I came to this exhibition with a history and an open mind. I admit that in my early 20's I saw these young artists as romantic idealists - representing life and love in the intensity of pure pleasure, indulgence and at times total despair. I oscillated between experiencing life as the Lady of Shallott and Ophelia.
So, this time as we drove down to the
Tate Britain in autumnal sunshine, I was ready to see these artists in a new light. Thankfully, the curator was in tune with my advancing maturity. They had taken a developmental and educational approach across the 7 main rooms. We began to recreate the origins and
history of the group. So many pieces were descriptive of mediaeval life, as described by Shakespeare and other historians. Then we were taken to the painstaking recreation of nature in all of its beauty and detail.
Throughout this exhibition, every painting could be examined at a distance for a total effect, and at close quarters for detailed investigation. Later in the exhibition, the themes were salvation, seen from a very Christian perspective in a sensually indulgent world, beauty and paradise, which were interpreted fairly literally. I really enjoyed the final room titled mythologies and populated by large paintings by Rosetti and Burne-Jones. From here, it was a natural progression to the symbolism of turn of the century art nouveau and the Vienna Seccession. It is great to see this art in its historical context and to continue to enjoy the romantic idealism for exactly what it is...
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