Cue the Fanfare
Ever since we heard Compton Verney was reopening, I’ve been trying to get tickets to the two current exhibitions. The tickets are so limited in number and are timed, so trying to get all our ducks in a row to coincide with availability hasn’t been easy. However, one day last week I struck lucky and as a result, this morning we were there!
It’s a glorious place and on a beautifully sunny morning we savoured the walk from the car park, through the Capability Brown landscape to the house and gallery.
Everything was really well organised and we felt confident we were in safe surroundings. Our tickets were for 10.30am and we waited in the courtyard until called in by our guide, who took excellent care of his group of eight visitors.
Actually, we had two sets of tickets - 10.30am for the Cranach exhibition, 11.45am for the Fabric one., so first off we were heading to see Renaissance portraits from Germany - not really either of our favoured topics, but never mind. We were here!
Normally, I’d offer an overview of an exhibition like this, share a few thoughts and the pictures we were encouraged to take. But on this occasion, the gallery has a “virtual exhibition” online and really, it’s so good, I’ll simply leave the link here.
As always, the Compton Verney curator had put together an intriguing collection of work, for not only were there original Cranach portraits and woodblock prints, there were more contemporary pieces which had been inspired by these originals and the references were fascinating to see. Most are well described in the curator’s video in the link above, but my favourite is missing from there, so I’ll share it here.
The absurdity of hanging a work of fine art in such bleak and derelict surroundings seemed to capture that concept well and it prompted thoughts of those individuals who squirrel such things away for their own personal enjoyment rather than share them in public view. And yes, the original of the painting referenced in the work was hanging just the other side of the gallery too.
(It also reminded me of a local bus stop, not too far from home)
I like that kind of thing.
(I wasn’t so keen on the huge figure of St Apollonia with her pliers in hand, however!)
Anyway, Cranach scored two more fans this morning and won us over with his detailed and beautifully observed portraits. I might also add that our time slot was more than sufficient to see everything without rushing and the luxury of sharing the whole gallery with just three other couples made all the ticket hassle well worthwhile!
With a brief nod to my favourite exhibit , we made our way through the Chinese gallery to the Fabric exhibition.
Once again, we found ourselves in a group of just seven, led by a gallery guide who held open doors and kept us up with what was what.
He suggested that most people came to see the Cranach and were then pleasantly surprised at how interesting the Fabric exhibition proved to be. I, of course, was of the opposite persuasion having focused on the fabric and been charmed by Cranach! Once again, each of the exhibits is so clearly described by the artists and curators on the website here, I won’t trouble you further with my inferior shots.
Except, the Final Fanfare!
The smallest room, right at the end of the gallery is often used as a small reading room or to show something exquisite. In this show, it is completely lined with fans….fans created from samples of Japanese indigo dyed fabric and the spectacle is altogether breathtaking.
Each of the four walls was covered with fans and they hung from the ceiling too. We both loved it - and of course, we had it to ourselves, since the other five group members were still in another room.
When we arrived home, I looked at the website and watched the videos thinking that perhaps we didn’t need to have gone…we could have simply watched and listened on the screen in much the same way as we’ve been doing for weeks now. Except that there is nothing quite like actually being there; of standing in front of the real thing and looking so closely at it that your nose is nearly touching! Having the place almost to ourselves made it all the more of a delight.
What we’ve been missing, eh?
