Taking a Leaf From The Pre-Raphaelites
The long-anticipated return of Birmingham’s infamous Pre-Raphaelite collection has finally dawned upon us as Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery re-opens its Gas Hall housing a new Exhibition called ‘Victorian Radicals’, fresh off the back of its US tour. There’s been a huge buzz about it, because it’s no ordinary exhibition. It’s an ambitious showcase of three generations of artists working in Britain - The Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris and his associates, as well as central figures from Birmingham’s Arts and Crafts movement. It’s also the first time in more than 5 years that the collection is being exhibited back in its hometown.
Gallery View
Preliminary discussions about the exhibition began well ahead of its tour across the US which began in 2019. But as we all know, a lot can change in 5 years. The return of this exhibition now marks an even bigger significant cultural moment in Birmingham following the closure of the gallery in March 2020 due to the pandemic, coupled with the continued extensive maintenance repairs the museum has had to undergo; not to mention that it was only less than 6 months ago when Birmingham City Council issued Section 114.
It’s no wonder ‘Victorian Radicals’ feels all the more radical right now.
‘Work’ by Ford Madox Brown (1927)
Today, we find ourselves in an accelerating digital age where many people are feeling increasingly anxious about the rise of AI, as we try to pick up the pieces of the mental health fallout following the wake of a global pandemic. There’s been a significant shift in attitudes recently - a booming wellness industry, the rise in ‘unplugged’ retreats, increasing efforts to reduce screen time, and the enforcement of stricter work-life-balance boundaries. Many of us are in a restless pursuit of escaping our urban environments and fast paced lives to ‘reconnect’ with nature more frequently. 176 years have passed since the inception of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and their naturalist ideals. So how have we found ourselves returning to them?
‘The Blind Girl’ by John Everett Millais (1854-56)
I think it boils down to understanding their ideals on a deeper level, beyond their interests in nature. It’s about turning away from falsification. It’s about cutting out the noise. It’s about returning to truth in times of turbulence and uncertainty.
“In mid-nineteenth-century England, a period marked by political upheaval, mass industrialization, and social ills, the Brotherhood at its inception strove to transmit a message of artistic renewal and moral reform by imbuing their art with seriousness, sincerity, and truth to nature.”
From a digital perspective, the stuff of which we encounter everyday has felt more disingenuous, synthetic, hollow. From a political perspective, we’re on the edge of our seats everyday, lobbying for moral reform - both locally and globally.
It’s no wonder we have been yearning for more culture, inspiration and truth.
‘Bedcover’ by Mary Jane Newell (1908)
This is why I think we need the Radical perspectives of the Pre-Raphaelites and their protégés now more than ever. We need radical structural shifts in the cultural landscape of their home turf in Birmingham. We need radical voices to speak for those who have no agency across the globe. We need radical leaders in these times of uncertainty. We need an age of contemporary radicals, and we need them now.
References:
Meagher, J. (2004) The Pre-Raphaelites: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The MET. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/praf/hd_praf.htm
Wade, C. (2023) What’s Next for Birmingham’s Cultural Institutions and Galleries? Frieze. Available at: https://www.frieze.com/article/whats-next-birminghams-cultural-institutions-and-galleries
