An afternoon in London

So today I met Pip for lunch in London had chips and a bacon and avocado sandwich at Cafe Nuvo then off for the 14:30 introduction to the National Gallery had a bit of a foot in mouth moment when the chap doing the talk explained that the National's collection stops at the impressionists to which I remarked to Pip 'thank god'; chap thought I was talking to him :*) so had to repeat remark!

Thought Holbein's The Ambassadors amazing, the skill almost as if Holbein was doing the image just to show off how skilled he was, totally amazing and although I've seen it several times before it being in three parts passed me by. Mad Daily Mail reading woman (she was carrying a copy thus proving my stereotyping) going on about secret societies.

Also Gainsborough's Mr and Mrs Andrews again a painting I've seen before but never spotted the unfinished part of the dress.

Clearly not much of an eye to detail although I did spot the unusual pony shoes in Uccello's The Battle of San Romano and interesting to hear how he used the hedge to solve the foreground going into the middle ground and how the missing arch of the painting with the sky altered the perspective of the background.

Also saw Crivelli's Madonna of the Swallow with St Jerome as a cardinal even though at the time the painting was supposed to be set cardinal's did not exist :-)