Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Portraits in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Before the Christmas holidays I have been to the Birmingham Art Gallery. Here on the right is a photograph of the gallery itself. I think it looks really artistic and actually shows that the building has something to do with arts. 

Amedeo Modigliani is one of the artists who’s work was exhibited in the museum. He was born in 1884 and he died in 1920. Here below is the photograph that I have seen in the exhibition. It is called Madame Z and it was painted in 1918. I think that the painting is quite funny to be honest. The way Madame Z is looking and especially her neck that goes a little bit wobbly. Her hair does not look that much fashionable for our time but it was in hers. The hairstyle she has got there was called a bob. The only thing I can say about her face expression is that she looks a little miserable to me. She is not smiling at all or should I say it doesn't look like a smile? This painting is fully handmade oil painting on a canvas. Modigliani began his career as a sculpture and then started painting in 1915. He has been drinking and talking to artists most of his time in bars and cafes in Paris. This is mostly the reason why he died. He had a disease called tuberculosis and he died in the hospital wasted away by alcohol. 

This here on the right side is another photograph that was portrait in the exhibition. It is made by Nicholaes Elizsz. He was also called Pickenoy. He was born in 1590 and died in 1653. The painting is called ‘Portrait of a Lady’ and we do not know who it actually is. By looking at this photograph I think that it was actually a rich lady whoever it was because of the way she is dressed up. The kind of jewelry she is wearing on her head and the white thing around her neck. She looks quite posh and another thing that tells me that she was rich is that she is wearing make-up. I can see that from her cheeks, they look pink-ish. Her waist looks quite slim and I think its because she is wearing something really tight underneath her dress. In my opinion I do not think it would be easy and comfortable for the lady to eat. She is holding something in her hand which I think is actually the most important part about this portrait. I think its something she can write with. Apparently this painting was painted to mark a time of change in the lady’s life. I think that time could be that she started writing and became rich? 

Overall I think that it was an interesting exhibition but as portraits so not one of my favorite subjects to look at in photography I was not really surprised or amazed with the paintings/photographs around me. If I had to rate this exhibition out of ten I would give it a six. Not because of the work shown in the exhibition but because of the environment it was put together in.