I don't need excuses to visit Winchester, but excuses help! After two failed attempts to go along to the Morris exhibition at The Arc (weather and illness), a friend and I made it last week. This was a brilliant exhibition, but sadly no photographs were allowed.
William Morris (along with Charles Darwin) are my heroes. Of all the pre-Raphaelite artists, it is Morris who I have come to admire the most. He learned all the trades he dealt in for himself, whether that be painting, tapestry or weaving. Morris also looked after his staff, making sure their conditions of working were good. He was a Socialist, writer of books and poetry, and wrote about the Norse Sagas, having visited Iceland twice.
Married to Jane Burden, they had two children Jenny and May. Jenny (christened Jane Alice in 1861) developed epilepsy in 1874 and couldn't be left alone. Her life changed dramatically. Her education was put on hold and then cancelled. However, she sat for paintings and was considered the cleverer of the two daughters when at school. You can read more about her life here. I found this article interesting as little is known about her, and she only ever gets a passing mention in the life of the Morrises, yet she was talented.
May (born Mary) was the youngest daughter. Her talent can be seen in her tapestries and design. She went on to help her father in his business and after William died, she wrote the first biography about him.
Jane, for those who don't know, sat for Rossetti many times, In fact, he was obsessed with her and William knew about their affair. I think he felt that while he said nothing all would turn out alright in the end. Jane stood by her husband and did a lot of work after his death to bring his work together, continuing to make sure his name and work was never forgotten.
The exhibition gathers a number of works by the family, including mock-ups of work, tapestries, paintings, curtains and wallpapers. Morris' books feature too, along with a clutch of photographs and letters.
I've written about William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites many times in my blog over the years. It is my favourite subject! Once I even took a short course in Art Appreciation on the Pre-Raphaelites and we each had to do a presentation about a painting. That was scary! I have visited as many places as I can connected to the Art & Craft Movement and am still going.
The wonder of exhibitions outside London is the cost. It is far lower than central London, and The Arc is a wonderful art space. It is part of the city library and has room for other art shows (this time it was work by artists inspired by William Morris). There is also a small shop and cafe, as well as theatre space (The Winchester Poetry Festival is held here).
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| The cafe at The Arc |
My friend was soon caught up in the work of the Morrises, and of course she had her own guide with her. I'm not saying I know everything, but I know a fair bit! We both bought something in the shop. I've already read the book, a great addition to my collection of everything William Morris (I even have a William Morris umbrella!). In the cafe he even had a pasty named after him (before that if was a Jane Austen pudding!).
Now I'm just waiting for some better weather to return to Winchester and enjoy just being there.
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