Situated on our very own campus at Newcastle University, The Hatton Gallery is overlooked by many students. Some of you might even be surprised to find out that there is indeed art exhibitions so close to our “Uni-homes”, and if this is the first you have heard of the Hatton Gallery, I would definitely recommend you take a visit soon.

   Home to sculptures, pictures, drawings and even artistic wall designs, the Hatton Gallery is a great aspect of our University grounds and perfect to visit in between lectures. Even better, the gallery is completely free to visit.

"This acrylic on canvas painting is both peaceful and thoughtful and also reminds me of warm weather"

  Despite being a third-year student, this was in fact my first trip to the gallery, which I only now realise is hugely disappointing. Why is it that we travel to foreign countries to experience different cultures and visit all these other museums and galleries, and marvel at their beautiful exhibitions, but we fail to visit the one gallery we all pass by on a daily basis? Well, let me tell you a bit about the Hatton gallery – it may be small, but, like other small things in life, it’s not about size. I will whittle it down to my two favourite pieces of artwork: the first, a portrait of a romantic looking man, reading a large book with a pen in his right hand whilst wearing a deep pink shirt with a dark, navy blue robe gently hanging off his shoulders. If I had to take a guess, I would say that the painting is set in Venice, Italy, due to the style of the buildings illustrated behind him. It very clearly appears to be St. Mark’s Square. This acrylic on canvas painting is both peaceful and thoughtful, and also reminds me of warm weather (a good reason why I would hang this in my house).

"The moulded metal of his face is beautiful and intricately perfected to give this older man a strong gaze"

   My second favourite piece of artwork currently being displayed at the Hatton Gallery is the most marvellous sculpture of a man in a bronze, solid metal. His face is intimidating and the moulded metal of his face is beautiful and intricately perfected to give this older man a strong gaze. His metallic beard and moustache truly replicate the man who he once was, and I thought this particular work of art was inspiring. How close can we get to recreating a human being through the use of such different materials? Exchanging flesh and bones for metal, whilst recreating every single crease in his jacket gives this man a sense of authority and also expresses the artist’s unbelievable talent to produce such a masterpiece.