Reflections takes its cue from the mighty river Severn which runs through Worcester, already referenced on the way into the exhibition by William Calder Marshall's magnificently absurd 1880 sculpture Sabrina Being Thrown into the River Severn. This is a show loosely dedicated to the theme of water, curated by artists Jonathan Wright and Wayne Warren and bringing together works from Worcester's own collection, other public galleries and private collections. You can't fault the commitment of a venue which refuses to be constrained by its tiny two room exhibition space and this is a thrillingly eclectic collection of works ranging from nineteenth century academic populism to contemporary installations, and featuring photography and ceramics as well as painting. Yes, you can argue that cramming such a range of examples into so small a space creates a disjointed bittiness, but that is unkind given the depth of the ambition. What the exhibition does prove beyond doubt is that thematic shows, which are rarely favoured by the big national collections, have an intrinsic interest and across-the-board appeal. There is aesthetically something for everyone and every visitor will have their own appreciation of the theme, whether that is nostalgic fishing, news-worthy floods, environmental concerns of symbolic cleanliness.
The exhibition starts with a misleading and slightly humorous teaser: William Etty is at the kitsch end of Victorian art and his two boating cherubs here are saccharinely cutesy. Enter the gallery space and the show proper dives into nineteenth century naturalism as seen through the academic eyes of Benjamin Williams Leader, local lad and wildly popular in his day, and proto-Impressionists like Jean Baptiste Camille Corot and Charles-François Daubigny. Worcester have secured a number of National Gallery loans for this exhibitions, alongside an early Monet from Glynn Vivian in Swansea. The wall of watery landscapes tells a great story of the development of landscape from the 1850s, although one perhaps misses a full blown Impressionist example.
The opposite wall takes the story into the twentieth century with a collection of British works, starting with the gallery's very own blockbuster: Alexander Stanhope Forbes' Chadding on Mount's Bay is consistently their most popular painting and it is easy to see why with its combination of narrative complexity and breezily sunny nostalgia. From there you have a who's who of post-War British art: Patrick Heron, David Hockney, Wilhelmina Barnes Graham. Apart from introductory wall texts, the labelling is minimal and the theme is getting swamped by the art. This is not a criticism: Derek Jarman's luscious blue print could be summer sky as much as ocean but either way you want to drown in it. There is a terrible poignancy to Hockney's swimming pool, teaming with ripples which look like newly hatched tadpoles joyfully setting out on the start of their life.
The second smaller room is a smorgasbord of objects and images, chosen by the artist-curators and including their own work. There is a panel of flood photographs; a glowing neon light installation; textual art; ceramics and I could easily have enjoyed a soundscape as well. The effect is thought-provoking rather than artistically coherent but acts as a palette-cleanser between the two more conventional displays. It provides the subtext to the exhibition title - this is not just about reflections on water but an invitation to make time for your own reflections, wherever they may take you. Once again, Worcester Art Gallery has punched above its weight and provided a small gem of a show.
No comments:
Post a Comment