Somerset House Trust

Recently I ventured to the Somerset House. At first I believed it to be a history on the people who once owned them home, hence the name it was given. However, I found that I wasn’t quite sure on what I had ventured into. I found out the the Somerset House was a gallery and an institution by the sweet lady standing behind a table filled with flyers. When I went they were in progress of an event.

The Somerset house is one of the UK’s finest and largest 18th century building. It is a world class attraction in the arts. It reminded me a little of the Louvre. I was fascinated by the paintings but most importantly the ceiling. Ceilings can be easily over looked when someone is strolling through a gallery of various and amazing paintings. I took my time to give the ceiling some attention and was very glad I did. It isn’t always about what is inside that makes the building but the building itself. These buildings are well aged and so old when they were built they were built with more than just purpose of housing something within, but being a source of art. 

This is an image of the god, Apollo, in the middle of the sun like structure. He is surrounded by the zodiacs. 

Created by Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727-85).

I love mythology so I’ve always taken an interest to their stories. Also, I love paintings of biblical times. Each painting takes time not only to look at but to understand. I’ve always wondered how can anyone tell what it is that they are seeing but everyone gets something different from what they are seeing. It takes time to just look upon a picture to understand the print beside it. 

This painting is of Christ and the Woman taken in adultery by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. This painting stood out by its shades of grey. I learned that it was painted as a biblical story that challenged hypocrisy and demonstrated the virtue mercy. If you look closely you can see that Jesus is writing on the ground. 

I’ve always enjoyed paintings of Jesus. There are so many and he looks so differently in all the paintings I’ve seen. Paintings are depicted on what the painter sees as well as play on the emotions of the painter. 

It was a great visit. If you go you may find that there are pictures here that you’ve seen before in another museum. Also you’ll see the treasures that the Somerset House holds that no words can describe or express. Its easy to go out and venture so that you can grasp your own understanding of the world of arts.


-Keisha Williams

British Museum

The British Museum
(2/2 required Museum Visits and Writing Summary)

I can honestly say this is one of my favorite museums in London so far. Free Admission is a nice perk, but there are so many wonders of ancient history sprinkled across the museum and even more modern artifacts and exhibits tastefully woven throughout the massive multi-leveled complex. Although a bit overwhelming, the British Museum houses some of the most important pieces of mankind's history including, but definitely not limited to, the ancient mummies and tombs of Egypt, pieces of the Roman Parthenon, the Rosetta Stone, Grecian precious metals and crowns, beautiful Japanese pottery and so much more.

Aside from the more historical pieces, there was one exhibit that really caught my attention at the British Museum in the Living and Dying themed exhibition hall. This exhibit criticized and commented on the healthcare system by documenting every single medicine pill a specific man and woman had taken in their lifetime, from common cold and allergy pills even through chemotherapy treatment pills. Every single pill was laid out across a table which created a massive impact, visualizing how much we put into our bodies with medicine, but also how medicine has extended our lifetime. Here a pictures from this exhibit:







By: Anna White