Field trip to Sydney - Part Four

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

I've enjoyed sharing these photos from my Sydney trip with you guys, it's been making me think about sharing more about my visits to art galleries and such. Anyway the end of a series involves showing the best of the best and what better then to share then two major exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I was looking forward to coming here all day as it had these two amazing shows on at the moment. The first was the 'The poetry of drawing Pre-Raphaelite designs, studies and watercolours' and the other was 'The Mad Square - Modernity in German art 1910-37.

The poetry of drawing Pre-Raphaelite designs, studies and watercolours

'Study of head', John Everett Millais, 1852

'Study of Jane Morris for Mnemosyne', Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1876

'Oh, Whats That In The Hollow', Edward Robert Hughes, 1895

I was really excited to go and see this exhibition as the Pre-Raphaelite's are a huge inspiration to me. For newbies the Pre-Raphaelite's were a brotherhood back during the 1800's who were against the modernist ways of paintings. They followed in the steps of Raphael and Michelangelo with their Classical poses and elegant compositions and wanted to return to the old ways. The whole movement is so inspiring and it makes me wish that this would happen now in today's art.  My two favourite artists from this movement were John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti who both were founders of the group in 1848. The best thing about the exhibition was seeing the drawings that were studies for the artists paintings and larger works. I especially loved seeing Millias' 'Study of head' which was a study for his painting Ophelia, 1851–1852.

The Mad Square
Modernity in German art 1910–37

Left: 'Self-Portrait', Christian Schad, 1927, oil on wood

Right: 'Twice Hilde II', Karl Hubbuch, 1926, oil on canvas

Left: Tea service, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1930-31

Right: Table Lamp, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1924

Stacking containers, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1938

The Club Chair, Marcel Breuer, 1928-29

The second major exhibition that was on show was even more brilliant and fantastic, The Mad Square. If you remember from Part One of the field trip I said that the exhibition was in association with another more major exhibition currently being shown as well, The Mad Square looks at German art during the Weimar period when Germany became the centre of a whole range of Avant-garde movements in European art. Like I have mentioned before I have a deep love for German art during the Weimar period. I was blown away when I realised that they had some Bauhaus designs included in the exhibition. Last year I did a study in the Bauhaus School and I have been fascinated by it since. The Bauhaus school is considered the most important school of art and design of the 20th century with its new approach of to art and design. If I was around during the 1920's, this is where I would of wanted to attend art school. The best thing they had on show was the Marcel Breuer's Club Chair. Such an amazing piece of furniture that I would love to have in my own home one day.

The last couple of photos shown here were taken as I was walking back to the train station to return back to Wollongong. So in the end our trip to Sydney was that amazing that it was worth the four posts. I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did and if anyone else went or is going to go and see any of the exhibitions I shared in my posts please share as I would love to hear what others thought of it.

Photo Credit: Photos by me, Images of artworks and pieces were found via Google Image.