National Portrait Gallery

Thursday, June 14, 2018

The National Portrait Gallery contains many pieces of historical art from several well-known artists; but some of the most meaningful and creative portraits that I observed in the National Portrait Gallery were displayed in the modern collection. The piece called The New Religion, which was painted by a man named Conor Walton in 1970, uses an arc-shaped canvas to make observers relate his piece to religion. But, according to the portrait’s plaque, Walton “made a picture with no religious content”. At first glance, my initial impression was “Wow, this is such a well-done Christian piece of art!”, but after I read the plaque hanging on the wall, I realized it wasn’t a religious painting at all.

The scene of the painting contains many animals, which do not necessarily represent the story of the ark; also featured are children, an outdoor landscape, and a man with a beard. The intent of the painter, however, was to replace “Christian iconology with environmental concerns and biological scientists. Together with Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel and James Lovelock, are portraits of Walton’s children in the place of musical angels.” As a Christian, I thought it was extremely creative how an artist is able to play such mind games on observers just with the type of scenery and canvas he chooses to use. The association of specific qualities of art can be instantly connected to one idea, when the artist is trying to portray the exact opposite.

Another portrait that I was immediately drawn to, which was not in the modern collection, was of a spunky, red-headed woman who looked to be from the 1930s. This life-size painting was done by the artist, McClelland Barclay, and displays the actress, Anna Neagle. “Born Margorie Robertson, her stage debut was in 1917. She took her mother’s name in 1930”, and “Neagle’s first film, Goodnight Vienna (1932) was directed by her future husband Herbert Wilcox, with whom she was to make thirty-two films” (National Portrait Gallery plaque). This painting stood out to me due to the sassy pose Anna holds, which was in a time where women were expected to be fairly proper, especially in the film industry. I also admired, after reading the plaque, that she was the first women to be on the cover of Life magazine. Anna Neagle was definitely a daring and confident woman of her time, and Barclay captured that terrifically.

-Hannah L. Brown

“Anna Neagle.” wikipedia.org. Web. 27 June 2018.

Barclay, McClelland. “Anna Neagle.” npg.org.uk. The National Portrait Gallery,

London. Web. 27 June 2018.

Walton, Conor. “The New Religion.” npg.org.uk. The National Portrait Gallery,

     London. Web. 27 June 2018.