Shots of Art

The National Gallery opens late on Friday evenings. It is the perfect moment to visit, the rooms being relatively empty and peaceful. This is very conducive to a careful, and thus more interesting viewing of the National Gallery’s splendid collection. However there are few students, excepting those who focus solely on Art of course, who know how to look at a painting in order to get the most out of it. We understand little about the myths and fables that are the subject of many paintings, less about technique, and even less about symbolism. Without basic knowledge, going to a gallery can become a torturous journey into a land of boredom.

Luckily, Art Shots is here to help. On the second Friday of every month, Rose Balston leads a group of approximately fifteen people around one section of the National Gallery’s collection. Having lived and studied in Italy for four years, Rose wanted to share her knowledge of Italian art with the general public. The National Gallery, with its enviable collection, was the perfect place to start. She runs many art tours, catering to different levels of interest and expertise. Art Shots in particular is a tour aimed exclusively at young students and professionals who perhaps do not have the time to visit museums on a regular basis, but still want a deeper understanding of art.

Rose concentrates on four or five works from a particular period, allotting time to each, which, on our own we probably would not. Approximately twenty minutes were dedicated to each painting on the tour of the Florentine Renaissance that took place last Friday. The tour itself commenced with a short history of Florence, as it stood just before, as well as during the Renaissance. Not only did this place the works of art into historical context, it was also rife with compelling, little known details. Then, the tour commenced in earnest, with the group huddled around a painting about which Rose gave an enthralling lecture. At first, everyone was shy about answering the questions posed but by the second painting, Rose had succeeded in drawing answers from us all.

The symbolism in each work of art was heavily drawn upon, and in most cases, the individual was compelled to find an answer before Rose finally explained in detail. This was remarkably useful, because it taught us to find the symbols on our own, a skill which can then be practiced on any normal visit to a museum. Symbolism is intricately related to the myths and legends upon which most paintings from the Renaissance are based on. The group thus became acquainted with Ancient Roman, Greek and religious stories, some of which are commonly known, but many of which we only have a vague idea about. There was also discussion on the innovative techniques, which started and developed during the Renaissance. It was fascinating to find out for example, that most painters of that period were also amateur mathematicians, who used mathematics to achieve perfection of form and composition.

Art Shots is not just a cultural activity. There is an important social component to the evening. Drinks beforehand are at six, in the National Gallery café, where one can chat to Rose and her collaborators. Then, the tour of the galleries is followed by dinner in either a Soho pub, or one of two private members clubs. Discussions that began during the tour are continued throughout the meal. As the whole affair begins quite early, it is perfectly possible to continue on to bars and clubs afterwards and not miss a Friday night if one is worried by that prospect. Furthermore, the price of dinner is not included in the tour price, so one can leave directly after the tour, at a very reasonable hour, boasting about their newly acquired, slightly obscure, knowledge.

Although the price of the tours is possibly a bit steep, at £20 for an hour and fifteen minutes, they are well worth it. In order to learn quite simply, how to look at art, it is only necessary to attend once. If I returned to the National Gallery today, to the Florentine Renaissance section in particular, I would without a doubt find myself understanding far more than before last Friday.