Manchester city Gallery visit

Should we be putting a contemporary outlook on classical artworks?

I’ve started to ask myself this question when visiting older galleries such as the Walker art gallery in Liverpool and Manchester City Art Gallery, both places that also display more contemporary works. It is difficult not to view these works in a contemporary setting as today’s issues directly affect us visiting these galleries. Works that were once accepted solely as beautiful art pieces are now being questioned for their subject matter and its direct effect on those who view these pieces in modern art galleries. With these works, curators are now given the chance to re-evaluate and possibly raise issues on homophobia, racism, sexism and representation in art. As a result, works that were created hundreds of years ago remain extremely relevant today.

Manchester city gallery exhibits a range of pre-Raphaelite works, most controversially in recent years ‘Hylas and the nymphs’ by John William Waterhouse. The painting depicts the seduction of the youth Hylas by female water nymphs, a Greek and Roman legend. The young girls here are shown as seductresses, erotic creatures, something that is outrageous to view in the context of the 21st century. The depiction of women in art has been something of great discussion over the years and paintings like this one allow us to question what is right and wrong in art now and what we are willing to accept. Not all Women are Femme Fatales or here solely for the viewing pleasure of men. The removal of the Waterhouse from the Manchester City Gallery in 2018 was a brilliant curatorial move and prompted many important questions on the role these types of works have in 21st century Britain. Gallery rooms like the one that the Waterhouse currently resides need to catch up with the modern day and start to challenge the way women are perceived through art. I don’t believe we should censor these works but instead encourage people to question the art world.

There is a contemporary art exhibition currently at the gallery by Martin Parr called ‘return to Manchester, he is a photographer who records through photos everyday lives. Through his photos he captures a glimpse of the current times and makes comments through these on religion, technology and sexuality. Parr was inspired to create photographs by living in Manchester whilst studying, he gained a curiosity of the lives of people around him and the diversity and richness of the city. The gallery commissioned him to create a display of photographs of Manchester in modern day. I love how these photographs explore the diverse culture of Manchester and highlight the importance of acceptance of all races, cultures and sexualities and how all these different types of people can live as one.