17th October 2016
When we saw a tweet from our friends at the William Morris Society telling us that Bradford Cathedral are holding an exhibition to celebrate William Morris and the work he was commissioned to do for the Cathedral, we knew we needed to get our skates on and head on over to see it for ourselves!
The main highlight of the exhibition is a hand embroidered alter frontal textile, restored by Jacqui Hyman, a textile restoration expert. It’s a stunning piece, and seeing original pieces made by Morris is always amazing. Hyman spoke about the project, ““The frontal hasn’t been seen in place on the High Altar in living memory and to be able to enhance it with contemporary Art will truly transform Bradford Cathedral’s Lady Chapel.” The restoration was done impeccably, it’s always great to see a piece restored to it’s former glory and see how it would have looked all those years ago.
Mr Fullalove, a Yorkshire artist after seeing the piece, was inspired to paint a range which reflected Morris’ artwork and altarpiece. We always love to hear stories such as these- Morris died over 100 years ago, yet his life work prevails all these years later, a reflection of the talent he possessed and the beauty he created. Speaking about the collection at the Cathedral, Fullalove said, “I was particularly struck by the quality of the William Morris altarpiece. The colours are incredibly vivid and the lyricism and religiosity of the piece, reflecting the cycle of life and nature were instantly inspiring.”
Many don’t know that Morris, before he dedicated his life to the arts, dabbled with the idea of entering the clergy along with Burne-Jones, as both were influenced by the Romanticist milieu and the Anglo-Catholic movement. The idea was to found a monastery and live a life dedicated to artistic pursuit and chastity.
If you’re able to visit the Cathedral whilst the exhibition is still on, we’d highly recommend doing so, however remember- the stained glass windows we’re talking about in our next blog are always there!
Posted in William Morris by Laura