Glasgow - Scotland - page 217

VISITING KELVINGROVE
Duration: Three hours
There are over a million objects in the museum's collection, but fortunately they've pared things down so you
won't feel overwhelmed. Enter from either side and first admire the building's interior, with its high central hall,
elaborate lamps and organ (recitals at 1pm).
The museum is divided into two wings, one focusing on Life (history, archaeology and natural history) and the
other on Expression (art).
FIRST FLOOR
Start with the art: upstairs in the hall with the hanging heads. The Dutch room features Rembrandt's magnificent
Man in Armour, with chiaroscuro techniques learned from Caravaggio. Hit the interactive screen and decide
whom you think the painting represents.
The adjacent French gallery holds a fine Renoir portrait of his pupil Valentine Fray, and an early Van Gogh de-
picting his Glaswegian flatmate Alexander Reid. Nearby, Monet's Vétheuil offers a quintessential representation
of both Impressionism and the French countryside; contrast it with the less ethereal landscape by Cézanne's loc-
ated alongside. Dufy's famous canvas of The Jetty at Trouville also inhabits this room, as do works by many other
masters.
The Scottish landscape gallery has some jaw-dropping depictions of Highland scenes. Standing in front of
Gustave Doré's Glen Massan you can almost feel the drizzle and smell the heather. David Wilkie's The Cottar's
Saturday Night is based on the poem by Robert Burns.
While you're up here, don't miss the paintings around the arcade. The collection's highlight, however, sits up-
stairs in the central atrium. Based on dreams, Salvador Dalí's Christ of St John of the Cross is arguably his
greatest work. Forget ridiculous moustaches and Surrealist frippery: this is a serious, awesomely powerful paint-
ing. A sinewy man-god looks down through an infinity of sky and darkness to a simple fishing boat in Galilee (or
Catalunya in this case). You could spend a while in front of this.
GROUND FLOOR
Downstairs, check out the Art Discovery Centre , aimed at kids but well worth a stroll, then head for the large
room devoted to the Glasgow Boys. Inspired by Whistler, these artists broke with romanticism to pioneer a more
modern style. Compare William Kennedy's grounded Stirling Station or the realism of James Guthrie's A Funeral
Service in the Highlands with those misty Scottish landscapes upstairs. Also noteworthy in this space are John
Lavery's famous theatrical portrait of Anna Pavlova, and EA Hornel's much-reproduced The Coming of Spring .
You've seen most of the paintings now, but there's still plenty left to discover. Try the room dedicated to interi-
ors and designs of art deco and the Glasgow style. 'Margaret has genius, I have only talent', said Charles Rennie
Mackintosh of his wife, and there's a good display of her work here, as well as that of her sister, Frances Macdon-
ald.
The other side of the museum, dominated by a hanging Spitfire, has rooms with impressive carved stones from
the Viking era, Egyptian grave goods and other archaeological finds. Suits of armour are cleverly placed in an ex-
hibition about the human consquences of war, and there are some fine social history displays. The taxidermy an-
imals downstairs are a reminder of the museum's Victorian past. Don't miss John Fulton's elaborate orrery, a
working model of the solar system: you'll find it near the much-loved elephant (who is called Sir Roger, if you'd
like to be introduced).