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The Changing Landscape
The Changing Landscape
27th March 2010 – March 2011
A new exhibition featuring objects from the art, natural history and industry collections of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales has arrived at Oriel y Parc, Landscape Gallery St Davids.
The Changing Landscape explores the impact of both natural process and human intervention on the landscape around us.
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Cliff at Penarth, evening, low tide, Alfred Sisley 1897
For centuries artists have attempted to capture Wales’ landscapes on canvas. This new exhibition allows visitors to explore artists’ interpretations of the diversity of landscapes in the area, before venturing out into the landscape itself.
The exhibition features early pieces including a Francis Place image of Tenby dating from 1678, one of the earliest known views of Wales drawn on the spot, and a major work by Alfred Sisley, an artist who is considered to be one of the greatest landscape painters of the 19th century. A contemporary of Monet and Renoir, Sisley was the only impressionist ever to paint the Welsh landscape.
Speaking of the exciting new exhibition, Bryony Dawkes, Partnership Projects Curator for National Museum Wales said: “The area holds a special magnetism for artists, which has drawn them to Pembrokeshire for centuries.
“The artists talk about the diversity of landscape and a particular quality of light here that's very specific to the Pembrokeshire area. There’s so much cultural, industrial and natural heritage in the area so there’s always a different view and the sea in particular draws artists here.”
The exhibition also features contemporary pieces by Terry Setch and Tim Davies and works by European avant- garde artist Arthur Giardelli, who sadly died last year, but was instrumental in transforming the public perception of art in Wales.
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Above and Below the Tide, Terry Setch
Setch was born in London in 1936, but has lived in Penarth since the 1970s within walking distance of the site where Sisley had chosen to paint over a century before.
Meanwhile Davies’ work has been exhibited internationally and won several visual arts prizes including the Mostyn Open in 1997, the Gold Medal in Fine Art, National Eisteddfod of Wales, 2003 and the Wakelin Award, 2005.
The rich diversity of the natural environment is also represented, with a scale model of a Pembrokeshire hedgerow and supporting exhibits which provide the visitor with an insight into changes in countryside management over the centuries.
This exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the truly inspirational landscape of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park as well as showcasing pieces by some of Wales’ finest artists, and raising awareness of the importance of conserving this uniquely diverse area.