Visit to #Southport and the #TheAtkinson Art Gallery

After waking up to a sunny day, it seemed a suitable chance to visit Southport, having not been there for over two years. 
On arrival, we took a pleasant walk along the front and then sat on a bench overlooking the water to eat  our packed-lunch. We decided to visit the art gallery, as they always seem to have a good variety of work on show.
Going into the main gallery we were surprised to see a full exhibition based on the British Landscape, a subject matter close to my heart, and one that is not as popular nowadays.
Landscapes had been the mainstay of British art for centuries with the artists from the early 20th century portraying the most idealised views.  Artists and the public found solace in these type of art works especially after the horrors of the wars and saw the countryside as a place of calm and security.
​Britain led the way in landscape art until the development of impressionism, but it was still popular until the mid 20th century.

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It was a fascinating insight into this genre, showing artwork from around the country from the early 18th century to more modern paintings of today. A subject matter that hopefully one day will return in popularity, although artists such as Damien Hurst and David Hockney are exhibiting work on this theme at the moment.

Walking through to the next gallery, a similar theme was on show. Here Paul Kenny exhibited abstract compositions on small glass plates with objects found on beaches and crystallised sea water. These plates are then scanned to produce large scale photographs  and light boxes. These works focus on the often overlooked elements of the landscape.
Interestingly, Paul was born and educated in Salford but now lives in Northumberland.

These highly colourful images were impressive and were a different interpretation to the landscape theme. Unfortunately, we were a few days early for the art club exhibition being hung during our visit which was a shame, as it is always interesting to compare their work and themes with that of Salford Art Club. Another enjoyable visit and we look forward to returning some time soon.