About the Image – Igniting a Dream – Manchester Art Gallery
Architecture is a Form of Communication
Architecture is a strange thing. It’s cold and lifeless, and yet we imbue it with life. An uninhabited space is soulless, a row of identical houses lack character, but once people start living in them, character emerges as colours, items and plants etc make the spaces personal. Public spaces tend to reflect the character of the owners, be that a company or government that commission them. They reflect the culture of the time, the ideas of purpose, functionality and how people will use them.
Public spaces colour the lives of the inhabitants. Those people who visit, live and work around them. Sometimes a building’s significance goes unnoticed at the time, but later, that significance will be acutely felt. Manchester Art Gallery first came to my notice as a young girl walking up the steps after a short walk from St Peter’s Square. One of the grandest places I’d ever visited. It was where I first discovered the power of art to impress, Excite, and generally move me. Not all the art. Like everyone, I know what I like, and I’m moved by some things and not by others. I can appreciate them, but I don’t like them.
Discovering the Power of Art
Entering the first gallery I saw the painting that ignited a flame. I didn’t know what would follow or how, but it was a notable moment. The painting responsible was Work by Ford Maddox Brown.
The colours were the first thing I noticed; then the people. I identified with the girl in the red dress; I understood the irritation and frustration of brothers. Mine were older so I was never going to be able to make them do what I wanted, or grab them by the hair, but the idea appealed. The fascination with watching people at work came next; appreciating the effort of the workers; the stretching figure; the activity of the scene; the degree of detail; All these elements overwhelmed and fascinated simultaneously.
At the time, I couldn’t explain why. This painting simply captured my attention and my imagination. The more I looked, the more I saw. I could live in this scene, it was normal, everyday life, not a fantasy of some ancient myth. Even now I discover new details when I see it, after many more years later than I care to remember. The memory expands beyond the art, as the building itself holds a special place. Together, they remind me of times spent with my Mum and our shared love of art. That’s the power of Art.
The Significance of Portals
A stone’s throw from places of manufacturing and commerce, people could visit and feed their souls with art that celebrated the past but was also critical of the present. Simply by walking through a portal, people were exposed to a new world. It’s one reason why I find portals fascinating. They say much about the building you walk into. This one is bold and impressive. I did a plain acrylic version, as a test piece for a project. Then, I decided to do one in my usual style and it’s the one I prefer. The star finials on the railings were an essential inclusion. They remind me of our online feedback obsession. Stars standing tall, like a four and a half star review on Trip adviser.
Portals tell stories about their use. They indicate entrances, places where changes happen, security, or lack of. Portals reflect their function. Think of palaces, banks, barn doors and gateways. Entrances, like this one, are meant to impress, to daunt you as you gaze upwards. Stone columns draw your eyes upwards, to admire the warm glow of stone. Precisely carved, but not excessively, it’s civil pride captured in Anglo Roman style. A nod to the grand tour and an old culture, robbed, plundered in the past, but now reimagined and reborn. A new culture’s language of machinery and industrialization. Harking back to a simpler time, maybe? Well, simpler for those who weren’t actually doing all the hard physical work.
The Painting Born of Inspiration
Here’s the portal that has always spoken to me, Manchester Art Gallery, the place where I fell in love with art. From the first time that little girl saw Work hanging in the first gallery she visited and stood as it slowly worked its magic. Here’s my painting of the place where it happened.
The place where I discovered Ford Maddox Brown’s masterpiece. The time I realised art could talk, I wanted to hear what it had to say and I opened the portal to something incredible.
Have you ever had such a moment?
Creation: Masking fluid is painted onto watercolour paper to create an image. This is covered with a watercolour wash and covered with clingfilm. The picture is further developed using acrylic inks once the film is removed. The masking is removed after several layers are added and allowed to dry. Revealing the final picture.
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