ICM - Leeds Design Agency

Monday, August 11th 2008

A Grand Day Out

Last weekend I spent many an hour on the streets of York, generally getting lost in the maze of alleyways and diving in and out of shops to avoid the showers.

One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing the paintings of the Grand Tour.

Before you think ‘hang on, Richard’s gone all arty on us‘, this is a bit different.

It’s a fantastic collection of 49 works of art from Caravaggio to Constable, faithfully reproduced and framed by Hewlett Packard using the latest technologies to overcome the obvious problems of hanging a piece of artwork permanently outdoors.

The origins of the Grand Tour date back to the 17th Century, when the wealthy upper-classes would undertake a journey of cultural enlightenment across Europe, in a life-enhancing trip that could last them months or even years.

The National Gallery and HP have taken the idea of the Grand Tour and turned on its head. Rather than the public seeking out its art – art seeks out its public, invading their everyday lives and revealing treasures just around the corner.

It was interesting how some paintings almost merged into the surroundings, York being a perfect backdrop to the dramatic masterpieces. I found myself saying ‘ooh, there’s another one‘ time and time again, it’s a far more pleasant experience than walking silently around a stuffy gallery of museum.