I took a stroll down to the National Gallery today.
I go there once or twice a week as it is only a twenty minute
walk from where I live but I never fail to be amazed at how poor
some of the pictures look in comparison to how they are
presented in the catalogue. The above is one of the gems of
the collection in the gallery and to be quite honest it looks a
lot better in this reproduction than it does in real life. It's a lot
smaller than you would expect it to be and is rather dull and
even bland. But it's not just this one painting, there is a canvas
by Caravggio " The taking of Christ" which was discovered
recently in a church here in Dublin, which you imagine to
be gigantic but isn't. Walking around the gallery one is
constantly struck by the mediocrity of many of the works.
And you can't smoke. Now most people would say "so what"
but if your like me and a smoker then it's a bit of a drag
not to be able to sit down and have a smoke while viewing
the pictures.
I rarely bother looking into the room where 20th century
irish art is displayed as my favorite artist, Michael Kane
is not on display there...'plenty of Yeats who I am not at all
impressed with. There is however a piece by Mainie Jellett
one of whose guaches I am lucky enough to own.
Still, it's an agreeable way to spend the afternoon and it does
not cost anything and as you walk down to it you pass through
terraces of Georgian house for which Dublin is renowned.
But there is little 'great art' to be found and what is there is
a collection of 'all the old regulars' which makes for a dull
and unimaginative collection. But I think the real killer is
that there are no chances being taken here, it's conservative
in the worse sense.