing a Muggle like me…. 🙄

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  1. Anne Ayres Avatar
    Anne Ayres

    Well it’s the Monet for me, closely followed by The Arnolfini Marriage. If you accidentally dropped the Canaletto I’d add it to my wheelbarrow. I love Van Gogh but wouldn’t want that one particularly. I’m more for one of his cornfield landscapes with a couple of cypress trees, or that one outside the cafe at night. Sorry about your maths blindness – me too! Incidentally, the link wouldn’t work for me so I had to Google 200th anniversary National Gallery ARTnews, then I found it.

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    1. viscountessw Avatar
      viscountessw

      Thank you for the tip off about the link, Anne. I’ve returned it to the original long url. I’ve just completed two more posts using Tinyurl, so will have to double-check them before publishing. Oh dear. Anyway, I’m pleased to meet another maths duffer! All the best people….😄

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      1. Anne Ayres Avatar
        Anne Ayres

        I quite agree about Maths! I just don’t have the head for it or am unable to grasp those concepts…. Logarithms – WHY? Sine, Co-sine, Tangents WHY? Equilateral Equations- WHY? I had quite enjoyed Chemistry at school until they suddenly brought Valency into it – MATHS calculations. I felt Betrayed! So, I’m sure they are all very useful for those who build rocket ships (“Hidden Figures” is a WONDERFUL film) or tower blocks or bridges, but someone else can do that. I can just paint pictures on the walls or write evocatively about the beauty of the sinking sun on the arches of the Pont du Gard… If technology were up to me, we’d still all be living in caves. But with very beautiful walls! I suppose it’s a good job we’re all different! All the best, Anne A. 😊💟😉

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      2. viscountessw Avatar
        viscountessw

        Agreed about Hidden Figures!

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