‘Winter Landscapes’ by Colin Wiggins
11 December 2019
Report by Will Vaughan
Once again the Bruton Art Society has enjoyed the pleasure of a talk by Colin Wiggins, former lecturer and curator of special exhibitions at the National Gallery. Colin is well known for the high quality of his lectures, in which he combines entertainment and information in his own unique manner. Last time he spoke to us four years ago, he told of his activities at the National Gallery, in which he encouraged leading contemporary artists like Peter Blake, Sean Scully and Paula Reago to produce works that engaged with major works in the Gallery’s collection. This time he was inviting us to look again at the seasonal theme of Winter Landscapes, with a particular emphasis on snow scenes.
He took us from the earliest representations of snow in the late middle ages – in such exquisite works as the Tres Riches Heures of the Duc de Berry – to fascinating colour explorations of Monet and other Impressionists. He also brought in treatments outside the European tradition, in particular the marvellous winter scenes of Japanese woodcut artists like Hokusai.
