Reflection - January

This month, I visited two exhibitions – of which were both more interesting to me, aswell as being relevant to my studies. My visits successfully encouraged me to generate my independent idea resource. For example, Wendy Ramshaw’s abstract designs of jewellery inspired me to recognise similar trends on the high street. The industrial, mechanical look inspired concepts for my Brand project, including an abstract-type logo.

Enchanted Dreams – The Pre-Raphaelite Art of E.R. Hughes

The ‘Enchanted Dreams’ exhibition was part of Birmingham Art Gallery’s Edwardian Christmas season. The collection invites viewers to step into a ‘spellbinding dream’. ‘Enchanted Dreams’ is the largest display of work by Edward Robert Hudges (1851-1914), a fascinating but lesser-known Pre-Raphaelite artist.

‘Things of Lasting Value’ introduced the collection: a display of drawings, often including portraits. In the second half of the 19^th century, drawings became increasingly valued alongside paintings and sculpture. Symbolism emerged as a prominent subject – with artists such as Fernard Khnopff and Lucien Levy-Dhurmer embracing chalk and pastel as the perfect media for their visionary subjects.

A chalk piece by Hughes titled ‘Study for a picture’ (1983) highlights Hughes faultless draughtsmanship. The portrait features ‘Brother Fra Lippo Lippi’ -  a handsome 15^th century Italian Artist. At first glance, the piece balances beauty with truth - portraying Lippi as a romantic figure, toying with the petals of a rose. However, the story behind the piece reveals Lippi to be a roguish figure who led a colourful and scandalous life which included eloping with a Nun and fathering a child with her. Beyond the illusion, a scandalous twist is revealed – which highlights the creative imagination which defines Hughes as an artist.

Above: ‘Brother Fra Lippo Lippi'. 1. (Pintrest, n.d.) 2. Up-close (Own Photography, 8/1/16).

Traditional art is not usually my forte, however the centrepiece of the exhibition caught my attention: ‘blue pictures’ – fantastical and evocative works overflowing with stories and symbols. The style is often reproduced within paintings, however I wanted to inspect the original source and their watercolour detail up-close.

‘Night with Her Train of Stars’ was the first piece in this collection to catch my attention (1912). In this watercolour and bodycolour, Hughes depicts Night as a protective figure cradling a child in her arms. She scatters poppies, symbolising sleep and oblivion. The ‘stars’ are winged babies, eagerly following her carrying glowing lights. I wondered if the figure could be portrayed as an allegory of death as well as sleep, since the piece takes its title from a poem in which the poet watches night fall over the city and wishes for the same peace and serenity at the end of his life (William Ernest Henley, 1849 – 1902). Up close, the soft glows of light are painted flawlessly – depicting depth as the winged babies fade into the vast sky.

  

Above: ‘Night with Her Train of Stars’. 1, (Wikipedia, 2015). 2. Up-close (Own Photography, 8/1/16)

The atmosphere of the gallery was peaceful, quiet and lit in atmospheric soft light – which heightened the colours of the soft paintings. The second piece in the collection visualizes Dawn as a floating, fair-haired nude, accompanied by doves and songbirds (Wings of the Morning, 1905).  The choice of pastel colours are melodious, while the dark hues of darkness illuminate the freshness and innocence of the figure.

Above: 'Wings of the Evening'. 1. (Pintrest, n.d.) 2. Up-close (Own Photography, 8/1/16).

The last painting within the collection was ‘Midsummer Eve’ (1908), another watercolour and bodycolour on paper. A woman stands in a fairy ring, peering at tiny winged figures. The scene is lit by only the twilight and the glow of the fairies themselves. In myth and folklore, ‘fairy rings’ are thought to bring danger or even death – however Hughes presents it as a place of enchantment and magic. This was an image I had seen in my subconscious, perhaps on a calendar, or a notebook on the shelf of a Celtic-themed shop. However this painting wasn’t flat and reproduced – it was very much alive with texture, which allowed me to admire its pain-staking details up-close.

Above: 'Midsummer Eve'. 1. (Allposters, 2016). Up-close (Own Photography, 8/1/16).

The ‘Enchanted Dreams’ exhibition opened my mind to art of the Pre-Raphaelites and widely celebrated artist E.R. Hughes. I was bewildered that a person could create art that appeared so real in detail yet draped in this fantastical ‘melting softness’ as if dreams had been scooped from a deep sleep and captured on canvases. It was interesting to see spiritual and supernatural themes displayed as organic artwork, in comparison to CGI within films which we take for granted today.

Image References:

1. ‘Brother Fra Lippo Lippi’ Painting (Image 1):

 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4b/b8/0f/4bb80f8ca6d00bc1274c06dc4d494e1d.jpg

2. 'Night with Her Train of Stars' (Image 1):

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Edward_Robert_Hughes_-_Night_with_her_Train_of_Stars_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

3. 'Wings of the Morning' (Image 1):

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/bc/12/8e/bc128e52e4dea304a9365bb8581c3c76.jpg

4. 'Midsummer Eve' (Image 1):

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/27/2744/5EBTD00Z/posters/edward-robert-hughes-midsummer-eve-c-1908.jpg

Wendy Ramshaw Jewellery Exhibition – ‘Room of Dreams’

To cheer my post-Christmas blues, I went along to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to check out Wendy Ramshaw’s beauty exhibition titled ‘Room of Dreams’. Wendy Ramshaw is an internationally acclaimed, UK-based jewellery designer - born in 1939 in the North East of England. Inspired by memories of a childhood by the sea, fairy tales and a love of culture and literature, Ramshaw has continued to push creative and making boundaries through collaboration with artists and the sciences. 

Within this exclusive exhibit, viewers were invited to consider the beauty, form and eventually the meaning of the unlabeled jewellery collection. The concept relies on dreams, stories and desires for its inspiration – also allowing viewers to interpret her works with their own. Personally, I could not associate the collection with any of my own experiences, however I admired this interesting concept which I found to be somewhat comforting.  The meticulousness of the pieces paired together with themed displays reflects the artist’s fluidity between jewellery with sculpture and installation – which pushes the boundaries of modern jewellery design into something much more profound. Signature ring-sets on sculptural stands were each beautifully complex. As a collection - the theme embodied a mechanical aesthetic that reminded me of a futuristic metropolis.

Above: Sculptural necklaces

Above: Unique bracelet and earring designs matching their presentation stands.

 

  

Above: Intricate ring designs

I found that Ramshaw’s passion to design and create spilled over into jewellery designs on the high-street, with commercialized versions of her ‘futuristic-yet-precious’ designs of jewellery. At fashion-forward retailers including Topshop, I noticed an emerging trend for accessories which are precious and unique– including gem-stones, intricate details and personal engravings such as necklaces with initials.

Above: Freedom at Topshop necklace