Pause with a painting
Mindfulness sessions
Immerse yourself in one painting in these free morning mindfulness sessions in the Gallery
Meindert Hobbema's 'The Avenue at Middelharnis'
Picture of the month January 2024
Start the year with a mindful look at this Dutch landscape, guided by Lucia van der Drift
Authors
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Find out more about 'The Avenue at Middelharnis' by 17th-century Dutch painter Meindert Hobbema.
Digital activity at the National Gallery is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator
Lucia van der Drift is an experienced teacher and writer in mindfulness, meditation and Buddhism, with an interest in aesthetic appreciation. Lucia is a founding member of Limina Collective, which has been playing a key role in shaping the emerging field of mindful art engagement since its foundation in 2018.
More in the series
Fra Filippo Lippi's 'The Annunciation'
Picture of the month December 2023
Curatorial Fellow Nicholas Flory takes a look at the details in Lippi's painting of the Archangel Gabriel with Mary – the painting voted your picture of the month
Bermejo's 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil'
Picture of the month November 2023
Curator Daniel Sobrino Ralston tells us why Bermejo's late Gothic-demon was the stuff of nightmares in its day
Rubens's 'Roman Triumph'
Picture of the month October 2023
Student and Articulation alumna Catherine Ahura gives her personal response to Rubens’s 'Roman Triumph'
Ferdinand Hodler's 'Kien Valley with the Bluemlisalp Massif'
Picture of the month September 2023
Curator Christopher Riopelle takes a closer look at Hodler's vibrant Swiss landscape – the painting voted your picture of the month
Paula Rego's 'Crivelli's Garden'
Picture of the month August 2023
Former National Gallery Educator Ailsa Bhattacharya, and Lecturer Lizzie Perrotte tell us what it was like sitting for Paula Rego's mural 'Crivelli's Garden'
Jazz musician Arun Ghosh on Zurbarán's Saint Francis
Picture of the month July 2023
Award-winning clarinettist and composer Arun Ghosh reveals how he's taken peace and inspiration from Saint Francis, with curator Joost Joustra
'For Philip II, King of Spain': A new poem by Maz Hedgehog
Picture of the month June 2023
Maz Hedgehog performs a new poem responding to Titian's 'Diana and Callisto', and discusses the complex relationship between artists and their patrons, with Fiona Alderton
A mindful look at the Ugly Duchess
Picture of the month May 2023
Take a slow look at the 'Ugly Duchess', with kindness and curiosity, guided by mindfulness practitioner Lucia van der Drift
Pissarro's 'Boulevard Montmartre at Night'
Picture of the month April 2023
As chosen by you, Belle Smith explores Pissarro's one-of-a-kind luminous night scene
Bridget Riley's 'Messengers'
Picture of the month March 2023
For Women's History Month, Fiona Alderton looks at a surprising painting by one of our most celebrated female artists
Guardi's 'Venice'
Picture of the month February 2023
Cultural historian and Italian teacher Rachel Haworth pictures life in Guardi’s Venetian scene
Lucian Freud and Corot's 'Italian Woman'
Picture of the month January 2023
Art historian Isaac Nugent explores Lucian Freud’s connection to Corot’s ‘Italian Woman’