Art Appreciation – Visit to the Box, Plymouth
The September meeting saw the Art Appreciation Group break new ground by venturing to Plymouth to see the exhibition at the Box in Plymouth. Very few members of the group had visited the Box, so we were curious to see the permanent collection in the gallery itself as well as the exhibition on Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1723-1792.
Reynolds was born in Plympton and much of his work originated in his connections with the local community, and in particular those associated with what is now the Devonport dockyard and the navy. While his later career took him far beyond this area, the contacts that he made here remained a significant thread running through his life.
Reynolds was extraordinarily prolific, painting over 2000 portraits in his lifetime. Needless to say, he had a number of assistants to help him complete these portraits. It should also, perhaps, be no surprise that in his early life and career, he owed much to his two devoted sisters who helped with his education as an artist and helped to support him.
He became an extremely well-connected figure in fashionable and intellectual society, and was much sought after to paint portraits of leading figures of the day. He counted amongst his friends the great and good of the age, including Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Oliver Goldsmith and David Garrick, and his work was highly regarded by Turner. He was knighted by George III and was an early member of the Royal Academy.
In this exhibition, Reynolds’ work was shown alongside an exhibition by the contemporary artist Rana Begum who was exploring the innovative use of colour in Reynolds work. Some examples of Rana Begum’s work were shown alongside Reynolds’ portraits, with another exhibition of her work elsewhere in the Box.
We moved on to see some of the gallery’s permanent exhibition. This included several works by Barbara Hepworth. She is best known for her sculptures but there on display were some of her paintings. We enjoyed some of Beryl Cook’s amusing work, as well as lesser-known local artists. The focus on the local area allows the viewer to see the development of the Plymouth through the eyes of artists over several centuries.
Our Senior Railcards reduced the cost of this trip to a very reasonable £6.45 so this makes it very likely that we will be looking to enjoy future exhibitions at the Box.
Our October meeting will see us back in the Mayor’s Parlour on Tuesday 10th October when David Gearing will be talking to us about some women artists of the 17th century.
Lynne Vick, Convenor