JMW Turner (1775-1851), The Great Fall of the Reichenbach, Switzerland, 1802

The Great Fall of the Reichenbach (NGI 2431) is one of the Turner watercolours exhibited every January. It was recently treated in the Gallery's paper conservation studio and the work carried out there has added to the wealth of information on the artist's materials and techniques. The paper was solidly adhered to an unsuitable acidic board support which obscured the verso. When the board was removed it was noted that the back of the watercolour had a neutral tone wash applied, similar to that on the recto. Close examination of Turner's working method here clearly shows how he scraped and sponged away the toned paper surface to reveal highlights in the clouds and falling water.

Sir Frederic William Burton
(1816-1900), The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864, (cover image, NGI 2010 Diary).

Now on sale is the National Gallery's 2010 Diary published in association with Gill and Macmillan, which is beautifully illustrated with some of the finest paintings from the Gallery's permanent collection. Price €19.95.
The Gallery's new Companion Guide provides visitors with an introduction to the collection. Price €9.95.
Also available is an extensive range of National Gallery Christmas cards.
Overprinting of cards with a personalised greeting can be arranged for larger orders: email bookshop@ngi.ie, telephone (01) 663 3518 or visit our new online shop, www.nationalgallery.ie.

Look out for our 'Christmas Discount Day' on 17 December.

Jack B. Yeats's Bachelor's Walk, in Memory is now on loan to the National Gallery of Ireland. The painting records the aftermath of an incident involving a detachment of the King's Own Scottish Borderers that took place in Dublin city centre on 26 July 1914. The soldiers were returning to barracks having intercepted a large party of Irish Volunteers transporting a supply of arms collected at Howth. Responding with panic to a hostile reception in Dublin from the large crowd, sections of which jeered and stoned them, the soldiers opened fire, killing four people and injuring over thirty. While Yeats did not witness the event, he visited the scene the following day, executing a sketch on the spot. The incident evidently played on his mind, as the following year he produced both this oil painting and a print on the subject.
On view, Yeats Museum. Admission free.

Winter Music Programme

Irish Baroque Orchestra
'Masterworks'
Tuesday 12 January, 7pm
Thursday 14 January, 6pm
Saturday 16 January, 3pm
Tuesday 19 January, 7pm
Thursday 21 January, 6pm
Sunday 24 January, 3pm

Monica Huggett, violin and director, will lead the 'Masterworks' series of six concerts in January, which
will present some of the best instrumental compositions by Vivaldi, Bach and Handel.
Tickets from €13.50 to €20
10% discount on bookings before 1 January
Telephone (01) 443 4522
Buy online: www.irishbaroqueorchestra.com
All listed concerts take place in the Shaw Room unless otherwise indicated.

Concert
Sunday 31 January, 3pm
Presented with the support of the French Embassy
David O'Doherty - Violin, Catherine Lemoni - Piano, Geraldine O'Doherty - Harp, Moya O'Grady - Cello
Programme includes music by Debussy, Ravel, Chopin, Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos
Tickets €10 & €7 concessions at the door.

RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet
Sunday, 7 February, 3.15pm
Programe:
Mozart String Quartet No. 16 in E flat major K. 428
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor
Beethoven String Quartet in F major, Op. 59 No. 1

Tickets €17 (concession €12)
Booking: 0818 205 205 Central Ticket Bureau and on the door from 2.30pm

The 2010 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is delighted to present, as part of their focus on Russian Cinema, ‘Russian Ark’ at the National Gallery. ‘Russian Ark’ condenses three centuries of Russian history into a single uninterrupted 87 minute take. Shot in one fluid take in St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum, the photography floats and careens through the lavish corridors of the museum, examining its architectural details while following a dreamlike plot. The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival takes place from February 18-28, for further details on the programme and events log on to www.jdiff.com.

A screening of the documentary The Private Life of an Easter Masterpiece: The Taking of Christ will be shown each Saturday at 1pm in the Audio Visual Room. Directed by Ian Michael Jones for Fulmar Television & Film Ltd., the documentary attracted one million viewers in the UK when it was broadcast on BBC2 last April.

Millennium Wing. Admission free.