A Stroll around the Walker I: 

Medieval and Renaissance 

I'm still in the process of moving to Liverpool, and what better way of getting to know it than to talk about it? Among other great museums, the city is home to the Walker Art Gallery, one of Britain's greatest collections. Last year, after a three-year refurbishment, they re-opened the rooms dedicated to art from the medieval to the baroque in a display entitled 'Renaissance Rediscovered'. What better way to celebrate this vital and vibrant re-hang than by taking a stroll around the rooms, looking at the art, and how it is displayed? 

In what I hope will be the first of an occasional series, I will start by exploring the medieval and renaissance paintings and sculptures, drawing a somewhat random boundary at the year 1500. Included are masterpieces from Siena, Florence and Ferrara by some of the greats, including Simone Martini and Ercole de'Roberti. There is also a rich selection of paintings from North of the Alps, which contribute to a section dedicated to the Northern Renaissance. 

The works we will consider are exhibited across three rooms now known as Rooms 1 & 2 ('Room 1' is actually made up of two distinct spaces...), and as well as looking at each work in detail, we will also think about the reasoning behind the current hang, the justification (if any) for the title of the project, and what it says about the collection as a whole.