Posts by venue: Laing Art Gallery

Better than JMW Turner? Thomas Girtin’s ‘Morpeth Bridge’ watercolour

Was Girtin a better watercolourist than JMW Turner? Turner himself seemed to say so – after his friend’s early death, Turner remarked, If Tom Girtin had lived, I should have starved. He was exaggerating wildly, of course, but Turner’s words… Read more

JMW Turner’s ‘Dunstanburgh Castle’: poetry, imagination and reality

Not so long ago, I went out to Dunstanburgh, near Alnwick, to see how much of the landscape I could recognise in our watercolour by JMW Turner. Turner was only 22 when he visited in 1797, as part of a… Read more

Divine Bodies: Old Masters given New Meanings

   As the leaves turn brown and the nights draw in, summer 2013 may seem a lifetime away. In gallery terms, however, only a couple of exhibitions separate September gloom from summer sunshine. Arranging an exhibition, I am learning, involves… Read more

Take a look at what our visitors and staff are enjoying in the ‘Family Matters’ exhibition

Dianne, from our Front of House staff, is admiring her favourite painting in the exhibition. She says, “I love it because it’s a picture of a father’s pride and hope for the future. And the boy does look like his… Read more

‘Quentin Blake: As Large As Life’ comes to the Laing

These are photos from the installation of the new exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery – Quentin Blake: As Large As Life. The first picture has gone up! It’s one of the circus life group. This lovely group of pictures… Read more