Michael Henderson on Radio

Word pictures at a gallery

ALAN BENNETT, THAT MAN OF many talents, has said the time he served as a trustee of the National Gallery afforded more hours of pleasure than any other honour. You can see why. The freedom to wander round those rooms at nightfall, after the hordes have departed, is an enviable privilege. Paintings are appreciated most intensely when there are few people around to spoil the view. Certain well-known works are impossible to savour as they should be savoured because platoons of the gormless clog up the space. These people may be present, but they always miss the experience. You don’t take a picture of a great painting, snap snap, and shuffle off to the next room. You look at it closely, even if takes all afternoon. A vivid personal memory…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2024

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