National Portrait Gallery

On Saturday 4th February I visited London's National Portrait Gallery. I spent several hours viewing the works of many artists across the range of galleries from the Tudors to the Contemporary. The sheer detail of each portrait was unbelievable and made me respect the time and effort taken to create it. I liked seeing the various styles of paintings and how people can be painted in totally different ways.

I very much enjoyed the many works in particular I liked the countless portraits of monarchs. I have a keen interest in history and putting a face to the names about which I have read so much was fascinating. I took my time reading the information about each painting and its artist. There were many paintings of people with which I am familiar including Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. Their history was inspiring and made me appreciate their work on equality.

However, out of all the portraits, there was one which stood out more than the others: A painting created by Jason Brooks of the Nobel Prize winner Paul Nurse. Sir Paul Nurse was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his work on cancer cells and genes. From a distance, the portrait looked like a black and white photograph, but on closer inspection I could see the single brush strokes and detail proving it was a painting. Every pore on Paul Nurse's face can be seen. The painting which covers almost all of one wall is acrylic on linen. Linen is apparently the better option for larger pieces of work. The scientist and artist took sittings in either New York or London, being careful not to interrupt Paul Nurse's research.

I relished my time in the gallery learning new things about art and the people in the portraits several of whom have done amazing things. I think it is appropriate that they are rewarded by being placed inside such an exquisite place of art.

This visit has inspired me to go and see more galleries either in London or other countries. It would be interesting to see different art forms from all round the world and to see what effect culture has on art.

I would recommend others to visit art galleries as you learn about history and politics as well as art.