National Gallery Vantages

I went to the National Gallery of Canada one afternoon in late April to take in some art, which we'll be looking at today and the next three posts. From the photographer's point of view, I took less shots than I usually would on a visit, as I wanted to fill in some days before the Tulip Festival.

Here we have a view out the glass tower towards Parliament Hill. Some years back this view was not possible for a few months- the tower was scaffolded and surrounded by a trompe-l'oeil screen in the form of an iceberg. This was so that the panes of glass in the tower could be replaced.

For a few days in the winter, the Gallery was shut down so that the same process could commence in the main entrance and up the colonnade that leads to the gallery spaces. Scaffolding was installed in a way that maintains the lightness of the long corridor and allows crews to undertake the work of replacing the glass panes all along this stretch. This view is taken from the top of the ramp, looking down towards the main entrance area.

Two large inner courtyards are found within the building. One features a garden at the first level (which for whatever reason I didn't seem to photograph this time). The other features a reflection pool. This view of it is taken on the first level, where Canadian art is to be found.

From the second level, where the world art is, we have two more vantage points of the scaffolding around the colonnade. The first shows the passageway coming from the elevators, running parallel to the long ramp. This comes in handy if you're in a wheelchair, because you don't want to be ascending that ramp in one.

The second features a view from above at the end of the colonnade where one enters the glass tower.

Moving back along the balcony here gives us views out through the tower towards the Hill, and to the Ottawa River.

Taken on the second level, this looks across one of the courtyard spaces. The garden is down below, out of sight.

Here we have a view of the reflecting pool from above.

One more look out the glass tower, taken when I was departing from the world art section.

And for today I finish with the last shot I took on this visit. The reflecting pool is viewed from below, down near the main entrance of the Gallery. Two people can be seen at the far end sitting above the pool. Coins are scattered on the glass.