Menoggling; Peering At Pictures

After satisfying my shipping 'buzz' at Ferryden, I spent a couple of nights at Friokheim, then headed down to an overnight in Fife, before finally drawing back into Edinburgh. More exhibitions to see! 

For the first of them, Aitch once again boarded the train from south of the border, and we toddled up to the National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street. 

The building itself is something of a Victorian work of art. You can see that quite clearly in the lovely wee video on the history page of the gallery website. I do recommend that, it's less than ten minutes, and it explains these two photos without requiring me to get all wordy!

Tucked in behind the lamp on that second shot, where two folk are using the bench, there is the most recent modern portrait, the winner of the Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2024... 

Although it is not a style one would wish on one's own wall, I can appreciate its painterly merits - and it is the one the sitter herself chose, so who's to argue with that?

Now, you'll have guessed by now, I'm sure, that there were a number of artworks meriting inclusion on the Menonday Art Vibe series, so this post is going to keep that sort of thing brief. However, I would like to share with you a little bit from a limited exhibition that has been on at the gallery, which focuses on James the Sixth (Scotland) and First (England). There were lots of items from his childhood, including some delightfully penned letters to his hosts and various carers. There was a lot of such ephemera, as well as some amazing portraits...

...which will be showing up later! I didn't go crazy with photography on all the exhibits because, frankly, I was simply enjoying taking in the information and feeling the ambience of time shifts as these characters came alive.

Take this embroidered 'waistcoat', for example...

Then there is the handbook of advice... what teenager of today would welcome a bound tome of fatherly instruction like this?!! (I think it rather cute that James Simson of Melrose decided to make his mark in 1857 - showing interest in history is nothing new.)

There were some truly exquisite jewels and trinkets, and although the exhibition was confined to one room, there was a real sense of fulfilment at the viewing. One other thing that really caught my eye and interest was the sketching of possible flag configurations for the joined throne. It would take a hundred years until the Union of Parliaments before things started to get more familiar. (Read about that on this link.)

The write-up states 'unknown artist' despite there appearing to be a signature on the paper... I have no idea why. Anyway, after enjoying this visit, Aitch and I had lunch at the cafeteria, before taking in the modern portraits section (a lot to like and a lot to truly puzzle over!), then up to the top floor. We got only halfway through that before we both sat and decided we were at saturation level! It will warrant another excursion at a later date. Before leaving this post though, let me share two portraits that are, perhaps, a little plain, but are of two very important, much romanticised figures of Scottish history... and we'll end with a wee portrait sculpture not in the gallery, but sitting waiting for company in his picnic - a figure I'm sure you'll recognise!