Thames Valley Group Study visit 14 October 2023
Another excellent study visit. Jayne Taylor led us around the mixed painting and photography exhibition at Tate Modern,
Capturing the Moment
Tate describes this as “A journey through painting and photography” They say,
“The arrival of photography changed the course of painting forever. In this unique exhibition, we explore the dynamic relationship between the two mediums through some of the most iconic artworks of recent times.”
“Through a selection of modern and contemporary art, Capturing the Moment explores the relationship between the brush and the lens, and how artists have turned to painting and photography to capture moments in time. Rather than attempt a definitive account of the dialogue between the two media, an open-ended discussion is encouraged through varying depictions of people and place that invite us on a journey through recent art history.”
Early on, I noticed the following quote on the wall in room 1:
Presumably written 100 or so years ago, the quote still rings true, except that it seems to me that photographers have reached a similar point and we should also feel profiting from our newly acquired liberty.
After the exhibition, we gathered in a vacant room and Jayne led a discussion of what we had seen and our reactions and favourite pictures.
The exhibition is full of twentieth century masterpieces in both art forms. My personal favourite was:
The colours, shapes and composition are superb.
I was not the only one who chose this picture, but not surprisingly there was no consensus. A thoroughly good day out!
We were 11 students plus Jayne. Four of the students were from non-photography courses which was great. It is always good to get the different viewpoints, from other disciplines, and that was especially true with a painting/photography exhibition.
Thanks a lot, Barry, for organising this study visit! I enjoyed meeting all of you and some of the artworks were truly inspiring.
...did I mention that I saw a mouse in the bottom left corner? :-)