Unlike the Louvre or the Hermitage, London’s National Gallery is not based on a former royal collection, but began as late as 1824 when the government reluctantly agreed to purchase 38 paintings belonging to a Russian émigré banker, John Julius Angerstein. Further paintings were bought by the gallery’s wily directors or bequeathed by private individuals in lieu of death duty – in other words, to help the rich avoid paying taxes.
The first suggestion for a National Gallery on Trafalgar Square came from John Nash (who in the 1820s redeveloped the area - as London is so cramped it’s hard to see anything, the point was to be able to look up and have a view).
The present architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845, but the commission for the National Gallery was awarded to William Wilkins, who submitted some drawings at the last moment. Wilkins had hoped to build a "Temple of the Arts, nurturing contemporary art through historical example", but the commission was blighted by parsimony and compromise, also the site only allowed for the building to be one room deep and there was a public right of way through the site; the resulting building was deemed a failure on almost all counts. Apparently William IV in his last recorded utterance called the building a 'nasty little pokey hole'. Barry later created an elevated front to the Gallery, dealing with part of its criticism. Lack of space led to the establishment of the Tate Gallery for British art in 1897.
The first suggestion for a National Gallery on Trafalgar Square came from John Nash (who in the 1820s redeveloped the area - as London is so cramped it’s hard to see anything, the point was to be able to look up and have a view).
The present architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845, but the commission for the National Gallery was awarded to William Wilkins, who submitted some drawings at the last moment. Wilkins had hoped to build a "Temple of the Arts, nurturing contemporary art through historical example", but the commission was blighted by parsimony and compromise, also the site only allowed for the building to be one room deep and there was a public right of way through the site; the resulting building was deemed a failure on almost all counts. Apparently William IV in his last recorded utterance called the building a 'nasty little pokey hole'. Barry later created an elevated front to the Gallery, dealing with part of its criticism. Lack of space led to the establishment of the Tate Gallery for British art in 1897.
One of the most overlooked features of the National Gallery is the amazing floor mosaics by Russian born artist, Boris Anrep, executed between 1927 an 1952. It features the Awakening of the Muses, where famous figures from the 30s appear, Virginia Woolf as Clio, the muse of history; and Great Garbo plays Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy. Also, there are scenes illustrating Modern Virtues, Churchill represents Defiance, appearing in combat gear on the White Cliffs of Dover, raising two fingers to a monster in the shape of a swastika.
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