Cathederal of St Walburg, Furnes. Courtesy of William Morris Gallery
An exhibition of the work of acclaimed Welsh artist, Frank Brangywn, is showing at the William Morris Gallery in London until February 17 2007.
Brangwyn (1867-1956) once worked for William Morris, the leading designer, writer and socialist, and was one of the founding fathers of the gallery that bears his tutor's name. In addition to bequeathing works of 19th and 20th century art that formed the nucleus of the gallery's collection, Brangwyn was a Royal Academian and one of the few British painters of his time with a truly international reputation.
In the pre-First World War years he was recognised as a painter of great empathy with a particular affinity with working people, whom he often depicted in dark brooding scenes from modern life. His work was exhibited throughout Europe and the USA where he was especially lauded for his skills as a muralist.
Dahlias. Courtesy Of William Morris Gallery
His mural for the RCA Building at the Rockefeller Center in New York (1932-3), featured in the exhibition, is among his best-known works. The display also shows one of Brangwyn's large paintings for a series of Venetian scenes formerly at Horton House in Northamptonshire.
Its Venetian Washerwomen panel is typical of Brangwyn’s large-scale paintings that impress by their sheer scale and quality of draughtsmanship.
Less imposing but equally impressive are the displays of his prints including etchings, lithographs and woodcuts. From mosques in Istanbul to hop pickers in a London railway station his work combines epic proportions and scale with an immediacy and impact.
The display also includes applied art made from Brangwyn's designs, including furniture and an important collection of ceramics.
The William Morris Gallery was opened in 1950 by the then Prime Minister Clement Attlee and is the only public museum devoted to the celebrated pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement, who lived from 1834-1896.
