• Gothic Beauty: Victorian notions of love, loss and spirituality

    06 Oct 18 - 10 Feb 19
Overview

Overview

Bendigo Art Gallery
42 View Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
06 Oct 18 - 10 Feb 19
  • Monday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Tuesday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Wednesday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Thursday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Friday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Saturday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Sunday
    10:00am - 5:00pm
    Closed Christmas Day
FREE

The publication of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto in 1764, marked a turning point in literature, art and society, sparking a keen interest in dark, psychological narratives with a focus on a heightened emotional state.

By the early nineteenth century Gothic literature had become commonplace and had particular appeal to middle and upper class women as both writers and readers.

These thrilling stories undoubtedly offered an escape from the sheltered and dull lives dictated for them by society. These ideals were manifested through art and society and Gothic Beauty takes inspiration from the earliest incarnations; traversing the physical embodiment through an exploration of the regimented ritual of mourning in the Victorian era to the metaphysical through art and literature.

This exhibition traces the Victorian gothic into contemporary art, bringing together the work of a variety of artists who explore these ideas including: Bill Henson, Jess Johnson, Jane Burton, Janet Beckhouse and Julia deVille.

JW Wilson. **King Cophetua and the Beggarmaid** 1906. oil on canvas. Collection Bendigo Art Gallery
Juz Kitson, **You are everything; ripples moving ever outwards** 2017. jingdezhen porcelain, merino wool, rabbit fur, marine ply and treated pine. Courtesy the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery
Julia deVille, **Sentience** 2012, stillborn deer, rubies 18.45 ct, pear-cut garnet 0.7 ct, 18 ct, white gold, sterling silver, bronze, black rhodium and antique platter. Collection Bendigo Art Gallery. Photo: Terence Bogue. Image reproduced courtesy of the artist.

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