It was great to be back at the National Gallery after four months. The attendants were brilliant, greeted us like old friends as many of them recalled me from my doing tours there. And to see so many paintings from my tour was like meeting old friends couldn't resist a selfie with a couple of black kings. I was celebrating my birthday with my first trip into London in four months with a trip to the National Gallery. There were the inevitable pandemic precautions in place - timed, ticketed entry, one way routes thru the gallery, with hand sprays in the lifts. Some of which worked to my advantage. The pandemic precautions meant there was a lot of space and time to see and contemplate the works So it was quite a lovely way to spend my birthday afternoon. The great find and surprise was Room 32. Room 32, the largest and one of the most visited rooms of the National Gallery, displaying 17th-Century Italian Baroque paintings, newly reopened after a 21 month refurbishment project, following a £4 million donation from The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust. Hans father was the inventor of the tetra pack worth 12billion$ . It looked magnificent - shiny and new - the quality of the finish glowed everywhere from the newly laid floor to the lighting, there's a great video showing the refurbishment and and the number of dedicated folk involved. Image of the black in room 32 ?To my delight and surprise Room 32 was full of Image of the Black pictures, so much so I could have done a mini tour there. Sadly such tours won't be happening for perhaps another 12 months. (Currently they are on line.) This number of paintings with a black presence is complete contrast to Room 30 next door - Spanish art from the same period as Room 32, there are no black folk in the paintings, if you want to know why have a look of my review of Carmen Fracchia book Black but Human I took a few pictures in Room 32....... Here's the complete list of Image of the Black pictures in Room 32: Mattia Preti The Marriage at Cana Johann Liss Judith in the Tent of Holofernes Luca Giordano Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone Carlo Dolci The Adoration of the Kings Francesco Solimena Dido receiving Aeneas and Cupid disguised as Ascanius My very favourite was Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone which like Judith in the Tent of Holofernes has an explicit Black presence , one that you can see on the canvas but it also has an implicit, hidden Black presence. The explicit presence in Judith in the Tent of Holofernes is its black maid servant holding the basket to take the severed head of Holoferines while for Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone it's the fallen black fighter in the picture's lower foreground. Both paintings have not just those explicit presences but each has an implicit Black presences - Judith in the Tent of Holofernes is to to found in who donated the work to the Gallery while for Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone it is found in the woman who the two protagonists are fighting over. But what about room 62 ?I have one small gripe abut the current collection which the Lockdown has thrown into focus as I prepared for my online talks. Where are the Black presences in Room 62 fifteenth century Cologne and North Western Germany ? First, why should the Room have a black presence ? Because there were four possible significant black presences from this period - the Black Queen of Sheba, the Black King in the Adoration picture , the Moors head crest and the Black St Maurice - at various times they were symbols of power and status.used by The Holy Roman Empire's clergy and the nobility. There are many examples from the period especially of the Black King and St Maurice. I would be particular keen for the National to purchase a St Maurice., as this would bring the Room to life, truly reflect the art from the period and make the National connect further and better with a more diverse audience. To conclude yes it would be good to have a St Maurice in Room 62 , nevertheless it was great to be back in the National , the refurbished Room 32 is brilliant ....and there's more still to see as couldn't make it to the exhibition Titian Love, Desire, Death as it was sold out for my birthday, I've booked for August (the earliest date I could get!). so more of the National to look forward to.
It's great to be back in the National!
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