The morning was spent browsing the cool & quirky shops of convent garden, and gazing in all the bakery's shop windows along the way. There were people playing music & singing opera while we were there, which gave the place an added sense of culture & refinement. We went into this exquisite candy store which had an (as yet) unbelievable range of truffles & chocolates. I took all my willpower not to buy about a dozen (filled chocolates are me weakness) , but Laurie and I just settled on a little chocolate penguin each, which happened to be filled with praline anyway :)
After a wee bit of shopping here, and a bite of glorious morning tea, we headed on over to the National Portrait Gallery. We were mainly just there to kill time before going on a tour at the National Gallery next door, but we did the Grayson Perry exhibition "Who Are You?". This was made up of a series of works which were interspersed among the gallery's resident works. I liked them because they weren't just pictures of people - tapestries, pottery, prints and paintings were all used in modern ways to spark a conversation with the viewer about a relevant and present issue. Whether it was focusing on race, religion, the modern definition of a family, how individuals are portrayed by the media, or even one's personal journey through life, all used of Perry's work used individuals' stories to make us question the perceived identity of others and ourselves. Deep.
We made it to the National Gallery in good time for our tour. A lecturer who works at the gallery showed us five works. All art in the National Gallery is ancient; in the tour guides words "If you're looking for anything modern you need to go to Tate Modern" but that doesn't mean it wasn't fascinating. The first painting she showed us was done by an Italian guy of Angel Gabriel coming to tell Mary that she will give birth to Jesus Christ. It was oozing full of symbolism - even the fruit at the bottom of the picture means something. It was funny seeing Laurie getting so excited as we walked through all the galleries on the tour - she absolutely loves it, as she confessed with a giggle.
Following the tour we had a bit more of a look around, then headed outside into Trafalgar Square once we were all arted out. Having first seen the Square at night, today I had a better sense of the space and how grand and airy it was. The loin statues were a highlight.
By the time it was getting dark (about 4:30 - it really messes with your system) we were heading from Trafalgar Square up to the end of The Mall, past the Royal Horse Guards to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Seeing the Abbey at Night was a little spooky, especially with its gothic architecture and humble wrought-iron gate.
Love,
Addie xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment