| Show Fatia oBio dictionary of national biography in picture form in british collection people who are inclined to do what henry james called paten it witti purple are fond of referring to west minster abbey as our nannal national val halla but if they really wish to establish contact with the personalities of the past they would do far better to betake themselves to st martins lane and the national portrait gal lery so another stage is reached in the steady growth and increasing sl significance ance rince of a collection that began with 50 portraits in 1850 arrived nt at its present home adjoining the na lionil gallery in 1800 an and now in it eludes nearly pictures of men and women omen who in some memorable way helped to shape the fortunes traditions an and thoughts of the british people As works of art some of them are not of specially higi high merit but the human and historical v value alue is hardly to be overestimated here Is something which might be described as a dictionary of na dional biography in picture form here are some of the notables who helped to make our past mon monar arelis clis poets soldiers actresses court fa korites vo rites novelists statesmen and divines as they were seen by their own contemporaries many of the portraits may be studied for their artistic value all of them have an interest which tends to rise beyond that scale of appreciation no one goes to the national portrait gallery to study art for arts here Is art for lifes sake and as one of the most acute and searching of our younger writers was recently reminding us the tightest tig hest of all arts is the art of alv living itself for it includes all the others at the national portrait gallery we look on the likenesses of men and wa women m en who 10 in 0 one n e way va y or a hotl ier were the artists who managed t to 0 excel in the greatest and most varied art of all Illane bester eng guardian |
