1 July and 11 January

When we were in London in January, I got rather lazy toward the end and didn't finish writing about my last few days. This is where I clear that up. In January, the 11th to be precise, I ventured to the National Gallery for the first time. Disgraceful, right? Possibly the most famous museum in London and I hadn't been. I had tried, but the line to get in was always very long and I'm not one who fancies waiting in the queue for hours. So before I ventured out this time, I became a member of the National Gallery which entitled me to expedited entrance to the museum and entrance to all the special exhibitions at no additional charge and without having to book weeks in advance. The exhibition I was interested in was of the paintings of Frans Hals, a 17th century Dutch artist whose style was pioneering for the time. Portraits had always been staid, austere depictions of the wealthy or famous. Hals showed relaxed, lively sitters, often smiling, and even laughing. as the National Gallery described it, "He changed the face of portraiture forever." Among his devoted fans was Vincent Van Gogh.

Among the portraits on display here were some that had never before left the Netherlands. The highlight of the show was his most famous portrait, The Laughing Cavalier (1628).

These were some of my favorites.

Portrait of Pieter Cornelisz van der Mersch (1616):

Young Man Holding a Skull, aka Veritas (About 1627):

The Merry Lute Player (1624-28):

Portrait of Jasper Schade (1645):

I loved that in the gift shop one of the items for sale was a knitted dog dressed as a Frans Hals character.

After the special exhibition, I walked around the museum which is a work of art in itself.

There is an endless collection of masterworks.

The Umbrellas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1881-86):

Self Portrait in a Straw Hat by Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun (1782):

Portrait of Hermine Gallia by Gustave Klimt (1904):

Bathers at Asnieres by Georges Seurat (1884):

Two Crabs by Vincent Van Gogh (1887):

The Gare St. Lazare by Claude Monet (1877):

Portrait of a Man Holding a Letter by Giovanni Battista Moroni (about 1570):

Samson and Delilah by Peter Paul Rubens (1609-10):

Even the floors are gorgeous.

Fast forward six months and one of the featured exhibitions was "Discover Degas and Miss La La." Miss La La (aka Anna Albertine Olga Brown) was a famous trapeze artist at the Folies-Bergere. I planned to see the Miss La La exhibition, but before that, chose to book a members-only tour called, "Degas and the Collection" led by art historian Muriel Carre. The tour examined Degas' training, his influences and contemporaries. I was fascinated to learn that Degas came from a wealthy family and never had to earn a living with his art. He was also a voracious collector, amassing over 5500 pieces of art over his lifetime. Degas was a devoted fan of Edouard Manet and was much influenced by him. He was close with the Rouart family and painted several family members including Hilaire, whose portrait is in the Impressionist gallery.

The Execution of Emperor Maximilian by Edouard Manet:

Another major influence in Degas' life was Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres; Degas bought every available painting by him.

Madame Moitessier by Ingres (1856):

Monsieur de Novins by J.A.D Ingres:

Many people associate Degas with paintings and sculptures of ballerinas, and I found it interesting that Degas liked to visit the dance classes of the young students to observe and sketch and to watch the dancers preparing backstage, rather than attend performances. He was not a particularly outgoing person, preferring to associate with a very small group of friends and the thought of attending the ballet wasn't terribly appealing to him.

Ballet Dancers by Degas (about 1890 - 1900):

One of Muriel's favorite paintings by Degas was also in the Impressionist Gallery, "Combing the Hair"

From our tour, we went to the La La exhibition which was quite interesting. There was background information about Miss La La which made the connection between her and Degas and their shared mixed race ancestry. Many advertising posters were on display

but for me, the best part of the exhibition was the collection of preliminary sketches alongside the final painting.

The exhibition also featured circus paintings by other artists.

The Trapeze by Walter Sickert (1920):

Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1879):

Quite an interesting exhibition and a wonderful tour. I then wandered around marveling at the architecture of the National Gallery.

I took in a few more galleries then went to Embankment Park which is even prettier when the sun is shining!

I walked over to the arch that you can see in the background of the above photo.

It turns out to be the gateway that marks the position of the northern bank of the River Thames before the construction of the Victoria Embankment in 1862. Where I was standing I would have been in the Thames River. I took the tube back to the flat, passing another great advert along the way.

At some point in time Bruce and I decided that birthday celebrations didn't need to be confined to one day, so we now call the few days before and after our birthdays Holy Week. When planning our trip I decided that I wanted to celebrate this birthday in London, since it's a major one. Bruce contacted Elio, the wonderful sommelier from Bibendum, who arranged for us to have a table at Brooklands, on the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel. As soon as we sat down, the champagne started flowing, courtesy of Elio. What a lovely man he is!

We watched the sun set over Hyde Park and enjoyed some appetizers: a beautiful Scottish smoked salmon and sliders topped with foie gras. They even brought me a little chocolate mousse birthday cake. It was a perfect way to celebrate 69 years and 354 days.