Research: Visit to the University Art Collection, University of Hull

Research: Visit to the University Art Collection, University of Hull
 
Overview

The University Art Collection at the University of Hull, is a relatively small, but focussed collection devoted to British Art between 1890 and 1940.

The collection includes works by some of the "big names" of this period.

It is well thought out and presented.

First Gallery, with Frank Dobson's Cornucopia, 1925-27, in the foreground

 

History

The collection was only inaugurated in 1963 and had limited resources. This meant that the university concentrated on the less fashionable schools of the time. Malcolm Easton, founder curator, wrote in 1965:

"We believe that the choice, in terms both artistic and educational, has spendidly justified itself.....The country cannot fail to be impressed by the quality of our acquisitions and the enlightened generosity of our patrons..."

(Leaflet, University Art Collection, Art in Britain 1890-1940, University of Hull)

The collection supports the studies of university students in the history of art, research and art appreciation, and that of the wider community as it is open to members of the public.

The Collection

The Collection is housed in a new gallery, which forms part of the Brynmor Jones Library. It is well laid out with good lighting. The University provides a helpful leaflet which sets out a floor plan as to the layout of the exhibits and key artists (see below).



Floor Plan

Except for loans and rotations, the exhibits are fairly static, but there is another gallery next door for temporary exhibitions.

The first impression if of a light and airy environment. The works follow a datal sequence, with some specialist areas, such as for portraiture and draughtsmanship. There is an area set aside for temporary displays and scattered throughout the galleries are sculptures by eminent artists of the period.

I have selected below some examples of the works on display from photographs I took on my visit. I have concentrated on landscapes and, in particular, my theme of how human activity relates to and interacts with the natural landscape.

 

Walter Richard Sickert, L'Eglise du Pollet, Dieppe, c. 1900

 

Sickert was perhaps the leading British Impressionist. He was a pupil of Whistler and influenced by Degas. In 1911 he co-founded the Camden Town Group.

 

 

Roger Fry, Farm Buildings, France, c. 1913

 

Fry was both a painter and an influential art critic. He was Director of the Metropolitan Museum, New York and editor of the Burlington magazine. He was deeply impressed by Cezanne and organised the two Post-Impressionist Exhibitions in London, becoming the leading champion of modern French art in Britain.

 

Stephen Bone, Swing Bridge, High Level Bridge and King Edward VII Railway Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, late 1920s

 

 

Clifford Hall, A Street in Malakoff, 1928

 

 

Charles Cundall, The Wear Bridge c. 1930

 

 

John Piper, Great Goxhill, Lincolnshire, 1947

 

This work is a good example of Piper's atmospheric style and art of the "New Romanticism" of the mid-1930s

 

 

Charles Ginner, Wear Cliffs, Dorset, 1922

 

 

Augustus Lunn, Lowestoft, 1938, watercolour

 

 

James Dickson Innes, Sunset in the Pyrenees, c. 1912-13

 

Colour

 

 

Lucien Pissarro, Blossom, Sun and Mist: Chipperfield, 1914

 

Lucien was the eldest son of the French Impressionist painter, Camille Pissarro. he studied under his father and was influenced by Seurat. Note the muted colour palette.

 

 

Samuel John Peploe, Interior with Japanese Fan, c. 1915

 

Peploe studied in Edinburgh and Paris. He was one of a group of Fauve-influenced Scottish artists now known as the "Scottish Colourists". The bright, contrasting colours are typical of this group of painters.

 

Curation

 

 

Above: Example of the curation of the collection: Sir Stanley Spencer's Villagers and Saints of 1933 on the rear wall and Henry Moore's Family Group, 1945 to the left.

 

I was fortunate in being able to meet  John Bernasconi, Director of the University Art Collection, who lectures in art history. He specialises in Italian Renaissance art and art in Britain, 1890-1940. He organises an annual programme of exhibitions and public lectures for the university. Bernasconi emphasised the importance of specific artists and movements of the period included in the university's collection. He explained the layout of the galleries and the thinking behind the scheme. The paintings are hung mainly in chronological order, but with areas covering particular schools or key themes. Big names such as Epstein, Bomberg, Vanessa Bell, and Augustus John feature, and each exhibit is accompanied by a short resume of the artist's background, career, influences and importance. To illustrate the importance of curation, he told me how he gave an important, highly original work by Sir Stanley Spencer prominence, by hanging it in the middle of the wall at the end of  the run of galleries to each side. The university is lucky to have such works  included in its collection.

 

Summary and conclusions

 

The visit was informative from the point of view of seeing further examples of high quality landscapes from prominent British artists. There were a number of industrial scenes. The period covered was limited and the styles reflected the era. This was not a disadvantage and it gave me much food for thought. Some of the industrial scenes were very impressive and displayed a reduced palette dominated by  greys which I was interested in. Pissarro's cool colours, mainly greens, also suited his subject matter. In contrast, the work by the Scottish Colourist, Peploe, demonstrated how to use bright, contrasting colours favoured by the Post-Impressionist Fauves, or "Wild Beasts". Overall, I gained a lot of knowledge about the period from my visit and some thought provoking ideas about  curation from John Bernasconi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research: Galleries and Exhibitions - North Linconlshire Print Open Exhibition

Research: Galleries and Exhibitions - North Lincolnshire Print Open Exhibition, 2019

 

Background

I am currently researching a cross section of Galleries and Exhibitions to guide me in progressing my professional practice as a visual artist.

I think that it is important that as well as looking at traditional art galleries and exhibitions I should also consider some local exhibitions and gallery space. It is more likely that these venues will be suitable outlets for my work.

The North Lincolnshire Print Open Exhibition, 2019

 

I recently entered some of my prints into the North Lincolnshire Print Open Exhibition at the Ropewalk, Barton upon Humber. Three of my prints were chosen by the selectors, Melvyn Pettersen and Rob Moore.

I have previously been to workshops organised by Melvyn Pettersen who is a well-known and highly regarded painter/printmaker.

I went to the opening of the exhibition and was interested to not only see my own prints, but all the other work on display. I think that I can learn a lot from the other artists whose prints feature in the exhibition.

I took a number of photographs to make a record of works which I think may be important to me from a conceptual or technical point of view. They act as a reminder of what I saw and as a prompt for further investigation.

In addition, my purpose was to research the curation of different types of exhibitions and how curators can approach their topic. This may vary from the way a gallery is set out, to the concept behind the approach. My purpose is to gain insight into how I may improve the curation of my own work, such as the Exhibition I gave in the HSAD building of my work at the end of Module 2 - Research and Development.

Art Space

My prints were on display in the Art Space, which is the larger of the two galleries. Two of my prints, which used the drypoint technique, had ropes and driftwood as their subject matter and were hung next to each other. The ropes were a particularly relevant topic as the venue of the Ropewalk building was historically used for making ropes and the place combines a small museum of its ropemaking heritage.

The  prints were included in a span of other monochrome works, which the curators had picked out as complementary. Some of the other prints alongside my own were lino cuts and screen prints. They were displayed in a minimalist style where they were shown to maximum effect in a single row on a plain white background. There was no over crowding or mixing of styles or colour, which was very effective.

My prints, Art Space, the Ropewalk

My prints alongside other monochrome works.

 

The other print which was selected was a view of Horkstow Bridge. This is a new work, and I had only just completed it prior to the date of submission for the exhibition. Again, it is monotone, but I used a different technique. I took a piece of aluminium and applied  a "soft ground" onto the plate into which I drew the composition. It was then etched in copper sulphate and then an aquatint was applied to give tonal areas.

 

 

 

My print of Horkstow Bridge  (Upper print)

 

 

My print as exhibited in context

 

This work was included in a run of prints of landscapes and other topics, some of which were in colour. Mine was placed above another landscape which complemented my theme. Some of the prints on this wall of the gallery were in bright colours, which gave variety. I was interested in the use of colour and in the techniques used in making them.

 

 Use of Colour

 

I have selected a range of photographs of exhibits from the Ropewalk's Art Space and Gallery One. I have included those which I think I can learn from. I include a brief summary of the technique used so that I can further my research into those methods by contacting relevant artists. Some of the photographs unfortunately include glare from the overhead lights.

 

Art Space

 

 

Lucy M. Hainsworth, Bridging the Kyle, Silk Screen (Winner)

 

 

Sally Beaumont, Japanese Piebald, Photo Litho, (Runner Up)

 

 

Katherine Rhodes, The Pinnacle at Froggatt Edge, Linocut (Runner Up)

 

 

Penny Kealey, Frieze at Burton Constable, Woodcut (rearranged)

 

 

Susan Wright, New Topology 2, Etching

 

 

Louise Mcniff, Moor, Early Spring, Screenprint/Monoprint

 

 

Lucy M. Hainsworth, Valentine's Fair, Silk Screen

 

 

Sally Beaumont, Basrah Horse and Cattle Show, Photo Litho with hand colouring

 

 

Stef Mitchell, Rhododendron looking over to Arran, Nature Monotype

 

 

Clarissa Dixon, Double Yellow, Concertina, Red Paving, Road Surface, Collagraph

 

Gallery One

 

 

Jemima Davis, Untitled 1, Etching, drypoint and chine colle

 

 

Sue Allison, Butterfly Wing, Reduction Linocut

 

 

Ian Mitchell. Northern Breakwater, Vector Drawn Digital Print

 

 

Katherine Holland, Egyptian Dance, Drypoint/Monotype

 

 

Lindy Norton, The Visitor I, Drypoint, Etching and Watercolour

 

 

Lindy Norton, The Visitor II, Drypoint, Etching and Watercolour

 

 

June Barker, Hedgerow I, Collagraph

 

 

Jan Stead, Water, Artist's Book

 

Summary

 

I have identified the following categories of ways to incorporate colour into my prints which

I can research further:

 

- Silkscreen (plain or multi-coloured backgrounds, or painted onto screen "monoprint" style)

- Layering techniques (e.g. coloured backgrounds for drypoint, or combining coloured collagraph with overprint of dry point)

- Single colours (e.g. blue)

- Applying printing ink A la poupee (by hand selecting areas to be individually coloured before rolling through the press)

- Hand colouring (watercolour, pastel etc. over different types of prints)

- Nature monotypes in colour, either as individual prints or as backgrounds for others

- Chine colle (use of coloured tissue paper placed on top of print and coated with glue before going through the press)

- Drypoint combined with monotype

- Artist's Books combined with any of the above

 

I also think that some of the prints are informative from a painting point of view and the option of using a restrained colour palette e.g. works by Ian Mitchell, such as Northern Breakwater (above).

 

Curation

 

The exhibition was informative in the way that it clearly showed effective hanging choices e.g. minimalist approach, monochromes, coloured and sympathetic subject matter placed together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

Research: Visit to York ArtGallery, Exhibition " Ruskin, Turner and the Storm Cloud"

Research: Visit to York Art Gallery

Exhibition: "Ruskin, Turner and the Storm Cloud: Watercolours and Drawings"

Background

Following my visit to Brantwood, home of John Ruskin, I was pleased to see upon my return that York Art Gallery had an Exhibition on the works of Ruskin and JMW Turner. I felt that a visit to the gallery would provide me with a good opportunity to explore in more depth the works and ideas of both men.

The Exhibition

The exhibition was held to celebrate Ruskin's 200th birthday and to consider the relationship Ruskin had with the landscapes of JMW Turner. New research reveals the extent of Ruskin's response to Turner's vision, and how both artists expressed their own experiences of close looking at weather patterns, mountains and the built environment.



The exhibition also looked at a different angle. Ruskin suffered throughout his life from long periods of deep depression which worsened as he got older. As a result, our relationship with the environment and questions about mental health were explored through the watercolours and drawings of two of these most admired and celebrated artists of the 19th century. The Art Gallery created an activity leaflet to accompany the exhibition which I thought was innovative. The leaflet considers the nature of looking and how it relates to mental health. There are relevant quotes from Ruskin, information about both artists, and real life activities to do in the outdoors upon leaving the gallery.

I attach a copy of the leaflet below.

The exhibition also included art by Ruskin and Turner's contemporaries such as Constable, John Inchbold and Hubert Herkomer.

However, I was particularly interested in another angle to the exhibition. Contemporary artist Emma Stibbon RA had been commissioned to create a response to the environmental concerns raised by Ruskin. In the summer of 2018 she retraced his steps, travelling to Chamonix to draw and photograph the glaciers around Mont Blanc. She reflects on the effects of climate change on the Alpine landscape so treasured by Ruskin and Turner through a set of works exhibited in a separate gallery. This part of the exhibition was a good example of how we can learn from previous artists, build on their themes and make them relevant in today's society.

The exhibition brought together works from York Art Gallery and partner Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, with loans from national and regional collections, including the Alan Cristea Gallery. The exhibition book, Ruskin, Turner and the Storm Cloud, which I bought, explores themes from the exhibition in a collection of new essays by artists, climate change scientists, art historians and
curators.

For these reasons the exhibition was very relevant to my area of practice, current ideas and research area. I also bought a book, To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters, by the curator of the exhibition, Suzanne Fagence Cooper, which I shall reflect on later, along with many of the other issues raised.

Works

The exhibition was curated to follow particular themes, which I summarise below;

- Ruskin and Turner (overview of their lives)
- Mountain Beauty
- Italy and Architecture
- Sounds
- War and Waste
- "The Sun is God" (Romanticism and Turner)
- Cloud Beauty
- Go to Nature (Nature Studies and Ruskin)
- The Lakes
- Ruskin's Bedroom (paintings by Turner)
- Nature and the power of Observation (Industrial Encroachment)
- "Heartily and Headily Mad" (Ruskin'd relationship with Rose la Touche)
- Climate Change and Erosion (Works by Emma Stibbon RA)

Examples

John Ruskin, View from my Window, Mornex, 1862, watercolour and bodycolour

John Ruskin, study of Rocks and Ferns, Crossmount Perthshire, 1847, pen, ink and watercolour

John Ruskin, Chamouni, Rocks and Vegetation, 1854, watercolour and bodycolour

JMW Turner, The Dormitory and Transept of Fountain's Abbey, Evening, 1798

JMW Turner, Constance, 1842, watercolour

JMW Turner, The Source of the Arveyron, 1802, watercolour

Works by Emma Stibbon

https://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/exhibition/ruskin-turner-and-the-storm-cloud-watercolours-and-drawings/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLWeJAmBZIs

https://www.alancristea.com/artists/33-emma-stibbon/

Research: Visit to Brantwood, Coniston, Cumbria - Home of John Ruskin

John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)

John Ruskin's home in the Lake District sits high above Coniston Water, and early in June I made a visit there to see his home. I was not only able to examine and admire Ruskin's own works, but also a new exhibition, "Incandescence: Turner in Venice" from the Clore Gallery, Tate Britain.

 

Brantwood, overlooking Coniston Water, Cumbria

Brantwood sits in a wonderful spot and it is easy to see why Ruskin chose this place to be his last home from which to draw, paint and write. He adapted and extended his home to accommodate his own paintings, drawings and books, and to display his large collection of paintings by Turner. In the age of "Romanticism", Ruskin designed the rooms to maximise the views over Coniston and the surrounding mountains.

Ruskin was an important artist, art critic and writer. He was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, an art patron and a prominent, influential social thinker and philanthropist. His ideas were at the forefront of ideas about environmental issues, sustainability and arts and crafts. The first volume of his book Modern Painters (1843) brought him to prominence and he was a lifetime admirer and supporter of J.M.W. Turner.

Brantwood, and the works of John Ruskin

In his lifetime Ruskin argued that the principle role of the artist is "truth to nature" and this theme is evident in the works on display. His work is varied and includes detailed studies of rocks, plants, birds, landscapes, and architecture. The exhibits include some of the original drawings and paintings which he used in his lectures to art students. In 1869 Ruskin became the first Slade Professor of fine Art at the University of Oxford where he established the Ruskin School of Drawing.

Ruskin J.

Lecture diagram: orange and Purple Leafspray (Buttercup (Ranunculus)
Pencil, chalk, watercolour, bodycolour on paper, laid on canvas

Ruskin's studies are inspirational for their detail and accuracy. His aim was to show the "relationship between form and underlying anatomy, physiology, growth and nature" (from Modern Painters by Ruskin). He believed that  one learns through drawing, and said, “nor can the character of any tree be known until…not only its branches but its minutest extremities have been drawn.” I think that I can learn much from his philosophy.

Fringed gentian Gentianella ciliate

 

Ruskin's Bedroom, Brantwood

 

Ruskin surrounded himself with works by Turner, and Ruskin's bedroom walls were covered with a selection of Turner's landscapes.

 

It is fitting therefore that Brantwood should host a public exhibition devoted to Turner.

Exhibition -  Incandescence: Turner in Venice

The exhibition concentrated on a suite of watercolours from Turner's visit to Venice in 1840, the year in which Ruskin and Turner first met. Turner investigated many elements of his artistic expression through the exploration of light. The paintings on display portray the passage of light  from dawn to dusk through a variety of views across Venice - an artist's paradise.

Writing about Turner, Ruskin said,

" At Venice he found freedom of space, brilliancy of light, variety of colour, massive simplicity of general form; and to Venice we owe many of the motives in which his highest powers of colour have been displayed."

 

 

JMW Turner, Venice at sunrise from the Hotel Europa, Venice

 

 

JMW Turner, Shipping off the Riva degli Schiavoni

 

JMW Turner, Venice: the Piazetta with the Ceremony of the Doge Marrying the Sea

 

 

Looking at the works I was impressed by Turner's fluid brushwork, his economy of form, and the use of light, both brilliant and subtle.

 

Summary and Learning Points

 

I found Ruskin's studies, landscapes, attention to detail and pursuance of the "truth of nature" inspiring. The visit was useful from a practical point of view, as it emphasised for me the importance of getting to know one's subject thoroughly by keen observation, drawing and studies.

 

The Turner Exhibition was significant in that I was able to consider and see first hand how to achieve different effects of changing light and moods through Turner's exceptional use of colour, space and form.

 

The visit was also significant in that it flagged up the way that Ruskin and Turner inspired each other, and how it is possible to learn from and be inspired by other artists.

 

As a result I was encouraged to find out more about both men.

 

 http://www.brantwood.org.uk/ruskin/