When the American beat poet Allen Ginsberg wrote his poem Wales Visitation during a visit to the Black Mountains in 1967, he intended it as a neo-romantic response to Wordsworth’s infamous Tintern Abbey.
Now the poem, which also makes reference to William Blake and speaks of a “solid mass of Heaven, mist-infused”, ebbing through the vale of Llanthony, has inspired a new exhibition about Wales’ Celtic past, folklore and landscape currently on display at National Museum Cardiff.
It consists of works from the museum’s collection which explore modern and contemporary forms of romanticism and features artists like David Jones, Richard Long, Graham Sutherland, Clare Woods and John Piper.
Rock formations, c.1948. © The Estate of John Piper
Lucky audiences will get to see a series of works by Piper. Until recently these were held in a private collection but have just been purchased for the national art collection thanks to a generous Heritage Lottery Fund grant and donations from the Derek Williams Trust and the Art Fund.
Worth nearly £1m, the works reveal breathtaking views of Snowdonia, a source of huge inspiration for Piper from the early 1940s to the mid-50s when he rented cottages in the area and roamed the mountain ranges, capturing their palette and shape on canvas.
The art works by Piper were first shown at the National Museum Cardiff in 2012, when they were privately owned, and then toured to Oriel y Parc in Pembrokeshire and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, attracting 67,000 visitors across the three venues.
Rocks at Capel Curig, c.1947. © The Estate of John Piper
David Anderson, director general, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales said: “The success of the exhibition of works by John Piper in 2012 confirmed to us how popular the artist is to the people of Wales, and therefore how important it is to add to the representation of his work in the national collection.
“Thanks to the extremely generous contributions of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Derek Williams Trust and the Art Fund, we have been able to do just that. Worth around £1m, we couldn’t even consider purchasing these works alone.
“Thank you also to the team at the Colwinston Charitable Trust for their continuing support of the display of contemporary collections at National Museum Cardiff.”
Commenting on the grant award, Jennifer Stewart, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales said: “This is a very exciting acquisition for National Museum Wales and we are delighted to be able to support it.
Rocky Valley, North Wales, 1948. © The Estate of John Piper
“This popular artist and his works have a strong connection to Wales and these acquired paintings play an important part in interpreting and reflecting our diverse landscapes. Snowdonia is one of our national heritage jewels and is beautifully portrayed in John Piper’s pieces.
“We look forward to seeing them displayed around Wales and used in new and exciting ways so that people can learn more about heritage.”
Wales Visitation: Poetry, Romanticism and Myth in Art runs until 7 September 2014 at the National Museum Cardiff.
