Gallery

The Gallery

After a hard day researching, as well as English, I went for a walk around the Art Gallery in Birmingham. The main reason was to choose a 19th century painting for my Contextual studies.

There was a large array of paintings to choose from. I took my time walking around the rooms waiting for the right painting to capture my attention and draw me in. I walked around with another student from my group, and as we walked, we talked about each painting. We discussed the symbolism behind some works, as well as the meaning and feeling we thought the artist was trying to convey. As I continued through each room I felt disappointed as I hadn't yet felt drawn to any particular work. I walked into another room and scanned the paintings, but my eyes ended up fixed on just one. It was a painting of a couple, but the women was very much the centre of attention. She was giving off a light glow and her clothing was a rich purple and vivid green. This was the last room I looked in because I knew I had found my painting.

I quickly took note of everything; the frame, the colours, where the painting was in the room, all the little cracks in the surface, as well as what looked like a hair stuck in the paint. I even noted the fingermarks on the glass which were highlighted by the reflection of the light.

Sadly I had to leave sooner then I wanted to as they were closing, but I got what I came for. Now the hard work would begin.

I was interested in going to see the Ikon Gallery, as I'd never been before. I was told to give it a look by my tutors. The Exhibition was on Lee Bul and was his first solo exhibition. It was a mixture of drawings, sculptures and installations. It made very interesting viewing. His sculptures give of a sense of both wonder and madness. By far my favourite was the mirror labyrinth. With its reflective floor, walls and ceiling it confused the senses and took what was already confusing to the next level. It was all worth it having got to the middle. What was waiting for us was what seemed to be an eternity of light reaching out forever, reflected in every surface. It was simply amazing.

Just as we were leaving I spotted some acrylic jewellery for sale. I took some photos. I'm not sure if this will do as primary research, but it was funny to see it just after I was looking it up.