art gallery visit essay

Visiting the National Gallery of Art Descriptive Essay

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Introduction

Themes in works of art, works cited.

Since the very humble beginnings of human civilization man has had ways of expressing his feelings and emotions about others, his society, environments, and significant historical events like battles with other communities or immigration episodes as well as his normal and bizarre imaginations.

These ways range from music, literary works to creative works of art like paintings. For instance, during Stone Age period man did Rock Art whereby he painted on the walls of his cave dwellings the animals he hunted and tools that he was making among other thrilling experiences in his life and lives of his ancestors as he understood it from those who narrated it to him.

Art has been a major component of all human civilizations world over and has evolved alongside other aspects of our cultures to an extent that today the most talented creative artists like painters and musicians are celebrated individuals who hold esteemed social status envied by many. The purpose of this task is to discuss three works of art identified during my visit to the National Gallery of Art.

Every human action is underpinned by a certain motive. In other words, whatever man engages in is fundamentally a means of expressing his thoughts, interests and aspirations. Arguably then, man’s historical and present tangible achievements is a manifestation of his thoughts and aspirations. Works of art is a perfect means through which man expresses his feelings, ideas and perceptions about every aspect of his life.

This fact explains why documented and well preserved works of art are reliable sources of information for historians and other scholars like anthropologists and artists seeking to understand certain aspects of peoples’ culture in the past. In a nut shell, all works of art are thematic in the sense that they have meaning which a keen observer can decipher as illustrated in the following works of art discussed in this task.

The Battle of La Hogue (1778)

Benjamin West painting titled The Battle of La Hogue is a classic piece of creativity. It was painted in 1778. The Battle of La Hogue is a historical painting. This painting is a depiction of the feud that ensued when Louis XIV of France attempted d to restore his fellow Catholic James II to the throne of England.

After nine years Benjamin West used his artistic prowess to give a picture of the patriotic scene that has been dismissed by critics as a mere propaganda. Thematically, this painting represents turbulent political and power happenings in Western European countries as well as the role that religion was playing in politics.

Mortlake Terrace (1827)

Mortlake Terrace painting is an 1827 art work by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Mortlake Terrace painting is an environmental portrait. This painting portrays Mortlake Terrace which was situated next to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.

It is a perfect representation of British topography of the early 1880s.Thematically, this piece is a show of the artist feeling and perception of the changing British landscapes.

The Death of the Earl of Chatham (1779)

The Death of the Earl of Chatham was done by the Boston-based portraitist John Singleton Copley in 1779.This painting is a representation of the tragic death of William Pitt, the 1 st Earl of Chatham on April 1778.In the middle of his speech during a discussion about colonial radicals, Pitt suffered from stroke and met his death one month later.

His death meant a lot because he was one of the leading British ambassadorial moderates during the important American War of independence. Thematically, it is a representation of politics of those time and those who were driving the political agendas of the day.

Art is an important component of our culture which offers talented individuals a perfect means through which to manifest our feelings and emotions about all aspects of our life. It offers people an opportunity for people to portray their thoughts and aspirations as well as those of the early members of the society.

It captures perfectly our experiences and perceptions regarding everything that we encounter in our day to day activities Lazzari and Schlesier (2006).

Lazzari, Margaret and Schlesier, Dona. Exploring art: a global, thematic approach . Belmont, CA: Thomson, 2006. Print.

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How to make the most out of a visit to an art gallery: what to look for and take part in

Posted 12 May 2016, by Helen Cobby

Visiting an art gallery can be fun, stimulating and thought-provoking. However, it can also be perplexing and alienating, making you feel unsure about what you are looking at.

The Picture Gallery 1874

Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912)

Regardless of whether you feel this is because there is too much or not enough information available, the layout of the artwork (or building) is intimidating, or that you need more guidance on how to approach art, everyone should be able to enjoy a gallery trip. It should be a positive experience that is defined by your own interests, but also your willingness to be pleasantly surprised and guided out of your comfort zone. Following some, or all, of the steps below will help to give you a working framework with which to approach art in a discerning way and make your trip to an art gallery enjoyable.

1. Go with a friend

Most things are more memorable and fun if you do them with other people. Gallery trips are no exception, although it is best to choose someone who will go round at a similar pace to you. Having discussions about the artworks with a friend will help you think about what you are looking at more deeply. It may also make you notice details you might otherwise overlook on your own.

2. Be selective

This is the greatest secret for a successful visit to an art gallery, particularly when going to places with large permanent collections or expansive temporary exhibitions. Instead of trying to see everything and feeling overloaded, focus on a theme, historical period, artist or technique that interests you and use it to make connections between certain artworks. This way, you can set up a personalised ‘trail’ and walk round the gallery with purpose. Looking at the gallery’s room maps before starting will help to get an initial overview and find a focus.

In addition, look up the venue on Art UK to find out more about the gallery and its art collection before your visit. There are now over 3,000 collections on Art UK, featuring oil, acrylic and tempera paintings, and drawings, watercolours, prints and sculpture. Furthermore, galleries that are partners with Art UK may also have information about their current or forthcoming exhibitions listed here too.

In the Picture Gallery

William Quiller Orchardson (1832–1910)

3. Create a story

Make yourself stop in front of individual artworks. Then, gather together ideas and information that create interesting stories about the piece. This will help you look at the art in an active and engaged frame of mind. Think about:

The subject: Describe what you see. This includes the scene, people, colours and/or shapes depicted and how they are arranged into a composition.
The techniques: What are the materials and how are they used? What is the brushwork like (thick, heavy, layered, etc) and what effects does this create? How is perspective created or made use of in a painting? How does the lighting work and how does this contribute to the atmosphere?
The artist: Who were they? At what point in their lives did they make this work? Why might they have made it? What might they want to reveal to the viewer or make the viewer feel?
The context: When was the art made? Who might the patron have been? What was it made for? What social and/or historical agenda might it be a part of or responding to?
The success of the work: Depending on the work’s subject and your answers to the previous categories, decide whether you find the art compelling, powerful, beautiful, moving, entertaining, suggestive, illustrative, experimental, educational, or anything else that might be appropriate. Does it work for you? Does it do what the artist and/or institution claim it does? You do not have to like everything you see, and sometimes thinking about why a piece of art does not convince you can be productive for forming your own opinions and knowledge about art. Art is in galleries for us to enjoy, but it can also be something to think with, and to think about critically.
Search the stories of others: Art UK has an ever-expanding section of stories where a variety of writers, museum professionals and creative people share their ideas and knowledge about artists and artworks. This can be a good place to start, not only to learn about other artists/artworks, but also to see how others create and build up stories about art.

4. Make use of digital devices

Invest in an audio guide. Listening to information frees up more time to look at the art and diminishes the time reading wall texts. This, therefore, allows for a more direct engagement with art. Audio guides can also offer opportunities to hear from curators, or artists themselves, and allow you to concentrate on certain themes.
Download an app. Some galleries and institutions also have (often free) apps that you can download and use to interact with the collections online.
Browse the gallery’s website. Some galleries have extensive information about artists, periods and research on their website. With many places now offering free Wi-Fi onsite, there is no excuse not to access this information in situ and use it to enrich your visit.
Search Art UK. This website will also enrich your visit – it allows you not only to search for artworks by venue and collection as previously mentioned, but also to search by artist, artistic movement, topic, geographical location, etc. This means that if you spot a particular artist or work that you like during your gallery visit, you can quickly and easily search Art UK to find out about other related works, perhaps in other collections, and gain a quick overview. This will give context to the individual paintings you see during your visit and may inspire further trips to other locations.
Write virtual notes. Art UK allows registered users to add notes (that only you can see) to individual artworks and saves all annotated pieces into your own customised folder. This means you can record ideas as you go and easily find them all in one place later on. This can be a neater method than writing in a notebook as it enables you to see an image of the work alongside your notes, as well as allowing you rework ideas at a later date.

5. Go on a guided tour

Lots of galleries offer informal guided tours, many of which are free to attend and do not need to be booked in advance. This is a lively way to gain an overview of the displays and follow a theme. Listening to someone else speak about art can be much more engaging than reading wall texts by yourself or even listening to an audio guide.

The Newlyn Exhibition 1979

Joan Gillchrest (1918–2008)

6. Do a family activity trail

This can be a great way to make children feel included within galleries and encourage them to look at artworks for a prolonged length of time. Many galleries now have activity trails and are equipped with colouring pencils, stickers or collage to fuel children’s creative responses to art.

7. Take photographs for your own private use

Many galleries do allow you to take non-flash photographs of art for private use. However, always check before doing so, as sometimes it will not be allowed for various reasons including conservation, copyright and legal protection of loans. The act of taking a photograph can make the subject more memorable and make you look at it more closely. Once home, turning a selection of your photographs into a collage, using an appropriate app, can be a nice personal reminder of your trip. Alternatively, many of the artworks will have been digitised and added to Art UK, so you can also enjoy looking at professional images on this website. Registered users can save searches, create albums and group favourite works together, so you can easily keep a record of what stood out for you during your gallery visit.

(NB Taking photographs of artwork for reasons other than private use can result in a breach of copyright and is against the law.)

8. Pick up some postcards

Similar to photographs, postcards can be a good reminder of your favourite artworks. They are also physical souvenirs: postcards can be sent to friends to continue conversations about art, or used as bookmarks. Wherever they end up, they bring the artwork into different contexts and parts of your life.

The Art Gallery 1973

William Patrick Roberts (1895–1980)

9. Enter into conversations in the café

Enjoying a coffee and slice of cake in the gallery café can be a pleasant experience in itself. Gallery cafes, however, can also be perfect places for overhearing or joining in conversations about the art on display. Here is the opportunity to find out more, and reflect on what you have just seen.

10. Read reviews and articles

Ideally, reviews should be read after your trip so that you have the opportunity to make up your own mind first. It can then be fun to compare your opinions to that of a critic and explore why you have come to certain conclusions.

Daimler and Gallery Attendant 1983

Bryan Organ (b.1935)

11. Summarise the art and your experience of seeing it

Think of three words that summarise your impressions of the art you have seen. This should be a considered response, acknowledging the information you gathered and feeling you experienced during your visit. Deciding on these words will help you connect with what you have seen, consolidate how you feel about it and make your visit memorable.

Challenge: Go to a gallery if you haven’t been in a while, or go with someone who wouldn’t normally attend a gallery, and follow a few of the tips mentioned above. What do you think, what are your feelings? What artwork made you stop and reflect? Were you surprised by what you found?

Art UK would love to hear about your experiences and responses to the art when you next go to a gallery and follow some of the tips here. Let us know on social media using the hashtag #visit_art

Helen Cobby, Research Curator, Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, and independent art critic

Helen keeps a blog ( www.helencobby.wordpress.com ) and can also be found on Twitter (@HelenCobby).

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How to Write an Art Exhibition Review

Last Updated: December 29, 2023 Approved

How to Draft Your Review

How to revise your review, best practices for viewing an art exhibit, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 95% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 302,763 times.

Art exhibition reviews provide a description and critical analysis of an art exhibit. This helps visitors know what to expect from the exhibit and gives feedback to the artist. To write an effective art exhibition review, visit the exhibit, take detailed notes, and talk to the artist, a docent, or a curator, if possible. Then, discuss your observations and opinions in your review and revise your work before finalizing it.

Things You Should Know

Provide the who, what, where, when, and why of the exhibit in your introduction to paint a clear picture for the reader.
Give a detailed description of the exhibit, including how each piece is displayed, so readers can know what to expect.
Take a critical look at the exhibit and offer your opinions on the exhibit. Mention if it was successful in portraying its core themes and ideas.

Step 1 Answer the who, what, where, when, and why.

Write, “Agatha Tompkin’s The Friends You Have opened at the Contemporary Art Center on Friday, August 23rd and runs through November 1st. Her watercolors and mixed media works explore modern relationships and how communities differ.”

Step 2 Describe the exhibit so visitors know what to expect from it.

You might say, “Tompkin’s watercolors are grouped on two adjacent walls in simple 11 by 14 in (28 by 36 cm) black frames. Hanging on the opposite walls, her mixed-media work consists of 5 by 7 ft (1.5 by 2.1 m) canvases that are arranged in a line. Visitors can walk alongside the artwork for a visual experience.”

Tip: While many artworks are meant to be viewed, there are other ways to interact with art. Sometimes art is meant to be listened to, and you may be immersed in an installation. Think about how you’re interacting with the artwork in this exhibit.

Step 3 Present a critical analysis of the exhibit and its thesis.

Explain the artist’s stated thesis and how well they expressed it in their exhibit.
Identify parts of the exhibit that worked well. If there were works that didn’t support the main idea, explain how the artist could have better incorporated them.
Consider how this exhibit relates to art history as a whole. Where would it fit in? How does this art compare to existing works? How does it express common themes?

Step 4 Discuss the challenges the curator may have faced during installation.

For instance, a curator may not face any unique challenges while hanging framed oil paintings on a wall. However, they might struggle with installing a sculpture that hangs from the ceiling or an installation that has moving parts.
You might write, “While the framed watercolors were easy to hang on the exhibit walls, the curators struggled to install the single mixed-media sculpture that Tompkins created from found objects. The sculpture is designed to look like it’s floating between the ceiling and the floor, so it must be hung using thin wires.”

Step 1 Follow the formatting instructions for your assignment.

If this is for class, your instructor likely told you which style guide to use. Format your paper and any citations that you use according to the rules for that style guide.

Step 2 Ask a fellow art student or critic to give you feedback on your work.

Don’t ask someone who’s unfamiliar with art exhibition reviews to critique your paper because they may unintentionally give you bad advice.

Step 3 Revise your review if changes are necessary.

Reading your review aloud will help you spot areas that don’t flow well. Re-write these sentences to make them better.

Step 4 Proofread your review before submitting it.

Try to get someone else to proofread it for you because it’s hard to spot your own errors.

Step 1 Read your assignment sheet before reviewing the exhibit for a class.

If you have any questions, ask your instructor so that you don’t accidentally make an error on your assignment.

Step 2 Walk through the exhibit gallery to make observations about the art.

Make several passes through the exhibit so you can make new observations and connections between the works.
Look at the art from different angles and distances. While it’s important to examine each piece closely, you also want to take in the entire exhibit as a whole to see how the artist evoked their theme.

Step 3 Take notes on the description, form, content, and your impressions.

Document how the artist created each image, such as how they used lines, shapes, colors, shading, textures, patterns, and light. You’ll use this information to develop your discussion on form.

Ask yourself questions like:

Why are the works of art ordered or arranged this way?

Does a particular work stand out from the rest?

Is there a theme or a subtext to the exhibition?

Does the theme or thesis become obvious as I walk through the space?

How is this exhibition different from others I've seen?

Step 4 Identify the main idea and important themes of the exhibit.

Ask yourself questions like the following: Based on what I see, what do I think the artist is trying to say? What does the exhibit make me think about? How do I feel?

Step 5 Talk to a docent or curator to learn more about the exhibit.

Ask a docent questions like, “What was the artist hoping to achieve in this exhibit?” “What inspired the artist to create these works?” and “What are the core pieces of this exhibit?”
Ask a curator questions like, “Why did you arrange the artwork like this?” “What challenges did you face while installing the exhibit?” and “What instructions did the artist give for hanging their work?”

Step 6 Notice how others are reacting to the art for the spectator response.

For instance, do you notice visitors avoiding a certain piece? Are they drawn to some pieces more than others? Which pieces are generating conversation? What types of comments do you overhear?
If you’re planning to publish your review, ask fellow visitors to give you quotes that you can use for your review. Get their name so you can credit them.

Step 7 Talk to the artist if they’re present at the exhibit.

Wait until after you view the exhibit so that your initial impressions aren’t influenced by the artist.

Tip: Read the artist statement for more insight into what inspired the exhibit.

Step 8 Read other reviews on the exhibition to find out what critics are saying.

Your review should focus on your own ideas, not on what other people said.

Read art exhibition reviews written by professional critics to help you understand the typical format. [15] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Always have materials ready for taking notes or recording conversations. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Don't overuse superlatives. If you fall into the trap of calling every artwork you see "breathtaking," "magnificent" or "flawless," you'll soon come off as an uninformed critic. Likewise, calling everything you dislike "appalling," "disgusting," or "terrible" will undermine your ideas. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://www.ocadu.ca/Assets/content/teaching-learning/WLC/Online+Resources/Writing+Art+Reviews.pdf
↑ https://ualr.edu/art/art-history-resources/papers-and-projects/guidelines-for-analysis-of-art/
↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
↑ https://www.uwgb.edu/malloyk/art_criticism_and_formal_analysi.htm
↑ http://www.csus.edu/indiv/o/obriene/art112/Readings/Writing_a_Review_of_an_Exhibition.pdf

About This Article

To write an art exhibition review, start with an introductory paragraph that introduces a thesis about the exhibit. Then, break the body of your review up into individual sections that each focus on specific artwork in the exhibition. In each section, make sure you include descriptions of the art, your analysis and interpretation of the artwork, a consideration of the space it was displayed in, and finally your evaluation. To conclude your review, write a conclusion that ties together your main points and summarizes your review. To learn how to analyze and critique an art exhibit, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Essay on “a visit to an art gallery” for students and children, best essay, paragraph, speech for class 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12., a visit to an art gallery.

When I visited my brother who lives in Australia, he took me to a must-visit place — the National Art Gallery. Selva knew I was an amateur painter and hence, loved all types of paintings such as still-life abstracts and others.

It was the beginning of spring when I arrived in Canberra. The temperature was about 17 degrees Celsius and though my brother did not require warm clothing, I was all wrapped up — it was just too cold for me coming from a hot country like Indonesia. The National Art Gallery was located at the heart of the city surrounded by fountains and beautiful rose gardens.

There was no entrance charge and the architecture was both impressive and unique. There were many types of paintings on display based on the painters’ country of origin, ethnicity and even the theme of the painting. The paintings on display were categorized into Asian, Aboriginal (native Australian painters) and Caucasian (white painters from Australia, America, United Kingdom and other western countries). I estimated at least a thousand paintings on display, a far cry from our own Art Gallery in Indonesia. the painters ranged from the most experienced to the amateur ones. There was even a section where paintings by Art students were on display and I must say, the quality and the sheer imagination of the painters despite being mere students, were breathtaking.

I was most impressed by the aboriginal paintings. There is a sad history that surrounds the natives of Australia. When the white settlers mostly from the United Kingdom came to Australia in the 19th century, it was inhabited by natives. A violent confrontation ensued between these two ethnic groups. Most of the children of the aboriginals were forcibly taken away from their parents and brought up by white parents. the adults were taken to settlements where there was hardly any cultural inter-mingling. The children of the natives were known as the stolen generation named such because they were deprived of the opportunity to grow up with their family. Some of the paintings depicted this theme. They were heart-wrenching which moved me to tears.

The paintings covered many themes such as landscapes during the colonial period, scenes of mountains, oceans, and festivals among others. Since it was a public holiday, the gallery was crowded with students, parents, and their children. It was amazing to see even small children appreciating such abstract paintings. The price of paintings almost made me faint. They ranged from AUS$1500 to a few million Australian dollars! It was such a huge display of paintings that I was sure the government must have paid big sums of money to purchase these works of art. After three hours I was tired yet refreshed by the visit.

We later adjourned for tea and pies at a cafe located on the third floor of the building. I told my brother of my intention to contact some of the Australian artists for comments and display my own paintings which I had brought along. He told me that the Australian painters were very humble and helpful. I made up my mind to contact them the following day.

Reflection On A Visit To The Museum Of Art

Category: Culture , Life
Topic: Museum , Visit to a Museum

Pages: 3 (1165 words)

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