The L6 Art historians thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the National Gallery on Thursday, 1st December. They were thrilled by the opportunity to see many of their case studies up close and the grand Christmas tree. The highlights included Van Gogh’s “Wheatfield with Cypresses” which Leni and Sophia described as “glowing with vibrancy”, and they were both in awe of the range of texture which they had struggled to view in the classroom. 

We also viewed Rousseau’s “Surprised!” as well as Rembrandt’s “Self portrait at 34”, both of which were much brighter and more vibrant in real life. This allowed us to improve our visual analysis skills, as well as observe different works of art and fully appreciate them. A particular highlight was seeing Constable’s ‘The Hay Wain’ in person, as although we had studied this work in depth, its true vibrancy and vivacity is only truly evident when seen up close. We left the trip with a well-rounded understanding of our chosen case studies and we will be able to improve our analysis of these works, after having fully appreciated the irreplaceable wonder of the artworks at the gallery.