Pupils To Pay Homage To A Famous Old Breconian Artist At The National Museum Cardiff

Pupils will be heading for the National Museum Cardiff where they will see the ‘Landscapes: Beauty Most Wild’ collection by Old Breconian JD Innes, whose work has been described as the missing link between JMW Turner and David Hockney.

He predominantly painted Welsh landscapes, in particular the mountains around Bala lake in Gwynedd. According to Anne Pritchard, Senior Art Curator, his style is a blend of techniques which makes Innes impossible to pigeonhole. “He painted much of the same breathtaking scenery as Turner had a century before, and you can see Turner’s romantic influence in Innes’ work,” she said. “But Innes’ use of bold, thickly-applied colour was unusual in Britain at the time, and has far more in common with Continental post-impressionists like Matisse. Among the general public Innes isn’t nearly as well-known as he deserves to be, but he’s definitely had a significant effect in art circles. You can argue that his techniques indirectly influenced the artists who followed, like David Hockney for instance.”

Pupils will also get the chance to see an exhibition of John Constable’s work including one of his most famous landscapes, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831. The National Museum Cardiff will be the first of five venues to display this important ‘six footer’ which was recently purchased by Tate. The painting will be accompanied by other works by Constable.

Head of Art at Christ College, Mrs Deirdre Houghton, said: “Whilst at the museum, pupils will participate in an artist workshop which will involve discussion and practical activities. We will explore the collections, choose our favourites, sketch the works, write about the techniques and the context of the work. It will be very exciting to have an opportunity to sit in front of works by such famous artists as Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir, and Constable, as well as having a direct connection with a former pupil of Christ College, JD Innes.”

The Landscapes by JD Innes: Beauty Most Wild exhibition continues until 20th July 2014.