Museum Masterpieces: The National Gallery, London

Note Prof Scallen recommendes the excellent National Gallery websiteSee www.nationalgallery.org.uk/If this don't work Google itProf Scallen notes" One of the very best art museum website for clarity, depth of coverage and usefulness "Prof Scallen is a Rembrandt expert. Her published Doctorate is Rembrandt, Reputation, and the Practice of Connoisseurship IntroductionThis is a truely outstanding introduction to the National Gallery in London.I am a New Zealander who spent a few years on the outskirts on London working. I got into the National Gallery and the British Museum many weekends each year. I also got up to the Ashmolean in Oxford and the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge. Holidays allowed wider travel and I tried to cram in as much Museum visiting as I could while in England ( including Scotland and Dublin)Initially I was rather overwhelmed by the vast number of paintings in the National Gallery.Some guide books helped but the best help was a set on VHS video tapes (This was before DVD were readily available) that took you around the galleries in 12 half hour sessions.one got a feel for what art was from which period and from what geographic location, how to pronounce some artists's names, a feel for changing styles and what art you tended to like-- for me portraits and landscapes, some Renaissance art but especially Dutch Art and the Aart of Claude Lorrain along with Constable and the hard to puzzle out Turner.It took quite a time to get to grips with Turner-- mainly in the Tate Gallery's Clore GalleryWhat the lectures did was helped me constantly wanting to know how to interpret the picture and rather, getting me to learn to look closely at the pictures. In time I would take a school at a time , although large groups may take longer than a day ,eg Rennaisance Italian Painting while smaller schools may take less , eg Spanish painting..I had the luxury of being able to revisit the collection many times-- I learnt a lot from itReviewWell Prof Scallen jumped at the chance at doing the teaching company series on "The National Gallery , London "She is very very fond of the National Gallery and thinks it is the best Art Gallery for paintings between 1300--1900Unlike the Louvre and Metropolitian Museum of Art there is only paintings in the National Gallery, LondonShe brings a wide knowledge of her subject of the subject to these 24 lectures-- note the topics covered in the Amazon description by the One Click buttonProf Scallen is an engaging lecturer who weaves a lot of helpful information into her lectures.If you are like me you forget where Seina, Florence and Rome are in relation to each other-- she flicks up a useful map.Explaining paintings of the Virgin And Child she explains the basic central picture, then discusses the side pictures that may contain either events from Christ's life etc, or Donors usually with Saints. She skilfully labels the elements to help the learning process. These labels etc are up for a few seconds to make the teaching point, then they disappear and she is back to the pictureThe whole picture is shown then various close ups are used to.explain the picture elementsA similar skillfull approach is seem throughout the seriesI learn a lot from the old VHS video cassettes but this set of lectures knocks the socks off themShe has an excellent lecturing style.She covers some 3-10 paintings in each 30 minute lecture my estimate is that she covered just under 200 painting in the 24 lecturesObviously she spends more time discussing a picture if she has say 4 pictures to discuss in a lecture rather than 10Her aim is to explain the painting to you. She gives the size of the painting and occasionally you see her next to the painting to give you an idea of the size or smallness of the painting.She isn't really teaching you how to describe a painting but her approach gives many useful examplesShe explains various technical terms like infrared reflectography used to see under drawing ( only works with carbon based drawing substance) and pentimenti ( repentances) where the artist has Rethought part of the painting. She shows how a knowledge of this can help art historical questions - like which version is the original versionShe covers a vast amount of information that can seem like an avalanche. If you already know a bit about art as you probably do then you may not expience an avalanche.Is this DVD helpful if you are not going to the National Gallery anytime soon ?There are a number of top class art museums in the USA. Although the illustrations will be different, many of the artists discussed will be the same. Also you get to know about various painting techniques and a lot about schools and styles so this course can help look at paintings in other Musuems/GalleriesThe Great Courses have also done courses on The Louvre and The Metropolitian Museum of Art. One would also like one on the Hermitage and one or two Italian GalleriesFor the novice :There are several approaches and many people use a bit or severalYou can start at the beginning and work through to the endYou can look at periods you are interested in in chronological order and skip other onesYou can just go to sections about artists you know about and like, then branch out as you are readyThere are other approaches as well( if you really get bogged down in a section move on to the next chapter)The course guidebook-- check if the set of lectures you are buying contain the guidebook-- some secondhand copies may noticeI have a number of Teaching Company Great Courses on the Arts. I think they are good value for moneyYou can buy the courses direct from the Teaching Company but I gather this is fairly expensiveI bought new copies off Amazon.Com on sellers ( I only got second hand copies if no new copies were available and they had the Course Guidebook.The discs were fine and you get the course book . I think it is best to get a set with the course book-- this gives you the text of the lectures which are well set out ( this gives the words spoken about each painting discussed), there is then a very brief summery on each painting discussed at the end of the chapter for ready reference with bibliography at the end of each lecture and then a general bibliorraphy. There is timeline, glossary, biographical notes on artists and an annotated general bibliographyNoteShe notes each work discussed in each lecture-- she also very helpfully notes the painting under discussion Aquistion Number.This Aquistion Number allows you to quickly look up details on that painting on the National Gallery websiteEg NG 3863 is Van Gogh's famous Sunflowers ( one of several versions)SummeryThis set is most useful for someone visiting the National Gallery in London.That said, the National Gallery has an excellent collection of Western European Painting from about 1300-1900.Prof Scallen is a great lecturer and the lectures cover a number of artists and art works.You will get a working knowledge of Schools and Styles along with an introduction to a number of terms used in describing the painting techniques etc along with insight into frames etcYou don't have to take it all in first time through, you can go over the lectures again and againIf you already have a good grasp of the Western Painting tradition you may not need this work , but you may never the less find it interestingI haven't looked at what is free on the Internet-- you may find a course of similar quality with high production values but I suspect notVery highly reccommendedA cheaper alternative is The National Gallery Companion Guide: Revised and Expanded Edition (National Gallery London Publications) Consider using the word excellent National Gallery Website either by itself or with the DVD set and /or companion guideIt is a great gallery to get to know in detailHave fun

I bought what I read... I thought. It clearly states on the cover--parts 1&2...I received it and it's only part 2. The 1st half is missing. The cover I received says; part 2...not the parts 1&2, shown on my purchase and here. I looked for part 1 and can't find it.I'm very disappointed.

This is not a dumbed-down, superficial survey. It is a fast-paced, in-depth, comprehensive course covering some of the most beautiful paintings in the National Gallery. Professor Scallen provides fascinating information on technical aspects of the artists' production methods, historical context of their creation, & comparisons with the work of others. I really love it.

One of the best I've watched.

Since we are unable to travel to London this DVD brought London's galleries tyo our family room in Chapel Hill. Thanks.

Fabulous!

Good content and a good depth