On Thursday 9th of May, the SFC1 History of Art students visited The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, located just a short walk from College.
On display was the Radev Collection, a trove of modern paintings from the private and rarely exhibited collection of Mattei Radev. It featured works by a wide range of artists, including Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Pablo Picasso and Ben Nicholson.
One painting that generated much discussion was a small gouache by Graham Sutherland completed in 1940. We had recently studied a contemporary work by the artist, his 1946 Crucifixion, and it was extremely exciting to have the opportunity to consider his technique and style first-hand. Sutherland had been a regular visitor to Pembrokeshire in Wales between 1934 and 1946, where he was attracted to the contrasting features of the landscape, which he felt conveyed “darkness and light - of decay and life”, qualities which had become increasingly significant with the outbreak of the Second World War. In his paintings, he aimed to capture the “intellectual and emotional essence of the landscape” through the modification of abstract forms.
Also on display was a sculpture by the French artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, known as the Bronze Dancer, created in 1913. We spent some time discussing the sense of movement created by the form and composition of the work and it was interesting to listen to Dr Beard’s thoughts on the relationship of this modern sculpture to a 12th-century figure of Shiva Nataraja that we had previously looked at in detail in class.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable visit which was extremely stimulating for the whole group. It was fascinating to consider the ways in which the exhibition successfully told the story of how Radev, the son of a Bulgarian shopkeeper who fled persecution, came to the UK with nothing and was able to build a collection that reflected his new life, shaped as it was by friendship, romance, collaboration and an utmost commitment to artistic expression.
Tara (SFC1)
Radev runs until 1st September 2024 at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, approximately 7 minutes walk from CLC.
