An interstate friend was in town recently and we caught up at the Art Gallery of South Australia. To be perfectly honest, it had been many years since I last visited so it was a delight to discover that there was not one, but two exhibitions that we could wander around as we caught up.
Two of my favourite pieces on display are Circe Invidiosa by J.W. Waterhouse (painted in 1892) and that of John Collier’s Priestess of Delphi (1891). Many years ago I acquired prints of both paintings which grace my walls along with another Waterhouse print that I picked from the Tate Gallery, The Magic Circle (1886).
One of the exhibitions is that currently at the art gallery is the Reimagining the Renaissance, which focuses around the profound artistic and cultural change that emerged from the ‘Dark Ages’.
During this new and transformative period in art, notions of form, colour and perception changed fundamentally and an artistic revolution was born, most notably in the understanding of composition and realism and the rise of humanism.
Throughout art history, the Italian Renaissance has taken centre stage and is regarded as one of the most important periods of artistic revolution and development, often overshadowing the artistic developments simultaneously occurring in other parts of Europe.
Circe Invidiosa by Waterhouse
The Renaissance period span from the 14th to 17th centuries, and it was during this time that the Gutenberg press was invented, many discoveries in science were made, and state-funded explorations of distant lands were also undertaken. Established religious communities experienced philosophical and bloody battles, leading to the Reformation and the end of Catholic rule in England, as well as the witch trials taking place. The brutality that was handed out as “God’s will” seems extremely alien amongst the rich cultural and artistic influences that were also occurring at the time.
Yet, within the Renaissance exhibition, a copy of A Continuation of the Collection or, an Addition of fome few more Remarkable and True Stories of Apparitions and Witchcraft, printed in 1682, is on display, along with other sketches and artwork depicting the increasing fear of witches, devils and other supernatural beings.
The Reimagining the Renaissance exhibition is free at the Art Gallery of South Australia until 13 April 2025.