Our New Acquisitions the St. Edmund Hall Ceri Richards Altarpiece Newsletter 15 — Spring 2016 Running Head 1 Dr
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NO.15 — SPRING 2016 NEWSLETTER £1.00 WHERE SOLD Enhancing the Collection: Our New Acquisitions The St. Edmund Hall Ceri Richards Altarpiece Newsletter 15 — Spring 2016 Running Head 1 Dr. Jonathan Koestlé-Cate on Contemporary Art and Sacred Places NO.15 — SPRING 2016 DEAR FRIEND THE COLLECTION ON FILM Once again, it gives me great Friends who have been with us for the past few years may recall that those pleasure to bring you the responsible for hosting the Collection in Preston, in 2012, put together some first Newsletter of 2016. Our delightful footage. This highlighted the part played by the Methodist Modern dedicated production team at Art Collection in that year’s City’s Guild Celebrations. A substantial part of Cultureshock Media continue the Collection was on display, under the title ‘Visible Faith’, at St. Peter’s Art to do a marvellous job for us, Centre, Lancaster University. as I’m sure you will agree. They Those of you who regularly visit our website will, no doubt, are currently working hard already have taken the opportunity to view a similar, recent initiative; on the 2015 Annual Report an excellent short film that was produced ahead of the visit of the which you should be receiving Collection to Lincoln where it is currently on exhibition at the (electronically via MailChimp in Cathedral and ‘The Collection’. Well worth five minutes of your time, if the majority of cases) within a you have not already done so. couple of months. We are delighted to confirm that while the Collection is at Bath We have no Exhibition Abbey, over the month of October, we shall be engaging the services of Reports to feature in this an experienced team of documentary film makers. They will put together edition although, of course, an enduring record of the impact that the Collection makes on its travels; the Collection can currently be a valuable archive that could, in the future, be a means of promoting the viewed in the city of Lincoln. Collection to an even wider audience. It would also be made available to It then moves on to Ealing prospective exhibition curators and their organising committees. Our ever- prior to a lengthy summer stay helpful team from Cultureshock Media will mastermind the production in the popular seaside resort and have secured the services of Tim Marlow to present this documentary. of Llandudno. The plan is to Tim is currently Director of Artistic Programmes at the Royal Academy complete the year with an of Arts and is a highly regarded writer and broadcaster who has worked exhibition in Bath, a World extensively for the BBC, C4, C5 and, most recently, for Sky Arts. Heritage site, when Bath Abbey will be showing an extensive number of works. Managing Trustees of the Collection Dr John Gibbs (Chair/Treasurer), Revd Graham Kent (Secretary), Bob Williams (Secretary, Friends Group), Prof Ann Sumner, Meryl Doney, Sarah Middleton, Paul Bayley Administrator – Mary Roseweir Custodian – Dr Peter Forsaith Friends of the Methodist Modern Art Collection (The Supporters of the Methodist Modern Art Collection) Patrons: The President of Conference and The Very Revd Nick Bury Bob Williams Secretary to the Friends of the Collection and Newsletter Editor 11, Late Broads, Winsley Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts, BA15 2NW Phone: 01225 720188 Front cover: Ghislaine Howard, [email protected] panel from the artist's 365 Series Photo: Ghislaine Howard Produced by Cultureshock Media Art Director: Alfonso Iacurci Above: Richard Bavin (b. 1957), Designer: Helen McFarland The Empty Tomb, 2012. Watercolour www.cultureshockmedia.co.uk From the Methodist Modern Art Collection Enhancing the Collection OUR NEW ACQUISITIONS Occasionally the Collection is offered Collection artist, the late Michael works; the immediate response is to Edmonds (1926–2014), given by the say that the Trustees do not accept artist’s family in recognition of his donations. This is a necessary defence historic links with the Collection. against the Collection losing the quality A further new work, identified and focus for which it has become as People at the Stable, 1962, a print recognised. However, in recent months from one of his Nativity Series, by we have broken with this usual default Sadao Watanabe (1913–96) has also position and been delighted to enhance been acquired. This will, together the Collection with a number of gifts. with our other Watanabe work – the First, the generous donor of our Clive ever-popular Christ enters Jerusalem, Hicks-Jenkins (b.1951) work Christ writes make an interesting pair. The subject in the Dust – Woman taken in Adultery matter of Watanabe’s prints is almost 2011 has expressed a wish that we should exclusively the gospel rendered in the Philip Hagreen, Madonna and Child , From the Methodist Modern also now have the small, companion mingei (folk art) approach. Influenced Art Collection grisaille in oils; essentially a preliminary by Buddhist figure prints, Watanabe small work showing the male figure of was dedicated to translating biblical Christ. A second new work, a watercolour narrative into traditional Japanese painting by Richard Bavin, The Empty settings, with key characters often Tomb, 2012, has also been donated featured wearing kimonos. Kings had not been acquired – together in memory of our late trustee, Geoff Again, as regards potential gifts, they make a significant group to show Cornell. Richard Bavin is a well-known we sometimes have to say – tell us more. the work of one of the influential strands Herefordshire artist with a reputation for This was the case some ten years ago in British art and culture in the early capturing mood, light and atmosphere when we were approached at the start twentieth century, that simplicity and in his paintings of the landscape in and of an exhibition by someone who had strength in line and figure which can be around his home county and the border a quantity of Philip Hagreen prints: seen particularly in typefaces. country between Wales and England. his uncle had been Hagreen’s executor. After some delay, the six prints He also makes occasional forays into We were then offered a choice, and the acquired have now been framed to portraying elements of the Gospel Stories Trustees felt that these would, indeed, match that of the Gill. Peter Forsaith and we are singularly fortunate in having make a suitable adjunct to the Eric Gill’s terms these the Stations of the Nativity. acquired this particular work from the Annunciation, already an important A further frame awaits a print by David ‘Art of the Crucifixion and Eastertide’ component of the Collection. Hagreen Jones in the hope that the Collection exhibition held at the Monnow Valley (1890–1988) was much influenced by acquires one. Arts Centre in 2013. Gill and actually moved to Ditchling, We have also received the generous and later to Capel-y-ffin, to work with The Editor is indebted to our Custodian, donation of a small watercolour painting the master. At that stage the David Jones Peter Forsaith, for providing much of the – Crucifixion, dating from 1988 by woodblock for the print of the Three background information here. Newsletter 15 — Spring 2016 3 The Ceri Richards Altarpiece ST. EDMUND HALL, OXFORD Following a Trustees’ Meeting in Arriving at Emmaus, they invite Against the background of Oxford last June I, together with fellow their mysterious companion on the both the Caravaggio and Richards trustee Graham Kent, had occasion to journey to stay the night. At supper, images perhaps I can share with you a visit the Chapel at St. Edmund Hall, as Christ breaks bread, he is suddenly beautifully written piece that I recently to view their very fine Ceri Richards revealed to the two astonished came across – altarpiece; an opportunity not generally disciples, but then he vanishes. ‘On the long walk home from available to the public at large. It was, Caravaggio invests his pictures Jerusalem you are simply overcome indeed, a wonderful opportunity with a sense of powerful drama by with grief. You lost a friend just a few to compare this painting with the means of his handling of light and days ago. Not only a friend, but also Methodist Modern Art Collection’s shadow (chiaroscuro). The Richards’ your leader, your beloved teacher. And own little gouache on paper with its painting however, dependent as it is he didn’t simply die; he was executed pencilled notation at the base. This upon contrasting blocks of colour, in the most torturous, shameful way. would strongly suggest that it was achieves the same feeling of fleeting You’ve seen a lot in your lifetime, intended as a study for the altarpiece. tension and surprise, but in a very but the memories of Jesus’ ordeal are The altarpiece was, in fact, a different way. forever branded into your memory. At commission, the result of invitations The painting is divided into least your friend is with you – both to five very different artists to submit segments by a yellow cross, comprising a of you followed the teacher, with their proposals for a painting on this vertical shaft of light and the horizontal equal conviction and enthusiasm. So subject. Interestingly, the shortlist supper table. Christ is positioned you bear your grief together now. As included two other artists well against the cross, and he seems to loom you walk and walk through the long, known to those acquainted with the out from its light. The reaction of the rainy afternoon, you encourage better Methodist Modern Art Collection, disciples is two-fold. In the foreground, memories – of all that the teacher said, namely Roy de Maistre and Theyre the disciple in blue sees Christ in a flash of the people you know whom Jesus Lee-Elliott.