The School of Art Gallery and Museum is hosting a number of public events in conjunction with Universities Week 2014, June 9th-15th. An exhibition, a lecture, a gallery talk and a print demonstration will all provide insight into current research on the University’s important collection of prints from the inter-war period.
One theme of the week will consider how art practice in the 1920s responded to the traumas of the First World War. Did artists in Britain look towards European Modernism or did they find solace in the older landscape traditions at home?
Edward Bouverie Hoyton, Great Seaside Farm, etching, c.1923
Event 1: Gallery Talk for the exhibition Wood, Down, Farm, Field: Art in the Aftermath with Phil Garratt.
Wednesday 11th of June, 1.20-2.00.
The themes, media and manner of execution of the interwar prints and drawings are often interpreted as manifestations of a reaction to the devastating effects of the First World War, a counteraction to modernism and a return to perceived and consoling ancient traditions. The exhibition will explore and question this assumption. Curated from the collection of the School of Art Gallery and Museum including important work from the 1920s by Graham Sutherland, Paul Drury and William Larkins.
Event 2: Pulling a Print Demonstration and Artist’s Talk on Depicting the First World War with Andrew Baldwin.
Wednesday 11th of June, 2.00-3.00.
Andrew will be demonstrating how an etching is printed utilising a 1920s copper plate from the School of Art Collection. Baldwin is Studio Tutor at the School of Art and an experienced, innovative printmaker and artist. His current work explores the potential of experimental etching techniques for depicting battle scenes from the First World War.
Event 3: Edward Bouverie Hoyton 1900-1988: An artist amidst two world wars
Lecture by Jen Loffman, School of Art, Thursday 12th June, 7pm
At the beginning of the 20th Century, printmaking seemed a fashionable career choice for many British, middle class, budding young artists. But as Britain assimilated more ideas from Modernist Europe and dealt with the tension and aftermath of two World Wars, life became distinctly turbulent. By piecing together the material that one such artist left behind, what can we learn about the role of art in coming to terms with social, political and art historical crisis? Jen Loffman is Exhibitions Assistant at Aberystwyth Arts Centre and a recent graduate of the School of Art.
All events are free of charge and all take place at the School of Art, Buarth Mawr, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. SY23 1NG
See what else is going on during Universities Week at Aberystwyth including The Art and Science of Well-being Art Trail
Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum & Galleries 