A fitting finale

Liverpool's Biennial of Contemporary Art began yesterday so the city art galleries are in full swing welcoming visitors. Tate Liverpool has several displays and exhibitions that were worth a look. The Walker Gallery has the John Moores Painting Prize as a feature.

The Walker's extensive collection of Victorian High Art was also of interest, as was Tate's 'Mondrian and his studios'. But the day's highlight was without doubt Grayson Perry's 'The Vanity of Small Differences'.

Perry's six large tapestries take their inspiration from art history and address the issue of class in British society. Visually stunning, witty, and perceptive, the series tells the story of Tim Rakewell. This fictious character makes his way through life in six scenes beginning with 'The adoration of the cage fighters' and ending with '#Lamentation'.

The catalogue with it's foldout plates of each of the six works is beautifully made and proved irresistable.

Unmissable. What a way to finish.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool

Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral is extraordinary. Opened at Pentecost 1967 it has provoked a range of responses over the years and was at one point in danger of being demolished due to it's leaky roof and other structural problems. These have been addressed, new work has created an impressive approach to the main entrance, and the place is stunning.

When first opened the building was felt by many to be stark in it's modernism. Almost half a century later the worshipping community have dressed the bare walls with glorious banners, works of art have been commissioned or acquired, and the original concept enhanced in so many respects.

Impressive, inspiring, and a tribute to both those with the original vision and their successors who refused to take the easy option and abandon hope.

Heavenfield

More walking in the Hadrian's Wall area, this time taking in Heavenfield and St Oswald's church.

Oswald was Northumbria's most successful and very devout Christian king. At what is known as Heavenfield he defeated a Welsh Army by praying before the battle with his troops, raising a cross on the hill where the little church now stands and holding on against the odds. For this, as well as for his encouragement to the spread of Christianity in the early seventh century and his apparent kindness to his own people he is revered.

Within in few years of this great victory Oswald was killed in another battle. It was a messy end but his head eventually made it to Durham where it's buried in Cuthbert's tomb.

Found some paintings by local artists on sale in the Hadrian Hotel at lunchtime. Two lovely views of the castles at Alnwick and Bamburgh, close to Lindisfarne. Oswald spent time on Holy Island where he was converted to Christianity.

At the time of Oswald's battle Hadrian's wall was still a structure of significance that afforded protection to the Northumbrian troops. Today it's no more than a few stones and a tourist path. Northumbrian Christianity has fared rather better and the churches in the area remain places of sanctuary welcoming visitors who come now in peace.

Hadrian's Wall

Sunshine, stones, steep hills, sheep.

No paintings.

Cuthbert's journey

Durham is the final resting place of the Celtic bishop-hermit St Cuthbert. The monastic community that he led somewhat reluctantly was forced to flee Lindisfarne carrying the saint's remains with them. A bronze cast of a twenty-first century wood sculpture in Lindisfarne stands in the city's Millennium Square as a memorial. It's called The Journey.

The city is fond of Cuthbert and proud of it's early Christian tradition that dates from the seventh century. Cuthbert's tomb lies immediately behind the altar in the cathedral and is maintained as a place of prayer. Visitors are invited to join in a short daily litugy which was surprisingly moving.

In the Feretory that houses the tomb there are modern banners honouring both Cuthbert and King Oswald, whose head is buried in the same tomb. The batik work on these beautiful pieces was produced using wax from burnt down candles lit by pilgrims. Clever and symbolic of the way the Cathedral strives to bring past and present together around the figure of this most humble saint.

The cathedral houses a significant number of modern works of art. Two recent commissions are the Millennium Window which tells the story of Durham's people and their faith and the Transfiguration Window dedicated to one time Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. Both are stunning.

By the same artist that created The Journey in the town centre is a wooden Pieta and another work entitled Sarcophagus. Placed in the Chapel of the Nine Altars these massive works sit among stone coffins and adjacent to three recent altars. One is dedicated to Aidan, Bishop of Northumbria and the other two celebrate women saints. Can't help but applaud the decision to bring the ministries of women to the fore in this ancient building.

Altogether lovely and worthy of more time than I had to spend there.

The Bowes Museum

A fascinating visit. The museum is the result of the collecting and planning of one couple, John and Josephine Bowes. Furniture, paintings and other assorted curiosities are housed in a purpose built chateau with magnificent grounds. The showpiece is a swan automaton that plays daily at 2pm.

The paintings reflect the tastes of the collectors. Of most interest was The Tears of St Peter by El Greco, a reflective work depicting a tearful Peter seeking forgiveness for his denial of Christ. Seems this was once a popular theme as it points to the Sacrament of Confession in the Roman Catholic tradition.

Also interesting were two complete altarpieces in good condition. Being familiar with many paintings that started life as parts of such works it was good to see the whole in this setting - they were low enough on the wall to see and unlike those still in churches you can get much closer.

Two further exhibitions, David Hockney's prints and Shafts of Light, brought a contemporary touch to an essentially Victorian experience. The latter, which brings together paintings by and of miners gave a sense of the lives of those who lived and worked in Britain's coalfields. A way of life now largely history itself.

New territory, old friends

At Leeds Art Gallery today. I came looking for Stanley Spencer - four paintings, three of them on the staircase which made viewing and note taking interesting. Also the unexpected opportunity to renew aquaintance with the Neo Romantics Keith Vaughan, Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash. 

Current displays have been organised to show how the Great War affected art, especially landscape painting. Nevinson and the Yorkshire painter Roberts were significant here. I'm reminded that my sabbatical studies frequently found war a part of the story of individual paintings.

While travelling this week Radio Four has been airing 'Month of Madness', a programme tracing the events of July 1914 that led to the outbreak of war in Europe. Wars and rumours of wars and now, 100 years on, we still struggle to make sense of it all.

First stop Birmingham

A return visit to Birmingham's City Art Gallery (BMAG). I first called in April 2011 when there were gallery refurbishments underway...there still are! As last time the signage to the gallery was poor and when we finally arrived we were immediately evacuated due to a fire alarm.

It was worth the hassle. The gallery has significant holdings of PreRaphaelite works including two large scale works by Burne Jones. The Last Judgement is a three panel cartoon for a stained glass window, The Star of Bethlehem an enormous work on paper commissioned for the museum itself.

Symbolism, beauty, and wonderful imagery. Just one question - why do all the characters look so glum?

Also in the gallery is one of Stanley Spencer's Resurrection paintings. Sheer joy and not a long face in sight.

And in this centenary year of the Great War two works by Christopher Nevinson caught my eye. He like Spencer was a medical orderly during the 1914-18 conflict but the work of the two men couldn't be more different. Nevinson is appalled, shocked, overwhelmed by the inhumanity of this technological war while Spencer celebrates the ordinary and looks to a more hopeful future.

What makes the difference?

Back on tour very soon

Three years on and the tour is about to resume. I'll be revisiting some of the galleries I made it to briefly last time and looking at some new ones. Interest has been revived due to the recent purchase of a book by Richard Harries, a planned holiday in the North East with asociated road trip, and an exhibition at Chichester's Pallant House Gallery.

At the Pallant we were able to see Stanley Spencer's WW1 paintings currently on tour while the Sandham Chapel is being restored. Once again I was struck by Spencer's celebration of daily life in conditions of war. So different from the usual images of mud and devatation.

Harries' book has just arrived and will go with me when the trip begins. More of that later. First stop will be Birmingham where I made a rushed stop early on the original tour. Looking forward to reconnecting with the PreRaphaelites there and spending time with whatever else the City Gallery has to offer.