Top 5 Paintings from the National Gallery of London
The National Gallery in London was founded in 1824 to provide an outstanding collection of paintings for public viewing. It is home to a national collection of paintings from the 13th to the early 20th centuries. The National Gallery houses over 2,300 works, including several famous paintings such as van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait, Vélazquez’s Rokeby Venus, Turner’s Fighting Temeraire, and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
A printed collection of the National Gallery’s paintings can be found in the book, “Paintings in the National Gallery, London” by Augusto Gentili, William Barcham, and Linda Whiteley. Below, we have chosen five notable works to discuss from the examination of composition, content, and technique.
The first painting worth noting is titled A Waterfall in a Rocky Landscape by Jacob Van Ruisdael, made between 1660-1670. This oil on canvas painting contains a lot of detail, particularly in the trees, the moving water, and the people on the wooden bridge. Closer inspection of the painting reveals a house hidden among the trees. The various detailed textures and tones give the landscape realistic depth, which is further emphasized in how the steep hillside slides down to the river.
Additionally, note how the artist included two waterfalls: one in the back of the painting and one in the front. The front waterfall contains a lot of detail, capturing the water crashing against the rocks with minuscule highlights depicting bright reflections of sunlight.
The next painting is a still-life composition titled Flowers in a Terracotta Vase by Jan Van Huysum, made in 1736-1737. This painting is rich in detail as well, featuring over 30 species of flora in the vase, including florid roses, peonies, poppies, as well as primroses, apple blossom, and bachelor’s buttons.
What is striking about this piece is how each unique flower contains a lot of detail regarding every petal, leaf, and stem. The colors are vibrant and beautifully arranged, enhancing the overall appeal, while the use of shadow and light establishes dimension.
The next painting is titled Venice: The Doge’s Palace and the Molo from the Basin of San Marco by Francesco Guardi, made in about 1770. In this painting, Guardi captures the bustling scene in the basin of San Marco with numerous people traveling in gondolas. This painting includes the Doge’s Palace and the bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica.
Like the other paintings we have discussed, Guardi managed to include an impressive level of detail, particularly in the arches of the palace, the depiction of the gondolas from the foreground to the background, and the bustling sidewalk fading out of perspective.
The next painting is titled A Sporting Contest on the Tiber at Rome by Claude-Joseph Vernet, made in 1750. This painting is viewed from the west bank of the Tiber, looking toward the Castel Sant’ Angelo. The painting shows what seems to be an unidentified competition on the river.
Vernet managed to capture a lively atmosphere with an active, enraptured audience watching the frenzied boaters engaged in competition. The inclusion of shadows reflected in the water heightens the realism which shines throughout the piece. The framing of the buildings and the bridge in the background enhance the scene and provide a nice context for the competition.
The last painting is titled The Hay Wain by John Constable, created in 1821. The title refers to the wooden wagon, or wain, “used for transporting cut and dried meadow grass”, or hay. This painting is a view of the millpond at Flatford on the River Stour. This mill was used for grinding corn, leased and operated by the Constable family for 100 years.
This painting is notable because of the amount of history behind it, which is personal to the artist and his family. Impressively, when Constable was painting this composition, he only referred back to three small oil sketches of the mill which he had made in 1811.
Overall, “Paintings in the National Gallery, London” by Augusto Gentili, William Barcham, and Linda Whiteley reveals the gallery’s impressive collection of exemplary works which range from nature and city-scapes to still life compositions. These five unique pieces among the many within the National Gallery’s collection exemplify how the artists each had unique ways of painting and translating the world around them.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jacob-van-ruisdael-a-waterfall-in-a-rocky-landscape
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-joseph-vernet-a-sporting-contest-on-the-tiber
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain
