A new exhibition on Baroque is currently being shown at Tate Britain until 19th April. The exhibition covers the reigns of the last Stuart monarchs, from the restoration of Charles II in 1660 to the death of Queen Anne in 1714. At this time in Europe, art was used to support and advertise the authority of the monarch. Much of the artwork shown is therefore quite regal in its bearing.
The exhibition was appealing to admire as it really portrayed the lavish lifestyles of the rich from the era, as splendour and wealth was expressed in all of the artwork. This period was interesting to look at too as some say the Baroque period is overlooked in art history, however, several themes of politics, power and war came to light which gave a great insight into the period itself and its importance.
What was particularly memorable to note, was that the concept of slavery was openly shown through some of the pieces, which were disturbing to view in all their grandeur, and this was a decision made by the Tate for the reason of wanting to show all parts of history for what they were. They were not wanting to conceal the truths of the period as they felt it was right to project these pieces as errors of the past that must be viewed with the understanding of the context at the time, and I personally found this to be quite moving.
The exhibition itself takes around one hour to two hours to explore, depending on how quickly you ‘take in’ the artwork. The set-up of the exhibition itself was done very effectively, splitting up the different themes of the era into different sections in different rooms. Overall, I found the exhibition to be extremely impressive, but also very educational and informative in understanding the history of the time and behind the art.
By Millie Hindley
