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You are here: Things To Do › Arts & Culture › Celebration of the Landscape of the New Forest, as seen by artists over the last 200 years - This summer at the St. Barbe Gallery.

Celebration of the Landscape of the New Forest, as seen by artists over the last 200 years - This summer at the St. Barbe Gallery.

Opening Saturday 4th August, St. Barbe museum & gallery in Lymington will, this summer, be celebrating the landscape of the New Forest

The New Forest is unique, a landscape shaped by centuries of human activity and comprising a rich and varied history and ecology. Known for its ancient woodland, expanses of heath and Solent coast, the area has inspired resident artists and those who have visited since local vicar William Gilpin first championed the picturesque in the 18th century.

The exhibition gathers visions of the Forest from a range of artists known both locally and internationally who have drawn their inspiration from majestic oaks and beeches, gorse-dotted heaths, shingle beaches and, of course, the ubiquitous New Forest ponies.

Interpretations across the years have varied dramatically and among those included are the picturesque licence of Gilpin, the cosy rustic scenes of Victorian artist William Shayer, the equestrian art of Lucy Kemp-Welch and John Emms and the idiosyncratic visions of Richard Eurich and Sven Berlin. Among the larger and more dramatic works will be Kemp-Welch’s stunning oil painting of 1897 Colt Hunting in the New Forest on loan from the Tate and a magnificent William Morris tapestry designed by Heywood Sumner The Chace.

The exhibition also brings things right up to date with work by contemporary artists; New Forest residents such as Barry Peckham and Robert King and visitors like Kurt Jackson who bring their own distinctive interpretations to a landscape that has inspired artists across the centuries.

The gallery has also enlisted the help of those most closely engaged in the life of the Forest to provide a commentary on the paintings. Members of the Verderers Court, Agisters, Commoners, historians and artists will all provide an insight into the appearance and history of the landscape and the way in which it has been shaped by human and animals activity across the centuries.

The exhibition will also be marked by a series of events examining the way in which artists past and present have approached the subject of the New Forest. Exhibition curator Steve Marshall will be providing a gallery tour to give some of the background on the art and artists.

There will also be a series of artist-led workshops looking at different styles and media for portraying the unique qualities of the New Forest landscape:
13th August – Dan Powell: New Forest Coastal Landscape and Wildlife
14th August – Pete Gilbert: New Forest Landscapes
15th August – Pete Gilbert: New Forest Landscapes
25th August – Barry Peckham: New Forest Landscapes

Exhibition supported by Brewin Dolphin, New Forest National Park Authority and the Christopher Tower Foundation.