Chapter 5:Potter, Dodson, Frideswide, and Van Dyck - Part I

An Impression of Christ Church Gallery: Tucked away in Christ Church, past the famous Harry Potter Scenes and the breathtaking Christ Church Cathedral, is Christ Church Gallery. For a pound, one can gain admittance into a quaint gallery with exceptional display of artistic masterpieces, church icons, and even two globes. The quiet stillness of the Gallery is not just the perfect place to examine the art, but to reflect upon the sights of Christ Church and let the weight of them fall upon you. I was mesmerized by its contents. The painting of the virgin, by Niccolo do Pietro Gerini, with the natural lighting in the galllery, the light caught the gold background and illuminated it, giving the woman an angelic face. One painting, of Beatrice d’Este, was quite intriguing. While it was completed by s. studet o the Lombard School, it has qualities that are similar to one of Leonardo deVinci’s most beautiful portraits, Lady with an Ermine. Ironically Beatrice married Ludivico Sfoza who was an employer of deVinci. Finallly, I have found a new favorite artist to add to the list of my particular favorites. Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s, A Soldier on Horseback, is an oil painting with the feel of movement through his gestural techniques. I could have stood watching the fluidity of his lines in his various works for hours.