Finding Painting Inspiration At Galleries & Exhibitions

The first time I walked into an art gallery it was the Tait Britain Gallery in 2008. I was fortunate that at the time they had an exhibition of J W Turners work on display.

I was mesmerised by the large oil paintings and stood there for two hours soaking it all in. It was a life defining moment for me and it led me to being an artist and art teacher today.

Ever since then I have made it a practice to go to as many galleries as I possibly can.

I’ve had the good fortune to visit the MET in New York, The National Gallery in London, and the Musee d’Orsay in France among many others.

But you don’t have to travel the world to find good galleries. Often some of the best are in your backyard or in regional centres nearby.

On my Christmas break I visited the Benella Art Gallery for the second time. And again I was impressed by the quality of work from their permanent collection. Here are a few examples:

I also visited the larger Bendigo Art Gallery. Clearly during the gold rush they had plenty of funds to acquire quality art from around the world.

A sample of some of their collection:

For me these visits are priceless and an endless source of inspiration.

It’s one thing to see a photo of a painting by our favourite artist, but its another thing entirely to go and experience a painting. To be able to stand up close to a painting and observe the working method, and brush strokes of the artist.

For everyone who is on a journey to learn to paint and master the craft I highly encourage you to visit as many galleries and museums as you can.

The inspiration and knowledge you will derive from this can only benefit you in the long run.

Note – I also went to the National Gallery in Canberra for the Matise Picasso exhibition which I will share in a separate post with you soon.

Leave a comment below and let us know your favourite gallery or museum to visit and what have been some of the memorable exhibitions you have seen.