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3 of My Favourite Paintings at the National Gallery London
It’s like meeting up with old friends
Whenever I go to London, I almost always find myself walking into the National Gallery. Perhaps it’s because some of my earliest connections with art were made there, that I find it almost impossible not to return whenever I am nearby. The museum sits at the top of Trafalgar Square with its temple-like columns and grand portico entrance, achieving a sort of permanence that so much of modern life lacks. Perhaps that is part of the attraction too.
Here, I’ve chosen three works that I always try to catch up with, of the many thousands that make up the gallery’s extensive collection.
The Avenue, Middelharnis, by Meyndert Hobbema
Hobbema’s painting, of an avenue of trees leading into the distance, may strike some as a little too obvious to be interesting. But it would be a mistake to rush to such a judgement. Subtle elements of composition and lighting elevate this painting into something quite brilliant, whilst at the same time allowing the scene to appear natural and utterly at ease with itself.
