The Yale campus was very easy to get to. You can take I95S and get off the 1st downtown exit, or go down State St. and make a right onto Chapel. The museum itself is located on 1080 Chapel Street. There is plenty of parking on Chapel if you visit the museum on a Tuesday. A good side street to park on is High Street near the Starbucks. 
I actual got the same space as yesterday. Too funny.....FYI, you will need change for the meters!!! The British Art Gallery is free admission to the public so other than the things you buy, I didn't really need tons of money to enjoy the day. This trip only cost me $10.00 and I had a lot of fun!
For directions and museum hours you may follow this link: http://ycba.yale.edu/information/index.html
There is also plenty of boutiques and specialty shops in this area of New Haven. Not to mention more than a few places to stop for lunch. I recommend the South West Turkey Club at Atticus. It is conveniently located next door to the museum, so you don't have to go far. Atticus has good food and snacks reasonably priced. You actually get a lot of food! There are books available if you like to read; I recommend going to Atticus if you have never been there before.
As I entered the museum, I was greeted by friendly faces. It was nice to see people excited and willing to discuss the history of the building and the art within it. After I was given some helpful tips, like no food or drinks are allowed inside and "no flash" when taking pictures, I decided to pick up information on the gallery itself before making my way around to see the exhibits.
The Yale British Art Museum was founded by Paul Mellon in 1966, a Yale graduate, class of 1929. Purchasing his first British painting in 1936 by J.M.W. Turner, Mellon soon acquired a massive collection containing paintings from well know artist along with under appreciated artists such as Joseph Wright of Derby. Mr. Mellon donated the funds to build the gallery along with his collection of art work within it. http://ycba.yale.edu/information/info_paul-mellon.html
The British Art Museum was completed in the early 70's and was designed by Architect and Yale professor Louis I. Kahn. Kahn who has won awards from the American Institute of Architects, designed the exterior of the building to compliment it's surrounding. The building is made from matte steel and reflective glass. The geometrical shape of the interior was designs to allow natural light to flow through for better viewing of the paintings.
The interior also has an earthy feel, made from a blend of marble, wood and steel. Sunlight from skylights on the fourth floor pass through the center of the building allowing the sun to illuminate the stairways. It is recommended that you begin your tour on the fourth floor and work your way down. There are elevators if needed but if you can walk to each floor you will gain a better appreciate for the buildings design.
You Immediately see your first piece of art upon entering the museum. A sculpture made of blue limestone, which was also a gift, by Virginia Vogel Mattern in memory of her husband, W. Gray Mattern a Yale graduate class of 1946. The artist, Barbara Hepworth, resided in Cornwall and is famous for sculptures crafted from wood, stone and later metals such as copper. To learn about this artist you may follow the link below for a complete Biography. http://www.modernbritishartists.co.uk/hepworth_biog.htm
Our focus for this visit was to view British art from the 17Th century and later but the museum has paintings dated as old as 1509. The oldest painting of Henry the 8Th., (painting above) is located on the fourth floor along with the Deluge by John Martin (painting below) .
The Deluge by John Martin 1834. Oil on canvas, located on the fourth floor of the museum, immediately caught my eye. It is one of the larger paintings in the gallery. While admiring the detail of the painting, I met a gentleman named Randy. Randy is a curator at the museum and was extremely informative. We spent some time walking around the gallery discussing each painting.
There were cozy coaches through out for me to sit and relax and enjoy the art. It was also a great opportunity to gather my thoughts and take some notes.
Pandaemoneum, 1841 (This painting is not in the Yale Art Museum)There are so many interesting and amazing works of art in this gallery, but after talking to Randy, I became interested in learning more about John Martin’s paintings. I would say that his ability to create art through painting in phenomenal and was under appreciated during his time. Mr. Martin was born in 1789 and lived until 1854. He is an English painter who studied under Bonifacio Musso, an Italian artist. He began painting water color and painting on china and glass. Martins earlier oil paintings on canvas where of detailed landscape and imaginative architecture. He was considered very unique for his time; some say his designs have a science fictional element, as well as a romantic one.
Martin was best known for his engraving but had a great interest in architecture and design. He painted many landscapes of London and the Themes River with a vision of their future. One of these visions was the improvement of London’s sewage and railway systems. His imaginative designs in 1834 were later revisited in a proposal 25 years later.
Martin became recognized as a painter when his painting of Belshazzars Feast was hung in the Bronte home in Hawarth. The Bronte sisters were writers in the 1800’s who later copied Martin's work. It seems the focus is on Martins later pieces of biblical scenes. The last four years he was alive he became obsessed with biblical depictions, painting elaborate over sized landscapes, particularly of the Old Testament.
It was the continuing productions of themed styled biblical paintings that lead to his unpopularity. Influential art by this time were of landscapes, particular of London along with paintings considered conversational pieces. People simply grew disinterested in his work.
Visiting the museum has given me a new appreciate for art work and has motivated me to return for future visits. The Yale Art Gallery across the street is also open to the public and displays paintings from Picasso and Monet.
