June 23, 2026

Friday, June 19th: Art and Architecture at the National Gallery of Art

On our final day of class in week one, because rain was predicted in the afternoon, we flipped our Friday plan of visiting Joyce Tower in Sandycove with our Monday plan of visiting the National Gallery of Art. We took the 39A bus from UCD to the National Gallery stop right behind Trinity College and while it rained outside, we took in the exhibits on the three main floors of the Gallery, starting from the top.

- Meg Baronian, Program Director

Sophia Crane

The National Gallery of Ireland is full of art from a massive range of dates. Some are from as early as the 1500s, whereas others are from as recent as this year. The styles also vary wildly, from massive paintings that fill entire walls and tower above you, to small individual photographs. There is watercolor, oil-on-canvas, oil-on-panel (ornate tri-fold panels with 3-part paintings inside), and even some statues, busts, and sculptures. Hundreds of works fill the walls across dozens of rooms, laid out almost like a maze from room-to-room.

3 portraits in ornate guilded frames, the first of an 18th century woman, the second of a man and his horse and the third of an 18th century man, sitting at a desk in front of an open book — Paintings in the National Gallery. (Photo by Tom Jensen)

Some areas have rooms lined up such that the doorways form one absurdly long hallway, ending in a massive portrait marking the end of the “tunnel” and perfectly framing the piece even from so far away. The art comes from many different artists, including some more famous ones like Caravaggio, and Jack B. Yeats, brother of the also famous W.B. Yeats.

Sparrow Rosenbaum

The architecture of Ireland’s National Gallery intrigued me. The first two floors were themselves modern exhibits of clean-cut corners and white paint, as the interior of the building specialized in jagged edges and rectangular shapes. It seemed to want to give the paintings moments to shine on their own, while still maintaining their own character.

View from the stairs looking down on the entrance to the National Gallery from the interior. — National Gallery entrance. (Photo by Tom Jensen)

However, the third floor was different, and my personal favorite. Deep crimson and cerulean walls sat in the backdrop, giving the rooms a rich feel that made me feel like I was in a medieval palace. It fit the Renaissance era paintings quite well, befitting nothing less than Ireland’s National Gallery.

A view of the 18th Century Portraiture Exhibit at the National Gallery 3rd Floor, lit from above by windows — National Gallery 18th century portraiture. (Photo by Tom Jensen)

Three Architectural Details: photographs by William Shetley

detail of a vaulted arch in the National Gallery — This arch in the National Gallery consists of 12 decorative squares with decorative shapes cut inside. The arch has classic Renaissance style architecture.

Roof window framed by rectangular decorative shapes with a circle cut into the center of each. — *Ceiling windows in the National Gallery.*

a window with a diagonal slope covering most of the glass. A rectangular shape can also be seen on the right side of the cut-in window. — Window at the National Gallery.

Most of us ended the visit to the National Gallery at the café on the first floor and got coffee, tea, and pastries, or we visited the gift shop, or we did both. From there, some stayed in town, and others travelled back to UCD. The collection at the National Gallery is impressive and so is the architecture. It was a great way to end the first week.

- Meg Baronian, Program Director