Gothic Nightmares
At the weekend I visited the exhibition Gothic Nightmares at the Tate. A suberb collection of fantastic and supernatural themes which dominated British culture from around 1770 to 1830. It is the whole genre that impresses, more so than the individual works, although I loved William Blakes etching (Plate 33 from Jerusalem) most. It’s hard to think of a time before the Gothic shaped our culture. The riots in London in 1780 helped shaped the work. Some of the artists have been proclaimed as mad but after visiting Anita on Sunday and seeing her face contorted with palsy and pain I can probably relate to them more than ever. I love the idea that by voicing our nightmares in writing or painting they hold less control over us.