National Museums Liverpool Blog - Friday, March 25, 2011

Our guest blogger Rosie Marr has some suggestions for ways to treat your mum this Mother's Day.

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Sunday 3rd of April 2011 is Mother’s Day. National Museums Liverpool provide a brilliant atmosphere for a relaxing and memorable day out. In fact, we’ve got Mother’s Day all wrapped up- from delicious food, to gorgeous and thoughtful gifts and even cards, so treat your mum to a day she will treasure!

Whatever your mum is interested in; there is something fun to do together in Liverpool. Why not visit the breath-taking Walker Art Gallery and see amazing paintings from Medieval to modern! Kids can even create their own masterpieces for their mums in the Big Art.  

The Lady Lever Art Gallery contains a spectacular collection of paintings, furniture, tapestries and sculpture. Or you could visit Sudley House, an elegant location where you can get psyched up for the Royal Wedding by visiting an exhibition of wedding dresses, or unwind in the beautiful springtime grounds around Sudley House. On the 2nd of April you can even make a bouquet of flowers for your mum. Best of all, everything is free!

Our cafés and dining rooms serve some of the best food in Liverpool- offering a brilliant variety of food and drink for amazing prices.

Whether you decide on posh afternoon tea or a traditional Sunday roast at the Maritime Dining Rooms, taking in the stunning city views with a glass of wine at the World Museum, or a more indulgent meal at the Lady Lever which has a delightful and diverse menu- all our museums and galleries serve a variety of tasty treats!

Our gift shops are a fantastic place to buy a unique Mother’s Day present! Surprise her with a book on her favourite exhibition (you can also buy these on our online shop ) or a poster of an amazing piece of artwork. We also have gorgeous jewellery, ornaments and souvenirs.

And remember to send a card! You can even send an e-card from our website, choosing from a number of Mother’s Day themed paintings (and even one of an Egyptian mummy!)

Last week our guest blogger Jack Poland visited the Museum of Liverpool, this week he visited the Walker Art Gallery. Jack heard Canon Jules Gomes on Radio Merseyside's Daybreak talking about the religious art in 'A Collector's Eye: Cranach to Pissarro' and went over to take a look himself.  

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Canon Jules Gomes, of the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, was at the Walker Art Gallery this week in his first of four theological reflections on the Collector’s Eye: Cranach to Pissarro exhibition. The discussions took place for BBC Radio Merseyside’s Daybreak as we approach Easter, focussing on a single painting each week.

Today, I decided to follow the Canon's lead and witness the paintings for myself. Although the vast collection, which has been provided by owner David J. Lewis, covers a wide array of subjects I decided to follow Canon Gomes’ lead and focus on the religious works.

The first painting I came across, which also happened to be the first to be discussed by Canon Gomes this week, was Luis De Morales’ Ecce Homo or Behold the Man. In it, visitors can see a distinct looking Pontius Pilate revealing a forlorn Christ to an unseen crowd. As a relative novice to such works I was surprised to find that my initial response was of genuine interest and solemnity. The absence of Christ’s crown of thorns and the subsequent pain and humiliation that is expressed in his face is certainly the most striking element of the piece.  

I continued my walk around the exhibition of paintings, which have been built up in David Lewis’ collection for the last 35 years, picking out the religious works. What struck me most was the unique nature of the paintings compared to other more traditional religious images visitors are most likely to be used to.

It is clear that the collector has a keen eye for distinctive works that spans the entire exhibition as well as the religious paintings. As a self confessed new comer to such exhibitions I left with a renewed verve and would recommend all to see these paintings which are on display at the Walker until May 15 2011.

For this blog post I am going to have to confess to being unable to come up with any maritime or current affairs link, I just found an image that was too good (or bad) not to share.  Archivists are not keen on accepting newspapers within collections because they are usually available in a well managed and coherent way in newspaper libraries.  I especially hate bundles of undated clippings from unidentified newspapers - 'if you're going to cut them out and keep them, at least include the date and source', I mutter to long dead depositors.  Anyway, when a newspaper does pass our ruthless selection criteria the adverts and other stories are often more interesting than the reason the depositor carefully saved it.  This is especially true of our editions of the Illustrated London News. While I find maritime disasters as interesting as the next person (and in the Maritime Archives & Library, that means very interesting indeed), I couldn't take my eyes off this fantastically awful advert for a furriers.  I'm not sure who looks more uncomfortable, but the woman, while being incredibly constricted by corsets, has the advantage of not being stuffed and mounted.

This week, our guest-blogger in National Museums Liverpool press office is Jack Poland, who was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the new Museum of Liverpool.

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Last week, I was one of a fortunate few to witness the unveiling of the iconic Liverpool Map as the Museum of Liverpool revealed its latest instalment.

The map was the product of sculptors Jeffrey Sarmiento and Inge Panneels’ nine months of arduous work. It took little time, however, to acknowledge that such labour had well and truly paid off as the six-segment sculpture, each one weighing 100kg, was finally unveiled.

Even the picturesque Pier Head as its backdrop could not entice the viewing eyes away from the magnificent art piece which binds the geographical map of Liverpool with a cultural one. As light shines through the 17 layers of fused glass the map takes on a whole new level of interest. Hours upon hours of time are guaranteed to be lost when viewing the map as well known faces, places and words will burst out at every possible angle. The attention to detail of the artists was there for all to see, from the intricate implementation to the famous faces being placed as close as possible to their relevant geographical locations.

American artist, Jeffrey Sarmiento said of the result: “I had not initially planned on coming up to see it being put in place because I find installs terrifying and one single section of the Liverpool Map is twice as big as any piece I have made before, but I am relieved it is up and it looks extremely close to how we envisaged it.”

The viewing of this intriguing piece was a fitting end to a suitably fascinating first visit to the new Museum of Liverpool. I was initially struck by the size and distinctive look of the building and this admiration was a constant throughout my tour inside. One would be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into a building in Rome or New York such is the innovation and originality of the museum and its contents. A reminder of Liverpool’s rich lineage of history around every corner however, serves as a welcome reminder that visitors are in fact in a city that can boast all the mystery and wonder of those other great cities.

The Museum of Liverpool opens on 19 July, so as an early tourist to the Museum of Liverpool I felt privileged to gain a sneak peek behind its curtain, and was by no means disappointed. Standing proudly on the Pier Head, the museum has tastefully blended the old with the new, and this is one of many factors as to why I am sure this will be the first of many visits for me in the future.

I once forgot to pay my bill when covering a big news story in Derbyshire – quite unintentional, of course.

 

It was at Glossop and the pub landlady came running out calling to me and waving the chit. I put it on my expenses later. In this story all those involved were happy to stay alive, never mind any unpaid bills.

 

The wealthy American businessman was savouring his time on the luxury liner, relaxing and sampling the varied menus

 

Charles Lauriat signed two bills for mineral water expecting to settle when he disembarked at Liverpool.

 

After dinner on 6 May 1915 40-year-old Charles went to a party with fellow American passengers and senior crew members. Life was good. He was on a business trip for the Boston booksellers Charles E Lauriat owned by his father.

 

Charles had one slight worry during the voyage – the threat of German submarines. America was neutral but the Germans had warned that British ships were legitimate targets.

 

He had been told the Lusitania would be escorted through the war zone but none materialised. During the voyage he was concerned because the Lusitania seemed to be travelling comparatively slowly.

 

Charles also noticed that a number of portholes were kept open and that passengers were given a lifeboat drill. He nervously kept a note of how many miles they covered daily.

 

On the morning of 7 May he noted that the ship was travelling slowly with the Irish coast in view. As he ate lunch he felt a cool breeze through the open portholes.

 

Shortly afterwards he was talking to two fellow passengers when they felt a muffled impact and the ship trembled. Smoke and cinders shot up on the starboard side – Lusitania had been torpedoed.

 

Charles helped people put on their lifejackets and get into lifeboats. Chaotic scenes ensued as people realised the ship was about to go under. Charles thought the open portholes were causing the ship to flood more rapidly.

 

Lusitania went down in 18 minutes with the loss of 1,200 lives. Charles leapt into the sea and managed to get into a collapsible boat. They rowed to safety at the Old Head of Kinsale lighthouse.

 

We know of Charles’ experiences because he wrote a fascinating book called The Lusitania’s Last Voyage.

 

He never paid for his mineral water. The two bills (pictured) can be seen in the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress gallery.

 

They bear Charles’ signature and the number of his stateroom, B5. They also carry the names of head waiter Sydney Le Touzel and bedroom steward Robert Morse – Liverpool men who also survived.

 

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents and bookshops.

It's a very exciting week this week as the newly refurbished room at the Walker Art Gallery, 'British art 1880-1950', is opening again on Friday. It will showcase pieces from our collections including works by LS Lowry and Lucian Freud, plus many works which have never been on display before!

I had a chat with our curator of British art, Laura MacCulloch, who told me more about what you can expect to see there:

Tell me about the different types of works which are being brought together in this room?
 
This work brings together paintings, sculptures and works on paper with furniture and ceramics all made between 1880 and 1950.  It's a really exciting period to explore as artists begin to break away from the traditional, Victorian ideas about art and experiment with styles, colours and techniques. It's great to be able to show fine and decoratvie arts together because it shows how artists working in all media experimented.
 
How does this room differ from the more 'standard' rooms of paintings in the Walker?
 
We are aiming to give our visitors more of the context surrounding the art. Between 1880 and 1950 there were huge political and social upheavals brought on by two world wars and increasing industrialisation. We have created an interactive timeline which includes lots of information and images relating to key historical and art historical events. There is more information on the timeline than we could ever fit on a label.

We also wanted visitors to experience the works of art in new ways. We've included tiles you can touch to feel different glazing techniques, paintings that you can touch to feel different ways artists liked to apply paint and two sculptures which have been specially coated so people can touch them without causing any damage to the works. 

We also created a soundscape to go with Stanhope Forbes' painting 'Off to the Fishing Grounds' so that visitors can take a short trip to Newlyn in Cornwall without having to leave Liverpool!
 
There's also a jigsaw of Ceri Richards radical scuplture/painting 'Mother and child' which allows you to experience its pleasing curves and the feel of the wood with your hands and well as with your eyes. 

Are there any works that you are excited about bringing out of storage and finally having on display?

There are so many that have not been on display for a long time which I am really excited about getting on display. I am particularly happy about having special draws so that we can show works on paper by war artists for the first time.  Usually works on paper can not be shown alongside paintings as they are damaged by too much light, but the draws stop the light falling on them so we will be able to have a lot more on display.  We have so many works on paper relating to World War Two that we are going to rotate them.

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You can see some sneak preview photos of the new room before it opens in our Flickr set here.

Francesca Aiken, assistant exhibition curator for the Museum of Liverpool's Global City Gallery writes:

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“How could it happen? How could I not know about this?” was David Yip’s response when he heard for the first time about the enforced repatriation of hundreds of seamen from Liverpool’s Chinese community that took place in 1946.

For many of those directly affected, the wives and children of Chinese seamen who worked for the Merchant Navy during the Second World War, the truth about their sudden disappearance wasn’t known until decades later – many thought they had been abandoned. Now, 65 years later, more and more are discovering the truth.

After the war ended, the Home Office took steps to reduce the number of Chinese seamen in the citiy to pre-war levels while at the same time shipping companies slashed wages. Over 200 were forcibly removed during night raids; some were tricked onto ships that would never return - leaving many children without fathers, and wives without husbands.

Championing the truth behind these hushed up events, David recorded the narration for Where has my father gone? in a studio in London today. Displayed in East meets West – The Story of Shanghai and Liverpool, this film will feature new recordings of personal stories that explore the affects on those families torn apart in 1946.

East meets West – The Story of Shanghai and Liverpool will feature as a special exhibition in the Global City Gallery for the new Museum of Liverpool which will open on July 19th of this year.

Those who have joined our membership scheme often get the chance to experience exclusive events at our venues. Here is a review of one such event by members Gordon Collinson and Anne Roberts:

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We are members of the National Museums Liverpool membership scheme and attended Christopher Wright’s talk entitled, 'A Collector’s Eye – Cranach to Pissarro', at the Walker Art Gallery. We certainly had our cultural palates stimulated to an unprecedented degree.

The evening got off to a good start with a welcoming complimentary drink in the gallery café, which always gets people into a receptive mood!  We then went into the exhibition space where we were welcomed by Sandra Penketh, who gave us a very good introduction to the talk and our invited speaker.

When Christopher took to the podium we were all transported on what could only be described as an artistic juggernaut, which commanded our rapt attention for over forty-five minutes. The scope and breadth of his knowledge was amazing and we were taken on a journey into the world of private collecting. He talked about identifying, cataloguing and restoring of masterpieces whilst also giving humorous and illuminating insights into a world which often appears to be shrouded in mystery.

It is indeed an honour and a privilege to hear a person as erudite as Christopher Wright describe his world of work in such a light-hearted, yet significantly meaningful manner. It is one thing to be an academician, but to be able to communicate one’s knowledge, together with a high degree of enthusiasm is another matter and Christopher certainly has these capabilities. 

This was one of those all too rare experiences, likely to become even rarer owing to prevailing economic circumstances. For those of us who were fortunate enough to be in attendance, it was an unforgettable experience.

I like the way Chinese artists have depicted the West over the centuries, particularly on ceramics and canvas.

Their work shows a fine delicacy which is charming as well as inspirational. Chinese marine art perhaps lacks the sense of movement captured by European artists but I am drawn in by the incredible technical detail.

A number of Chinese artists worked in Far East ports specialising in ship portraits for Western captains.

Several fine examples from the period 1850 to 1910 are on display in Merseyside Maritime Museum’s Art & the Sea gallery.

The artists generally painted on linen canvases which gave their works a very smooth appearance. Unfortunately the paint has often cracked over the years.

Most will be featured in the China, Shanghai and Liverpool exhibition at the new Museum of Liverpool opening later this year.

The sailing ship Maiden Queen is depicted by an unknown artist with a traditional junk cargo ship in the background. The painting is in its original lacquer frame.

Owned by T & J Brocklebank, Maiden Queen was employed in the tea trade sailing mainly to Hong Kong. She is seen off the Chinese coast. 

The Elizabeth Nicholson is another British ship painted by an unknown artist. She was built in 1863 in Dumfriesshire for the tea trade. She did one of the fastest runs from China in 1867-8 when she sailed from Foochow (Fuzhou) to London in 92 days.

Elizabeth Nicholson is pictured under full sail with a junk visible beneath the bowsprit.

The Scawfell off Hong Kong was painted by an artist in the Lai Sung studio active between 1850 and 1885. This tea clipper was constructed in 1858 for Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool who were involved in the China Trade.

Seen at anchor off Hong Kong, Scawfell made several record voyages. In 1861 she sailed from Whampoa (Huangpu) to Liverpool in 88 days.

Lai Sung was one of a handful of Hong Kong art studios producing ship portraits.

Anjer Head (artist unknown) is depicted at sea under full sail and steam. She was made in 1881 for Angier Brothers of London.

The Kwong Sang studio was active between 1890 and 1894, selling commissioned paintings in Calcutta. There has been a thriving Chinese community in the city since the late 18th century.

A Kwong Sang artist portrayed the four-masted iron barque Windermere (pictured) which voyaged from London or Hamburg to India, Australia and the Pacific. She was built in 1893 for Fisher and Sprott of London.

Some of the crew can be seen including the officer of the watch holding his telescope.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback – Mersey Maritime Tales (£3.99) – is available from the museum, newsagents and bookshops.

This blog is by Bethan Mackenzie, a PR student and volunteer at National Museums Liverpool.

The Inside DNA exhibition at World Museum is an intellectual treat. Walking into the exhibition I am greeted by human skeletons showing off how far we have come. Our nearest surviving relative to humans is the chimpanzee, very cute!

Walking around the gallery there are loads of things to explore. The exhibition is very hands on, there are plenty of touch screens to delve deeper inside DNA and visual activities for literal explanations. One activity, where I had to answer a series of eight questions about eye colour and knuckle hair, told me “Out of 299383 people, you are only the 152nd like you.” This is always nice to know. 

I loved the genome explorer, the results of Human Genome Project where they successfully made sense of the DNA sequence. It was able to tell you which chromosomes where responsible for genetic traits, including behaviour and diseases. I consider myself a bit of a talker therefore I was very grateful to chromosome seven which is the genetic link to our language development and speech.

Even how we react to horror films can be down to our genes! Chromosome 22 is home to a gene called COMT which can influence how we react to extremes of anxiety and stress. All this information fascinated me; I can now blame all my flaws to my genes, total result.

I spent a lot of time in the “courtroom” discovering how studying DNA can help to solve crimes. I now feel prepared for jury service. There is also the opportunity to experience how DNA is collected at the scene; it’s a unique system which I have never seen in a museum before, great fun.

The Inside DNA exhibition (which is open until 8 May 2011) has exceptional, interesting facts, activities and games for all ages. It is very informative and fun. Definitely recommended.

Bethan Mackenzie (PR student and volunteer at National Museums Liverpool).