On Thursday the 15th of February I visited the Royal West of England Academy, when I was there I looked at a particularly inspiring exhibition called 'Women with Vision'. It was on to commemorate 100 years of Suffrage. It comprised of three smaller exhibitions. The first one was called 'Frink - Blow - Lawson'. It comprised of paintings from three thought provoking female artists, Elisabeth Frink, Sandra Blow and Sonia Lawson. The exhibition reflects the tension between figuration and abstraction that ran throughout twentieth century art. It had some thought provoking pieces that gave you an insight to each artists individual style. I loved the diversity of the paintings from the mediums used to the size and impression of each painting. I learnt more about the use of combining different mediums and the effects this has on the overall outlook of the artwork.
The second exhibition part of the 'Women with Vision' exhibition was 'Women of the RWA. This showcased work from female artists from the beginning of the RWA to the present. It had some wonderful abstract pieces along with still life and statues. I loved the contrast of the different pieces there, they were truly inspiring and incorporated so many different art styles. I particularly loved the piece called 'Still Life with Black Sash' by Dame Elizabeth Blackadder. This piece particularly stood out for me as it harnesses the rather obscure composition and plays with size and colour of the objects to give a slightly obscure look.
The final exhibition I saw which was my favourite was Anne Redpath. Anne's paintings were vibrant and vivid with colour, she used contrasting colours to paint objects that are native to countries, such as her artwork piece named 'Church of Torcello' which I could relate to a church I visited on the island of Torcello near Venice. I could relate to the 'the Portuguese Cockerel' which is a reference to a popular souvenir Portugal (the statue of a cockerel). Anne's pieces were bright and vibrant and always looked at through a unique perspective which stood out for me.
Overall I loved the exhibition and for me it really outlined the contribution women have made to art over the ages. I would recommend this exhibition for anyone looking for an intellectually stimulating exhibition to view. I have learnt about many new artists I an take inspiration form while creating my own pieces. I learnt about mixed mediums and how they can effect the final product of a piece and about how even the simplest of designs can be stunning with the right amount of colour and vibrance as displayed in Anne Redpath's work. I would definitely recommend Women with Vision'
I bet it was an amazing exhibition!