Discover Welsh art through its buildings
Great Britain did not dominate the European art scene like France, Italy or the Netherlands. However, some English artists, including many Welsh, produced some remarkable works. The first great painters in England were predominantly foreign, and it was not until the Renaissance that local art really developed. The beginnings of the Welsh Renaissance can be traced back to the early 15th century, with mainly religious works. The Protestant Reformation led to the destruction of many of these works, with the exception of a few stained-glass windows, such as those in All Saints Church in Gresford and St. David's Cathedral. The church of St. Cadoc in Llancarfan boasts unique medieval murals depicting St. George and the dragon, a key scene of the period, but of which only a few versions have survived. Plas Mawr House in Conwy, built in the 16th century, is one of the few surviving Elizabethan buildings in Britain. Many rooms have retained their original plasterwork and carved wooden panels. Molded onto ceilings and walls, these decorations include numerous insignia and symbols. They also incorporate a number of classical themes. Some are painted in bright colors, for a striking result.
Welsh art, between national affirmation and English and European influences
During the medieval and post-medieval periods, the art of portraiture was not very widespread in Wales, as the nobility travelled to London or the major urban centers of Great Britain to have their portraits painted. It was not until the late 19th century that artists began to devote themselves to portraiture, with painters such as William Roos (1808-1878) and Hugh Hughes (1790-1863). Their paintings can be admired at the National Museum of Wales. Most Welsh artists usually left their homeland to work in the UK's major cities, but the 18th-century fashion for landscape painting encouraged a certain return to their roots. Among the first important Welsh landscape painters is Richard Wilson (1714-1782), strongly influenced by the Flemish landscape school. But it remained difficult for artists of the time to make a living from their art and develop their practice. It wasn't until 1865, with the opening of the Cardiff School of Art, that a local scene really developed.
Impressionism arrived in England with James Whistler (1834-1903), an American painter and printmaker who settled in London in 1863. His influence on English painting was to prove decisive, as was that of Walter Sickert (1860-1942) and Wilson Steer (1860-1942). In 1886, the latter founded the New English Art Club, in reaction to the conformism of the Academy. Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) is famous for his gentle paintings of the Welsh coast, which charmingly recreate its distinctive atmosphere, as with Lady's Cowe, Wales (1897) or Sur les falaises, Langland Bay, Wales (1897). Impressionist painters of Welsh origin are few in number, but some are being rediscovered today, such as Huw Wystan Jones (1820-1888), a close friend of Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin, or Christopher Williams (1873-1934), who painted magnificent seaside scenes.
Between the wars, Welsh art followed the major European trends, with Ceri Richards (1903-1971) representing Surrealism. It was only after the Second World War that a new lease of life took hold in Wales, with the emergence of new groups such as the South Wales Group (founded in 1948 and still in existence today as The Welsh Group), or the 56 Group Wales, which brought local artists international recognition. Later on, we might also mention the Beca Group, which was instrumental in building a Welsh national consciousness. Founded in the late 1970s, this group reflects the influence of European movements such as Arte Povera, Fluxus and Surrealism on Welsh artists.
Wales, a cradle of photography
Photography was introduced relatively early in Wales, just two years after the invention of the daguerreotype. It was the Reverend Calvert Richard Jones who took the first photograph of the region in March 1841, of Margam Castle, owned by his friend Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot. A circle of photographers was then established in Swansea, around the Reverend and other local personalities such as John Dillwyn Llewelyn, also a botanist. William Henry Fox Talbot, the great British photographer who invented a method of reproducing several copies of the same image, was in fact the cousin of the latter's wife. Thanks to this connection, John Dillwyn Llewelyn and his family became pioneers of European photography in the 1840s and 1850s.
By the end of the 1850s, photography had become popular and studios were commonplace in the city, with most people having their portraits taken - not least for use on business cards. A veritable carte-de-visite tradition developed, with photographer John Thomas (1838-1905) becoming a benchmark in the field, although he is best known today for his landscapes and photos of workers. These images, of great quality and precision for their time, reveal a great deal about Wales at the time. Many can be admired at the National Library of Wales.
As the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries progressed, photography became increasingly popular, and technological advances made it possible for everyone to enjoy this new practice. At the same time, photography took a more aesthetic turn, becoming an art form like any other. Documentary and journalistic photography also developed, with photojournalists such as Geoff Charles (1909-2002), who worked in North and Mid Wales from the late 1930s onwards, leaving behind an impressive collection of images.
To admire these images, the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth houses over 950,000 photographs relating to the region. There are works by pioneering photographers as well as contemporary practitioners. All have a connection with Wales, whether through their theme or the origin of their author. Founded in 1978, the Ffotogallery is another reference in this field. It presents exhibitions of old and new photographs, and supports contemporary creation. Finally, Aberystwyth is home to the first camera obscura, built in 1880 in the grounds of the castle, then relocated to Constitution Hill for a better view. Disappeared in 1920, it was reproduced and has been visible again since 1985. It's a must-see in the city, if you're lucky enough to visit. The massive 14-inch lens makes it one of the world's largest camera obscuras, with fascinating results (especially since the surrounding coastal landscape is remarkable in itself).
Welsh contemporary art, a progressive affirmation
Over the past few decades, Wales' contemporary art scene has been gradually asserting itself independently of the rest of the UK. Since 2003, for example, Wales has participated in the Venice Biennale with its own pavilion, exhibiting artists such as John Cale (1942-), Bedwyr Williams (1974-) and Cerith Wyn-Evans (1958-). The latter is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, video artist and sculptor, famous in particular for his installations and mobiles that play with light, using neon, fire and mirrors, for example.
Today, the capital is the city where most of the creative activity is concentrated, but the region also boasts a variety of cultural venues spread throughout the country, including the Moma (Museum of Modern Art Wales) in Machynlleth, Plas Glyn y Weddw (an art center housed in an old house in Llanbedrog), the Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown, the Riverfront in Newport, the Glynn Vivan Art Gallery in Swansea and the Chapter Art Center in Cardiff.
The street artists to the assault of Wales
Welsh art can be found not only in museums and galleries, but also on city walls! If Bristol is often considered the street art capital of the UK, Cardiff also shines in terms of urban culture. The region is home to many renowned artists and collectives, such as Phlegm, originally an illustrator. A huge fresco by Phlegm can be found near Cardiff Central Station, and is instantly recognizable if you've ever come across his work, characterized by black and white and a rich imagination.
An amusing anecdote: in December 2018, shortly before Christmas, a work by the celebrated Banksy appeared on the corner of a metalworker's garage in the small town of Port Talbot, South Wales. Entitled Season's Greetings, this work is a denunciation of the pollution produced by the polluting industries installed in the region, and depicts a child playing with snowflakes... until we understand that they are ashes coming out of a chimney! A powerful visual message in one of the UK's most polluted cities. Naturally, the news spread like wildfire, with the work attracting over 20,000 visitors, until a wealthy collector decided to buy it back (from the owner of the wall), promising to display it in the city for at least three years. This little story perfectly illustrates the paradox of street art: when an artist becomes famous, it's difficult to let his work flourish in the street. To admire Season's Greetings, head to Ty'r Orsaf, a building located on the site of a former police station, near the Port Talbot Parkway train station.
