Moroni at the RA

I do like the rather more obscure exhibitions that one can visit in London, over the blockbusters. So this exhibition of the works of Giovanni Battista Moroni appealed to me much more than the Rembrandt exhibition at the National. The trouble with the big exhibitions isn't just the crowds, but also the familiarity one already has with the works. Whereas Moroni was to me only a name. I couldn't have conjoured up an image of any of his works.

The other thing I liked about this show from a critical, viewpoint was that here was an artist who, in my humble opinion, was both brilliant and a bit average at the same time. What he was brilliant at was portraiture. Not just the faces, but also the attire of his sitters. That was what he clearly made most of his money out of in 16th century Bergamo. So many of the subjects just glance out at you, give you a quick, often haughty, stare. The details of their collars are just perfection, setting off an utterly convincing likeness. And by and large his men are better than the women. But both are far better than his landscapes or more distant images of Christs and saints. His religious works are far less convincing than his portraits.

Another attractive part of visiting this is that the works gathered here are from all over the place. You won't have the opportunity to see more than one or two at a time elsewhere. Must have taken a fair bit of effort to put this one altogether.