Pre-Raphaelistes on display

The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a vast building which is, I'm told, usually filled with wonderful treasures and takes hours to tour.

Sadly, it is mostly closed for renovations but the Gas Hall of the museum is open for a special exhibit called, "Victoriam Radicals - from the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement"

The museum's website describes it thusly:

"Selected from the city of Birmingham's outstanding collection, Victorian Radicals presents vibrant paintings and exquisite drawings alongside jewellery, glass, textiles and metalwork to explore their radical vision for art and society."

I needed to educate myself on the term "Pre-Raphaelite" before I attended. What I discovered, basically, is that the Pre-Raphaelites were a group of British, painters, poets and art critics who rejected the style of artists who came after Raphael and Michelangelo. They particularly despised Joshua Reynolds, who they referred to as "Sloshua Reynolds." They sought a return to the abundant detail, intense colors and complex composition of 15th century Italian art.

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a reaction against a perceived decline in standards that the reformers associated with machinery and factory production. This is a bit ironic because factory production was a chief driver of the Birmingham economy and a great deal of beautiful work in metalwork, particularly jewelry, came out of Birmingham.

Anyway, the exhibit features vibrant paintings, exquisite drawings, plus jewelry, glass, textiles and metalwork from three generations of British artists, designers and makers.

Here are some highlights.

Portrait of Dante Gabriel Rossetti by William Holman Hunt, 1882-83:

Bacchus by Simeon Solomon, 1867:

A Young Woman Holding a Rose by Emma Sandys, 1870-73:

Pygmalion and the Image 1: The Heart's Desires, 1875-78:

The Finding of the Savior in the Temple by William Holman Hunt, 1854-60:

Stained glass panel: Winter by William Morris, 1865:

Chest: The Garden of Hesperides, 1887-88

Edward Burne-Jones, designer

Charles Lumley, cabinetmaker

Osmund Weeks, gesso molder & gilder

The Christabel Necklace by George James Frampton, designer and silversmith, 1893:

Also on display were works by artists of the Arts and Crafts movement and artists influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites.

First of England by Donald Rodney, 1983:

The Keepsake by Kate Elizabeth Bunce, 1901:

Enamel panel: The Victor by Fanny Bunn, 1904:

Beauty and the Beast by John Dickson Batten, 1904:

I loved the beast's face. I would have been smitten if I'd met someone who looked like this.

There were also original textiles by William Morris, but since they were displayed behind glass it was difficult to get a decent photo.

Strawberry Thief by William Morris , Morris & Co., 1888

Bruce wandered off to find a pub. I showed great restraint bypassing the gift shop and wandered around the Snow Hill section of the city. Lovely old buildings stand cheek by jowl with modern ones and the cranes bringing even more modern ones.

The Great Western Arcade, built in 1876:

It's an interesting city, if not a pretty one. Derrick at the Museum Collection said that the Birmingham City Council always has wonderful plans for its development and they start a lot of things, but nothing ever gets finished. Guess we'll see what happens when the high speed rail comes.