After years of living in London, I finally decided to visit the Tate Britain (http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain) two weeks ago. I left my flat originally intending to go see and exhibition on Picasso's Blue Period at the Courtauld gallery (http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2013/becoming-picasso/) called "Becoming Pablo" or something to that effect, but I had a change of heart after imagining side by side a fist full of my money being handed at the ticket office and one of his weird harlequins.
I thought a lot about Dali and his harsh words against British Painting while walking through the gallery: Yes, most paintings are beautifully executed, but except Turner and a few others, most of the stuff was too formal to allow for any personality to slip through. When I leave Museums, I usually leave with a few strong images in my mind and the names of their respective authors attached. Aside from J.M.W. Turner and the wonderful paintings by John Singer Sergeant, not much left with me. Too many rules, too formal, too rural, too perfect.
However, I cannot stress enough, J.M.W. Turner was in a league of his own. I love how his oeuvre grows abstract over time and towards the end, he produced work that would not be out of place in a XX Century Art Gallery. Master, visionary and way ahead of his time, Turner's work is definitely the highlight of the gallery.
