Are you interested in art? This time we visited THE GREATS: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. The exhibition features around 90 works by famous painters, and anyone can enjoy the paintings with detailed explanations. We went to the museum because we both like visiting museums. Among the many exhibitions, we were both interested in paintings, so we visited this exhibition together. The official website of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum states that “Among the treasures that Scotland is proud of, we will exhibit works by the masters of the history of Western painting from the Renaissance to the late 19th century, including Raphael, El Greco, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Reynolds, Renoir, Monet, and Gauguin. ”
Information
This exhibition is held from 22nd April to 3rd July at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum. I recommend reserving a ticket before you visit so that you can enter the gallery more easily and smoothly. You can reserve it from the online website below. (https://www.tobikan.jp/exhibition/2022_scotland.html )
The Ladies Waldegrave
This work is The Ladies Waldegrave painted by the British painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. This painting depicts the daughters of an English noble family and is one of the highlights of the exhibition. It was painted in 1780 and ordered by Horace Walpole, the maternal great-uncle of the three sisters. The three women are sisters and were commissioned for a good match for his nieces. Walpole requested that the painting be based on the motif of the Three Beauties, but Reynolds depicted the three sisters as goddesses of destiny, who spin the threads of life and determine the fate of human beings. In fact, the composition: they all touch the thread shows that they are inspired by the goddess of destiny. The second sister on the far left is holding a silk thread, the eldest in the middle is winding the thread and the third on the far right is embroidering. This painting, displayed in a large frame, is particularly eye-catching. None of the three looks at us is also fascinating, as it seems to represent the casual daily life of the aristocracy.
Anne Emily Sophia Grant (Known as ‘Daisy’ Grant), Mrs. William Markham
This title is Anne Emily Sophia Grant (Known as ‘Daisy’ Grant), Mrs. William Markham, painted by Sir Francis Grant. It was painted in 1857 and, as the title suggests, is a portrait of Mrs. William Markham. It depicts Grant’s beloved daughter on the eve of her wedding. Her white skin contrasted beautifully with her black clothes and red petticoat. The painting is quite large and her powerful eyes are fascinating. Grant was the first Scottish painter who was elected as President of the Royal Academy of Arts. He was born into an artistic family and was particularly good at portraits of young women. This work is treated as a portrait and portraits primarily show the emotion from the painter to the model. In this case in particular, as the painting depicts Grant’s daughter, the painter’s affection for Sir Francis Grant is even deeper and more readily apparent.
An Old Woman Cooking Eggs
This work is An Old Woman Cooking Eggs by Diego Velázquez. He completed this work when he was only eighteen or nineteen. This work is a kind of ‘bodegones’ which is a Spanish word used for the works that describe kitchen or tavern scenes. As the title mentions, this work depicts an old woman cooking eggs, and there is a boy next to her. The characteristic of this work is a contrast between light and shade. The boy’s face is covered by shade while the woman’s face is light. Every detail is portrayed well and it’s very real. I was very surprised that the finger’s nails were shining and looked like real ones. What I wonder is that they don’t make eye contact, and it seems that the boy refuses it. What’s their relationship? Are they in the middle of an argument? Thinking about these questions is one of the ways of seeing pictures. Please check this work and find your own answer!
Poplars on the Epte
This work is Poplars on the Epte by Claude Monet. He painted many popular pictures around 1890, and this work is one of them. When he was painting it, the trees in this work were planned to be cut down. However, he asked to postpone the date of cutting by paying a lot of money to the owner. Hearing this story, we can understand how he wanted to complete this work. I like this one because it brings me the feeling of nostalgia and makes me calm down somehow. One reason I recommend going to museums is that you can be free from the pressure and the stress that you feel in your daily life by seeing beautiful pictures. Just go to a museum, and feel relaxed!
THE GREATS: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum are held until 3rd July. If you feel interesting while reading this article, I strongly recommend visiting the museum.