The National Gallery - Ten Minutes or Less

It was in one of the weekend papers that I read about a collection of videos from The National Gallery on their YouTube Channel. Of particular interest to me (not being an art aficionado)  were those called "Art History in Ten Minutes or Less".

The first I tried was "The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly" by Thomas Gainsborough. The presenter opened my eyes to the subtleties of the children's expressions and how they were presented by their father.

Equally good was the description of John Constable's "The Hay Wain" and the detail in this landsacpe.

I was not so impressed by "Fire" by Joachim Beuckelaer. It wasn't the presentation, but the picture itself. Again, it was full of so much going on, but so less subtle than the previous, more modern paintings. But as a (very) short course in art appreciation, these videos were perfect.