Howard Theatre, Downing College: murals

Here is a nice thing to look at when sitting in the Howard Theatre of Downing College in Cambridge:

This mural appears above the theatre's stage. (Those red seats, by the way, are fiendishly comfortable...)



A company called Hare & Humphreys carried out the design.  Their website refers to it as a painted canvas of the "Three Graces" but this is patently not true.

This is Apollo and the nine muses (count them: more than three; in fact, ten -- I'll get to that).  And the painting upon which this is based is the German Neoclassical painter Anton Raphael Mengs' mural of Apollo, Mnemosyne and the Nine Muses, painted in 1761 for the Villa Albani-Torlonia in Rome.  Here is the Mengs:

© Wikimedia

Mnemosyne (which means 'memory') is the mother of the nine muses (Zeus was the father).  I take her to be the seated woman in white and blue.

Interesting variations:
•  the globe -- it appears to be mostly blue in the Mengs and has green continents in the Howard Theatre
•  Apollo's eyes -- appear to have been gouged out at some point in the Roman mural?
•  sandals -- is the Howard Theatre Apollo barefoot?

The nine muses are also on the pediment over the main entrance to the Fitzwilliam Museum (but that is food for another post).

The ceiling of the Howard Theatre is painted to look like a Renaissance or Baroque sky (also done by Hare & Humphreys).  It is quite lovely and reminds me of Mantegna and Tiepolo.

At any rate, sit in the theatre and be transported to another realm.

Surprise! A mosaic in a hospital.

There's a mosaic in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.  

Yes, in a hospital.  You can find art in a hospital.  In fact, there is lots of art Addenbrooke's, and I think it's such a lovely idea to enhance the environment for patients, visitors and workers.

Also, it's a really nice mosaic.

It's all about people reading.  And disporting themselves in nature.

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I do like the way shadows look in a mosaic.

How the tiles follow the shape of the objects:  a 'knit' shape for the socks; a 'stripey' shape for the towel; a 'columnar' shape for neck and arms.  And higgledy-piggledy colour riot for the meadow.

 I love the way the black-and-white geometry of the newspaper contrasts with the floral blue-and-white tiles of the other reader's frock.

 

Hello, watering can, with the not-grey shadow effects.

A sweet touch, this black-and-white "poster" in a 1950s skinny-line curlicue style.

The artist is Jim Anderson.  He's made a number of museums and has helpfully included his website on his signature tile.  I warn you, though: the site's really out-of-date.

Let that be a warning to all artists who think it might be a good idea to include online info within their work...

Read more about art at Addenbrooke's (it's a charitable trust).

Madingley Hall 3: The Turret

Remember my visit to Madingley Hall?  And my subsequent wanderings about the Gardens?  This is the third and final part of my mini-series on Madingley Hall, and it's about:

The Hunting Murals in the Turret

Above, you see the east façade of Madingley Hall.  See the turret in the left corner?  That's where the murals are, right at the top, up an old winding staircase.



The murals were painted in the late 16th / early 17th century, by a local Cambridge artist.  This one shows a Bear Baiting.

Yes, there were bears.  In Cambridge.

The owners of Madingley Hall kept bears in their grounds for sport.



This black bear is being attacked by three dogs.  The huntsman to the left does not look too happy.  You've got to love his nifty hat.



"Help!  Bear attack!"  (Not words you hear much these days in Cambridgeshire...)



Another mural shows a wild boar.  It seems to be mauling some sort of creature (can you tell what that is?).  Just look at that fierce expression.

This is a great bit of art to look at with children!



A less violent scene:  huntsmen, horses, hounds -- and are those two birds falcons?



This bird reminds me of the bird I saw inside the Hall, on the 17th-century tapestry.






Good-bye, Madingley Hall and Gardens!  I'll be back again for sure!



Have you been to Madingley?  What did you think?  Perhaps some of you have done courses for, with the University of Cambridge's Institute for Continuing Education?

Let me know in comments!

Part 1:  Madingley House (and its paintings)
Part 2:  Madingley Gardens (and its sculptures)



Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/07/madingley-hall-3-turret.html

Murals in a tunnel under a roundabout

Underground ducks and cows and punts

You wouldn't expect art on the Elizabeth Way / Newmarket Road roundabout.  Yet walk down the north-west ramp to the pedestrian underpass.  Surprise!  You will find a mural in the tunnel.

The mural is painted on small shiny tiles, along both tunnel walls.  One wall is predominantly blue and shows punts on the river Cam.  The opposite side has cows on a green background of grass.

The river is seen in bird's eyeview.  Punts are cropped by the edges.  Two ducks float past diagonally.  Many short brush strokes ripple across the surface, like ripples on water.  Opposite, the ripples are blades of grass, with strange black cows moving across it, like herds of buffalo.

Movement and space are important.  I walked past; I turned round; I felt hemmed in by the walls.  Daylight streams in at both sides but the middle is lit by artificial fluorescent light.  Peering closely, you see signs of wear-and-tear:  a chipped tile, a stenciled face, bits of paper.

 All murals are public art and some are overtly political.  These ones are like children's book illustrations.  Still, they gesture towards the location of Cambridge.  Cows and river are just 5 minutes' walk away.

There are three other tunnels under the roundabout.  All have murals, painted in 2000.  Some websites give the artist's name as John Wilcox.  So far, I've not found out anything else.

Bye-bye, ducks! 

Noddingcat's video of the murals is on youtube.  

More pics of the murals at Cambridge oddities.