The Manchester Art Gallery

On my first visit to the City of Manchester, I was eager to browse through the Art Gallery.

commentary

Which is more fascinating here, the artist or the sitter? The 1793 portrait of Ellis Cornelia Knight was painted in Rome by Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807). Kauffman's works are seen in many English stately  homes and museums. Though Swiss- born, she worked mainly in England and Italy.
   An amateur artist and author of several novels, Knight was a friend of Admiral Nelson and the Hamiltons in Naples and later in England became a companion to Queen Charlotte and later to Charlotte, Princess of Wales.

I am always on the look-out for the works of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). His painting style evolved over the years of his life from very realistic views, such as this one of the Thames countryside painted in 1809, to the abstract impressionism of his latest works. The picture is entitled Thomson's Aeolian Harp, with classical  figures acting out the ode written by poet James Thomson.

Turner's style was influenced by the many times he portrayed marine scenes where the play of light changed with the clouds and the waves. This is Now for the Painter (meaning rope)--Passengers Going on Board, from 1827.

As might be expected, many of the paintings are Victorian masterworks. A favorite is Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) who portrayed Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire in 1830-35. The label reads:  Landseer "...sets the quiet power of the ever-flowing river against the ghostly image of the ruin to suggest the passage of time and the brevity of human life."

Landseer was well known for his realistic animal images, including this dead lion, The Desert, painted in 1849. 

The Sirens and Ulysses was painted in 1832 by William Etty (1787-1849) showing a scene from Homer's ancient Greek poem The Odyssey.  The label points out critics' frequent derision of Etty for nudity in his works, but it  seems to me  many historical and biblical paintings were filled with naked subjects, particularly the females.

I have given you only a tiny taste of the treasures to be found in the Manchester Art Gallery. I will leave you with this amusing view of the staircase filled with artwork, all under the watchful protection of Spiderman.  I love such surprises--they  prevent us from taking our culture much too seriously! Art is for enjoyment after all.