I’ve loved Edward Burne-Jones ever since I was a teenager and first became obsessed with the Victorians. The ochre-toned autumnal colour palette of his paintings always transports me to the fog-bound streets of nineteenth century England, where in my imagination, the weather is always slightly damp and the only light is the glimmer of a softly glowing gas lamp in the perpetual dusk. I love his predilection for a romantic medieval past, of chivalrous knights and women in jewel coloured robes that fall in delicious folds about their bodies. His blend of romance, myth and religion creates a mesmerising, fantastic visual world that for me entirely embodies the complexities and contradictions of the Victorian imagination, and I can stand in front of a Burne-Jones painting for hours, drinking it all in.
Tate Britain is currently holding an exhibition of his work, which is the first major solo exhibition of Burne-Jones since the 1930s. Victorian art is still rather unfashionable in fashionable circles: many dismiss it as tasteless and twee, or often, too maudlin. I would challenge anyone who thinks Victorian art is these things to visit this exhibition, because it is a hall of absolute wonder. For the first time, all of his enormous exhibition paintings have been reunited, alongside haunting portraits, stained glass and the most exquisite line drawings that reveal a fascination with Dürer. Seeing such a representative body of his work allows for the extraordinary nature of Burne-Jones’ imagination and genius to be seen. He was daring, innovative, multi-talented and possessed of a creative vision that saw in religious and mythical stories a richly, darkly meaningful parallel world to our own.
If you can manage to make it along, prepare yourself to be amazed and enchanted, and to wish that you could turn the clock back sixty years or so to when such paintings as this were being chucked away and sold for peanuts. The Tate have done a marvellous job of clustering the art together thematically, and allowing enough space for everything to be seen to its best advantage. From enormous paintings to wall-length tapestries, a painted grand piano to illustrated letters to his beloved granddaughter (who was middlebrow writer Angela Thirkell), there is so much to delight in. And if you can’t make it in person, the exhibition catalogue is a wonderful resource. I have it by my side as I type, and am looking forward to dipping in and out of it for inspiration as the nights draw in and I want to be transported back to those smoke shrouded streets of Victorian London!
Fantastic, wish I could see this exhibition. Great blog post.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I would enjoy seeing this exhibition.
I hope it’ll travel to your neck of the woods!
That would be nicenif it did.
Ooh, what an amazing exhibition! Thanks for letting me “visit” vicariously through your post!
You’re very welcome Jessie!
Thank you. I wish I could come over to see the exhibit. I love his paintings.
I hope it’ll go on tour so that you can see it!
How I wish I could see this, Rachel.
I wish you could too, Penny! I hope that it’ll go on tour to the US!
I long to see this exhibit! A pity my trip to London was in April (although seeing the Treasures of Charles I was pretty amazing). Several years ago I went to a great Pre-Raphaelite exhibit in Montreal but this looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
Oh I missed that exhibition – I’m so glad you were able to see it when you were over! I’m hoping that this exhibition will travel the world so that more people can see it, as it truly is spectacular.
I am not a big fan but I really enjoyed the exhibition
I’m going next weekend, I’m really looking forward to it!
Wow, beautiful paintings. I wish I could have visited the exhibition. Thank you for sharing. I did not know much about Edward Burne-Jones, but I like his style and I will check his artwork.