The Dreams and Nightmares exhibition has launched and will be
showcased up until 22nd March 2020 at The Higgins Bedford. Working in partnership; Victoria Partridge - Keeper of Fine and Decorative Art at The Higgins and Christiana Payne – Professor of History of Art at Oxford Brookes University – has organised this event.
 |
| Co-curators; Victoria Partridge and Professor Christiana Payne |
In this exhibition chosen from the highlights of the Cecil
Higgins Collection the dreams and nightmares ranged from happy dreams to
troubling nightmares where fears and desires were a key part in telling the
story of the paintings. The paintings had different themes which included dreamscapes; sublime and spiritual visions; sleepers; spectral images; romantic dreams and daydreams; fairies and witches; manifestations of the unconscious; and nightmares becoming realities.
I had the opportunity to view this exhibition on 10th October 2019 and as a young person attending, I found it fascinating. The creation of the different interpretations constructed a vivid image and brought the paintings to life, particularly the nightmare On Death Part Two, Dead Mother, 1898 by artist Max Klinger (from the nightmares become realities section). In the painting, a baby is sitting on top of the mother, who is dead. The baby doesn’t think this is a nightmare because in front of them is their mother laying asleep. It’s deeply saddening as they just want their mother to wake up. It really makes you connect with the picture and the story being told and really touched my heart. The black and white painting really hones in on the loneliness of the baby child who has no one to turn to. The blackness of the woods in the background traps the baby from the outside world, where one lone tree is used to signify that they are all alone.
 |
| Max Klinger (1857 - 1920) - On Death Part Two, Dead Mother, 1898 |
I had the opportunity to view this exhibition on 10th October 2019 and as a young person attending, I found it fascinating. The creation of the different interpretations constructed a vivid image and brought the paintings to life, particularly the nightmare On Death Part Two, Dead Mother, 1898 by artist Max Klinger (from the nightmares become realities section). In the painting, a baby is sitting on top of the mother, who is dead. The baby doesn’t think this is a nightmare because in front of them is their mother laying asleep. It’s deeply saddening as they just want their mother to wake up. It really makes you connect with the picture and the story being told and really touched my heart. The black and white painting really hones in on the loneliness of the baby child who has no one to turn to. The blackness of the woods in the background traps the baby from the outside world, where one lone tree is used to signify that they are all alone.
This exhibition is well worth the visit and in addition there
will be gallery tours, lunchtime lectures and a study day with Christiana Payne and Victoria Partridge. For further
details visit the website: http://www.thehigginsbedford.org.uk/exhibitions-1/dreams_and_nightmares.aspx
