EXHIBITION 22 November 2014 to 12 April 2015
(Photo by RAMM)
On 20th December I saw RAMM's fantastic "Art & Soul: Victorian and Gothic" exhibition. I can't stress enough how interesting this exhibition was. It combined historical facts and the arts with the local examples of the genre. It was fascinating to read about the pre-raphaelites connection with the Mediaevalists and how the philosophy led to the formation of the Arts and Craft movement.
The range of work in the exhibition was also very dynamic and engaging, it gave me a very full view of the victorian gothic movement as it referenced furniture, architecture, art, manuscripts and philosophies. I enjoyed seeing William Morris' drafts and patterns. I also took great interest in the architectural drawings of RAMM and Barnstaple's St Annes Chapel.
(Photo by RAMM)
The beautiful colours of the stained glass window and how the artist incorporated biblical iconography and the arts and crafts' own natural botanical patterns gave the traditional church window a fresh and dynamic look.
The churches in North Devon are incredibly beautiful, I am surrounded by an abundance of original stained glass windows and gothic architecture. Visiting this exhibition made me have renewed interest in perusing an idea I have had for a while; documenting Devon's churches and writing about their architecture and windows. This is something I hope to start doing in 2015.
(Photo by RAMM)
My favourite piece in the exhibition came as a bit of a surprise to me; none other than William Morris & Edward Burne Jones' "Quest for the Holy Grail Tapestries - Panel 1 - Knights of the Round Table Summoned". Although popular with other people, all contact I have had with tapestries had been fairly neutral up until this point, however on this occasion I found the colours and detail quite overwhelming along with the almost biblical composition; I was quite captivated.
