Tate Britain is full of British art. I’ve been walking around for fifteen minutes now and the collection seems to be quite mixed up inside because they lump all the religious pieces and landscapes in with the portraits. The next room has black and white photographs of London landmarks, pencil sketches of clouds, and a sci-fi temptress climbing up the stairs.
I must say that the building is rather nice – that is the real artwork for me. I’d rather be looking at the ceiling than the walls. It’s not quite on a par with the National Gallery (what is?) but it comes a close second. Most of the rooms have a huge concrete canopy arching over your head and you can run your eyes along the lengthy corridors to a painting far away – far enough away to shrink it down to the size of a postage stamp.
Okay, here we go… here is the first silly piece of art. I’ve just walked into a huge empty room and there’s a plaque at the far end that says Work No.227: The lights going on and off. See if you can guess what’s in here.
Yup, you’re right. It’s a huge empty room with a light going on and off. That is literally it. You can recreate it right now if you like, just by emptying out your front room and flicking your switch on and off. Nobody’s going to call you an artist though.
Okay… now we’re back onto solid ground again with a room full of apocalyptic scenes by John Martin, with tiny trains of angels lining the clouds and mountains as the sky falls down. They’ve got some rather nice landscapes full of puffing chimneys and ships rusting on the docks, and atmospheric old country scenes with horses carting fresh fruit and veg along the cobbled streets.
John William Waterhouse
I’ve just come across a famous piece by John William Waterhouse: The Lady of Shallot. I used to quite fancy this lady at school and I’d forgotten how beautiful she was, now that I’ve taken two minutes to rekindle my schoolboy crush. And she hasn’t changed a bit either – unlike me. I wonder if she still recognises me? Jesus Christ… look at the state of me. She hasn’t seen me for twenty years and I roll up looking like a tramp.
I feel a bit embarrassed now, and I start brushing down the front of my hair to make myself a bit more presentable. She’s still patiently waiting in her canoe for me to save her. Hold on a minute, babe! Don’t fall in for chrissakes, because I’ll never forgive myself. Use your hands to paddle a bit closer to the bank… I can’t jump that far (she must think that I’m an Olympic athlete or something). Oh, sod this. Now I’ve suddenly remembered why we split up twenty years ago – she’s too much hard work.
I’m whizzing through the modern art section now because the standard drops dramatically in here. Here are some examples of the artwork on display: a floor full of bricks, a shelf full of seashells, a TV clip of a tree, or how about a load of old car doors lying on the floor? Bizarrely I’ve stumbled across an LS Lowry hidden amongst the sculptures – that is how crazy the layout of this place is. There is no rhyme or reason to it. But that’s the reason why you should explore every room because you never know what you’re going to find in them.
JMW Turner in the Clore Gallery
Now here’s a picture that I do like: the view of Horse Guards by Canaletto. That is right up my street because I love old pictures of the city. They’ve got a room full of Constables as well, if you like your English landscapes. And if you like works by Turner then you’re in for a treat because the Clore Gallery is totally devoted to him.
I was going to count up all his pictures but I gave up when I got to fifty. It’s quite interesting looking at all his unfinished stuff and simple little sketches, to see how rough and ready his preparatories were.
If you enjoy this then try Courtauld Gallery (walk it in 30 mins or travel from Pimlico to Temple by tube); National Gallery (walk it in 26 mins or catch a tube from Pimlico to Charing Cross) and Royal Academy of Arts (walk it in 28 mins or travel from Pimlico to Piccadilly Circus by underground)
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon
Your comments and questions
JPM If I had to choose my favourite gallery in London then I would probably choose Tate Britain. Why? Mainly for the Turners which are amazing, especially his large scale works which have some of the best examples of 'light' I have ever seen, but also for the traditional landscapes like Constable, which uses simple observational skills that you rarely see these days, transplanted instead by the brutal methods that most modern artists prefer. Visit here if you love painting, and you love the traditional skills that seem to have fallen by the wayside
Edward There are some great paintings in here. They are all British artists here - that is why its called Tate Britain - so obviously there isn't the range of artists that you will find at the National Gallery which is superior, but if you like landscapes then there are some of the greatest landscape painters of all-time. If you go then plan some time to take the boat between Tate Britain and Tate Modern. That is a lovely boatride that goes past lots of famous places
kathrun Are you allowed to take photos on your phone?
Craig Hi Kathrun. You can in the main galleries, as long as you don't use flash. They sometimes have different rules for the temporary exhibitions though
geoff How far is it to walk from the station
Craig Hi Geoff. It's not far, about an 8-10 minute walk from Pimlico station
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