Sezane cardigan
Sezane jeans
Chanel handbag
Mejuri earrings (similar)
Location: Cortauld Gallery – London, England
Outfit photos by Gwen Kortsen
My visit to London was a rush of doing exactly what I wanted, when I wanted to do it – and what I want to do, as often as I can, is look at art. I had such easy, regular access to galleries prior to pandemic lockdowns that I took for granted what an important of my life art appreciation was… and then, when I lost access to art that wasn’t available in books, I became startlingly aware of the void left in my existence. There was, it turned out, no other way to fill it. I need to be able to wander rooms filled with paintings hung in heavy gold frames as often as possible to truly feel inspired. And my favourite place do take that kind of wander in London is the Courtauld Gallery.
The Courtauld Gallery is tucked away in Somerset House, a stunning complex worth a visit on its own. We arrived just before sunset on Saturday afternoon, and the views blew me away. The main square and coffee shops inside were all packed, practically teeming, with people enjoying their afternoon. But the gallery itself was relatively quiet by comparison. And I would have gladly fought crowds to get a look at the Impressionist collection if necessary.
My love of the Impressionists isn’t news to anyone who’s been reading along for a while. Like most little girls who took ballet lessons, I fell in love with Degas’ paintings of ballerinas early in life, and discovered his contemporaries – Monet, Renoir and Cezanne, among others, shortly afterward. I’ve wasted many happy hours dawdling in front of the waterlilies at the Musee de l’Orangerie in Paris. But every collection of Impressionist works is different, and I want to see them all, even the works of artists that, historically, I haven’t always loved; most notably, Edouard Manet.
I don’t know what it is about Manet, exactly, but if you know art, you’re laughing at me as you read along. I get it. I’m posed in front of one of his seminal works in three of the seven photos that accompany this text. That was a deliberate choice. I think it’s the realism that seeps so often into Manet’s work that once left me unmoved. At times, it still does. It’s hard to love a painting of a man with an unkempt beard and worn out hate when it’s placed next to a canvas featuring two ballerinas in white tulle, tiptoeing across a dimly lit stage.
But I must acknowledge that it’s that same realism that makes some of his work so striking, so fascinating. It was my visit to the Courtauld Gallery that really made that clear for me. A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, for example, would not be same if painted by Monet. The wine bottles on the counter would be a blur, the patrons in the background just a faceless mob; both would be beautiful, but they wouldn’t carry the same weight. When Manet painted the woman at the bar, he gave us a clear view back in time, into a moment of her life, a moment in history that we’ll never live ourselves but that we can experience through her. What an incredible gift to leave behind.
The Courtauld is, without question, my favourite London gallery. And I don’t say that lightly, knowing how much competition it has in a city with such a… well, honestly, it’s probably best described as a rich history of seeking the best the world has to offer and claiming ownership of all of it. The collection is thoughtful, and beautifully presented. It’s large enough to occupy a couple of hours, but small enough not to be overwhelming. A single visit is enough to experience it all, but after that one, you’ll probably want to go back again. I know that I do.
