Dickens and London

Verdict: Worth a look
Where: Museum of London
When: 9 December 2011 - 10 June 2012

It's always a calculated risk when basing an exhibition on an artist's life because even though the public may love their work, there's no guarantee that they'll want to know how they lived.

It's been 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens and so we have an exhibition dedicated to his life and his favourite muse - the city of London.

The show has two foci, how Dickens lived (hardcore fans only need apply) and how London was in his day - the more interesting part. The Museum of London has done an excellent job or portraying Victorian London through paintings, artefacts and even a map of London - see if you can find your house or workplace, or the field that it used to be. This is a helpful segue into how Dickens didn't romanticise London in his novels but still had a lot of love for it.

Dickens is famed for his nocturnal walks, claiming that he knew the streets of London better than any other Londoner. The final room plays a clever video that involves nocturnal strolls through modern London but overlaid with a reader reciting Dickensian text pertinent to the on screen images.

You'll learn a lot about Dickens at this exhibition but you need not be a groupie to enjoy what's on display. 

Guildhall Art Gallery and London's Roman Amphitheatre

Verdict: Worth a look

Where: City of London

What is it? A collection of mainly Victorian artwork with London as the central theme. The gallery is also built on the remains of London's Roman Amphitheatre, which was discovered when they were building the gallery.

What I thought? When I visited the gallery the majority of the gallery space was dedicated to the temporary exhibition. Of the artists represented, there are no massive names but there are some notable British artists like Constable and Landseer on display. The central London theme gives the collection a coherent feel and includes paintings of historic moments in London's history such as the opening of Tower Bridge and Queen Victoria's parade through London. It's not the largest collection but definitely worth a look, especially for a Londoner.

The Roman Amphitheatre is impressive for how much of it remains considering how many times London has been rebuilt and it may be our only Roman remnant. Then it gets a little strange. The room's walls and pillars are decorated with Tron-like fluorescent green skeletal athletes and the contemporary-classic contrast is jarring, but I liked it though it won't be to everybody's taste.

Being located in the City separates it from other galleries geographically and also from the usual crowds that galleries get, especially on weekends. I went on Saturday and the deathly quiet of the city is always a strange experience. One to check out if you're in the area of have a hankering for some Victorian paintings.

Atkinson Grimshaw: Painter of Moonlight

Verdict: Go see it

Where: Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London

When: 19 September 2011 – 15 January 2012

What is it? An exhibition of the paintings of the Victorian Pre-Raphaelite-style painter John Atkinson Grimshaw. There are over 60 paintings on display stretching Grimshaw's career including both his time spent in Yorkshire and in London.

What did I think? British painting spanning both the Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite periods is known for its amazing attention to detail. Grimshaw definitely meets this high standard with exquisite detail in his paintings but what distinguishes him from the other painters of the time are his nocturne paintings.

The low level of street lighting that existed in Grimshaw's time gives the River Thames a serene feel to it but when the same effect is used to depict an urban scene with dock workers around a flaming barrel, the painting takes on a more foreboding look. Grimshaw is a master of capturing the effect of the moon on the translucent clouds it filters through and how the moonlight reflects off the wet cobblestone roads.

The painting of Piccadily is reminiscent of Pisarro's Boulevard Montmartre and makes you want to see what London would look like if we removed the electric streetlights and replaced them with gas lamps. The risk of a crime spurt would prevent this idea from ever getting off the ground, so Grimshaw offers us an insight into a time gone by and the level of detail in the paintings ensure that we get as close to experiencing it as possible.

Later in his career, Grimshaw switched to a more minimalist impressionistic style but this feels like a waste of his talent as he couldn't bring his naturalistic style to bear and therefore the paintings are nowhere near as intriguing as his nocturnes.

Alongside this is an by the exhibit by contemporary artist Liza Dracup of a set of photographs inspired by Grimshaw's works. She has chosen to focus on Grimshaw's early days when he painted the Yorkshire woods. The standout series of photographs is of the same view of a particular section of the woods on two separate nights and covered in snow during winter, that has a Narnian feel to it.

The exhibition costs £5 to enter and considering that there are over 60 excellent paintings on display, this works out as very good value for money. The rest of the Guildhall gallery is also worth exploring (but I'll write a separate review on that shortly).