Intended for personal prayer, this elegant Book of Hours was made in Belgium, between 1310-1320. It is on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario alongside an interactive display demonstrating how such a book would have been created, e.g., the calligraphy and decoration, production of the parchment, bindings.
We had to buy it! One of our souvenirs from the Late Rembrandt exhibition at the National Gallery in London is this tea towel featuring the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Rembrandt, Portrait of a Lady with a Lap Dog. #AGO
Too often a beautiful sculptural detail can be easily overlooked, particularly if it it but one of many fragments that make up a large altarpiece. This figure caught our attention during a visit to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
We thoroughly enjoyed this exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. We arrived knowing very little of the 16th century Italian artist Giovanni Battista Moroni’s work but left eagerly wanting to know more. His ability to paint fabrics, furs and jewels was brilliant, and we stayed until closing to study and admire his handling of paint. Particular favourites of ours included his rosy-cheeked Portrait of a Young Lady, the casually-posed Portrait of Prospero Alessandri, and the Portrait of a Tailor (see photo).
Our trip to France in November 2014 included visits to several WWl and WWll memorial sites, including the incredibly moving Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
The ground on which the Vimy Monument sits, as well as the surrounding 100 hectares of land, were given to Canada by France in 1922 in gratitude for sacrifices made by Canada in the First World War and for the victory achieved by Canadian troops in capturing Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The monument was designed by Canadian Walter Seymour Allward, and was built by the people of Canada as a tribute to their countrymen who fought in the Great War and, particularly, to the more than 66,000 men who gave their lives. (Information source: www.veterans.gc.ca)
This year marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day, when 359 Canadians were killed in action on the beaches of Normandy during the Second World War. To coincide with the anniversary, we visited several memorial sites in Normandy, including The Juno Beach Centre.
Toronto is a relatively young city, but it is home to a number of historic sites worthy of a visit, including a historic jewel in Toronto’s crown—Fort York National Historic Site. Enclosed by two bridges to the east and west, a highway to the south, and rail lines along the north, this national historic site receives little attention unless functioning as a backdrop for festivals or concerts, and competes with the city’s highly visible tourist landmarks such as the CN Tower, Casa Loma, AGO, and Royal Ontario Museum. This will now change: A long time coming, the new visitor centre has opened its doors to the general public.
Until its permanent exhibits are installed in 2015, the visitor centre is hosting an exhibition centred on the First World War. For this exhibition that commemorates the centenary of World War One, the city’s heritage team dipped into a treasure trove of rarely seen artifacts and fine art, including an oil painting by renowned English marine artist, W.L. Wyllie, depicting the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet in 1918, posters from the Government of Canada pitching Victory Bonds, and uniforms worn by Canadian men and women during the Great War. Also on display is the painting series 1812: The Art of War by Charles Pachter, one of Canada’s leading contemporary artists, best known for his bright, often satirical handling of Canadian symbols. In October 2015, the historic Magna Carta will travel to Toronto for a much-anticipated exhibition at the centre.
With its eventual completion and serving as a stop for high profile travelling exhibitions, the visitor centre will raise awareness of Fort York’s importance within Canada’s heritage and Toronto’s founding story and, hopefully, cease to function as a mere backdrop.
On our visit to the National Gallery in London last week we stopped at one of our favourite walls. It features the work of artist JMW Turner and includes The Fighting Temeraire.
Our visit to Reims Cathedral this summer coincided with their exhibition commemorating the impact and heavy damaged it sustained during the First World War bombardment.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. We travelled through eastern France this summer and were always humbled by the reminders of the battles fought and the lives lost. We visited Nancy, France and stopped in at its cathedral. Located on one of its pillars is this memorial tablet. (Middle left: The Arms of Canada) It reads:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND TO THE MEMORY OF
ONE MILLION DEAD
OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
WHO FELL
IN THE GREAT WAR
1914 – 1918
AND TO WHOM THE
GREATER PART REST
IN FRANCE
