Today before going to our scheduled National Portrait Gallery trip, we went to the actual bookstore that was the actual setting for yesterdays “84 Charing Cross Road”.  Our professor taught us some of the history of how old London used to look like because it was in a more downtown location.  Eventually we got to it and good ol’ capitalism had taken its toll.  Sitting in place of 84 Charing Cross Road was a plaque that said it was the place of the book and play.  Next to it where to actual book store was… McDonalds…. The irony.

We made our way into the National Portrait Gallery and saw the newer section of it which our professor told us to pick our favorite and reflect on it.  The one I really felt like I connected with was this one.  Im not sure why but her emotions just seemed to convey through the painting and the artist did a tremendous job.

Afterwards we went deeper into the gallery to see some older portraits.  This was actually my first introduction to the MASSIVE paintings that some people have done.  There was a humongous portrait of The Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, that was probably 20 foot high painting.  It just blew my mind that people would paint something this.

But if I was painting something for the royal family I’d try to make it as huge as I could too.  After our group split I had noticed an area of the gallery that we hadn’t explore into that was a majority photography.  I walked in and noticed just a small picture of Charlie Chaplin on a wall.

The picture just seems eerie to me?  I feel as though its overly detailed for B&W film and the way that Charlie is looking into the frame seems just the slightest bit off.  His dark attire and black background clashing with his pale face just brings out his emotions, and makes it feel like he’s staring from his overly detailed world and into your very under-detailed life.  This picture just sent me into a frenzy of wanting to take pictures like this when I’m out and about taking pictures on my own.  Something that can convey a message with such little going on, which is something I’m not used to doing.

E