C C Land: The Wonder of Art at the National Gallery
As part of its bicentenary celebrations, the National Gallery presents C C Land: The Wonder of Art – an ambitious rehang of its collection across both buildings. The display begins in the newly reopened Sainsbury Wing, now established as the building’s main entrance following a thoughtful remodelling by Selldorf Architects. It hosts the first major redisplay of the collection in over 30 years. With its generous spaces, lack of columns and abundant natural light, the space offers a fitting backdrop for an exhibition that follows a linear, narrative journey through Medieval and early Renaissance art.
The suggested route begins in Room 51, where early devotional works reveal a time when image and belief were inextricably linked. These artistic ambitions evolve and deepen by Room 64, where grand 15th-century Florentine altarpieces reflect a shift not only in devotional expression but also in the growing influence of wealth and patronage.
One of the best-orchestrated moments occurs in Room 55, where light and layout are brought together with remarkable precision. A single window casts natural sunlight onto Trinity with Christ Crucified (c1410), a German altarpiece adorned with tooled and painted gold and silver leaf, which shimmers softly in the light. Its placement is intentional, enhancing the material’s impact and evoking the medieval practice of using sunlight in churches to suggest divine presence.
To the left of the window, in the room’s dimmest corner, hangs Hans Baldung Grien’s The Trinity and Mystic Pietà (1512). Dark in both palette and tone, the painting centres on the sallow, lifeless body of Christ, cradled by God the Father and flanked by a grieving Virgin and St John beneath a brooding grey sky. In contrast, the earlier Trinity with Christ Crucified renders Christ in warmer tones with fewer shadows, further illuminated by the natural light. While the difference in their depiction reflects broader shifts in the mood of religious art across the century between them, the contrast is heightened by the way each painting is positioned in the corner.
Throughout, the redisplay is measured and sensitive, drawing on the Wing’s history and architecture without being bound by it. Interpretive materials – from printed maps to digital guides – offer clarity and depth without overtaking the traditional experience. The result is an introspective renewal that not only revisits history but also invites reflection.
Christina Yang
Photos: Courtesy of the National Gallery
C C Land: The Wonder of Art is at the National Gallery from 10th May 2025. For further information or to book, visit the exhibition’s website here.
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