‘Moorhen in the Rain – Minsmere’ Watercolour c1984. Peter Partington SWLA (1941-2025). Included in this exhibition together with an accompanying poem written by the artist.
In Sync: Words and Wonders
A selection of work, both 2D and 3D, shown with contemporary and historic poetry.
For centuries, art has inspired poets, and poetry has inspired artists.
Vincent Van Gogh was a voracious reader and was a fan of many British authors and poets, including Charles Dickens and John Keats. He often wrote out extracts from different passages that inspired him and sent them to his brother, Theo. In one of Van Gogh’s first letters from London, he copied out the poem ‘Autumn’ by Keats, writing, ‘The last few days I’ve enjoyed reading the poems of John Keats, he’s a poet who isn’t very well known in Holland, I believe. He’s the favourite of the painters here…’
In Chinese culture poetry and painting are deeply intertwined. Many painters took ancient poetry as their inspiration. The poetic tradition, which reaches back over two millennia, provided these artists with a rich wellspring from which to draw, including verses on nature. For painters who were themselves poets, one of the greatest ambitions was to create a work that combined their original poetry, calligraphy, and painting into coherent artwork, known as the ‘three perfections’ in Chinese – a chance to stand on the shoulders of their poetic heroes and add their voice to the tradition.
So, this selection of works from our collection brings together poetry (some written by the artist) and painting.
We’ll also be inviting visitors to pause and write their own poetic responses to the exhibits on display.