David Meredith, Chairman of the Sir Kyffin Williams Trust takes part in our #LoveArt Campaign.
Y Parchedig John Parker 1798 – 1860
Aran Fawddy from the entrance to Llaethnant August 6, 1846
The summit of Aran Fawddy August 6, 1846
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One of the few painters who painted Aran Benllyn and Aran Fawddwy in Meirionnydd (that I know of).
He was interested in painting landscapes and specializing in painting ‘rocky places’ e.g see his beautiful paintings of the top of Aran Fawddwy, held at the Library. He was also interested in churches of the Gothic architecture. His painting of a fine oak screen at St Crwst’s Church in Llanrwst is excellent and also Aran, a feast to the eye. John Parker was a native of the Oswestry area.
He was the Rector of Llanmerewig in Montgomeryshire and Llanblodwel, Shropshire. He also painted castles, flowers and plants and painted in England, Ireland and the mainland of Europe.
As one who lives round the corner of Aran Benllyn and Aran Fawddwy, John Parker’s work means a lot to me.
Another impressive painting by John Parker is the painting of Talardd Farmhouse, Cwm Cynllwyd Llanuwchllyn with both Aran’s as background. Howel Harris, the reformer, stayed in the Talardd Farmhouse, while visiting the Valley in the eighteenth century. 25 years after the death of Howel Harris, John Parker was born.
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Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws introduces her favourite art works from the Library’s collection as part of the #LoveArt Campaign.
She has chosen ‘Greenham Peace Vigil’ by Claudia Williams as her final choice.
'Greenham Peace Vigil' gan Claudia William
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Divine and Spiritual
The last piece that I’ve chosen is another piece by Claudia Williams – but this time it a portrait of the peace camp at Greenham Common that was established in the early 80s to protest against nuclear missiles. My mother was part of this important historical event – something that I am very proud of.
It is interesting how the artist has chosen to portray the family orientated, spiritual side of the protests – with the non-traditional headscarf worn by many of the women in the painting of interest to me. There is something divine about the painting and the strength of the mothers and the women unmistakable. It also portrays the range of ages, from young mothers to older women and children, who were part of this important protest
‘This is the land that has obsessed me throughout my life. My love of it ?is not superficial but deep, for my family have for so many generations ?had the same feeling for the land and its people. When I left art school ?I did not have to think what I should paint for my subject was deep ?inside me and waiting for me to record it’.
(Kyffin Williams, ‘The Land & the Sea’, Gomer Press,1998).
[ca. 1950 -1970]
[ca. 1970-1990]
[ca. 1950 -1970]
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The Kyffin Williams Exhibition which opens on the 16th of February, ?2018 will commemorate the centenary of the birth of one of Wales’ ?leading artists. It is therefore an opportunity for the National Library ?to celebrate its rich collection of the Anglesey born artist’s works – ?from his iconic landscapes and powerful seascapes of Anglesey, ?north-west Wales and abroad to his emotive portraits. There is also an opportunity within the exhibition to view lesser-known works by the ?artist previously unseen by the public, which include his preparatory ?works such as his sketchbooks and his printing blocks. The Library ?houses over 200 oil paintings, over 1,200 works on paper and over 300 ?original prints by the artist.
Many people mainly associate Kyffin Williams with his impasto technique ?of painting – placing the oil paint down thickly onto the canvas using ?a palette knife. An extremely interesting aspect of the research into ?this exhibition was to discover the early works which the artist created ?whilst he was a student at the Slade School of Art and an art teacher at ?the Highgate School in London in the 1940s through to the early 1970s. ?These early works are of great importance in showing how Kyffin ?developed his technique and iconic style of painting which from the ?beginning of his career caught the imagination of the people of Wales.
Within this exhibition we shall also gain an invaluable insight into ?Kyffin’s creative mind by taking a look at a few films on the ?artist and also his diaries and letters which are housed within ?our archives. Kyffin Williams was a skilled writer who instantly caught the ?reader’s imagination and his entertaining autobiographies are ?testimony to this. This exhibition will therefore be an unique ?opportunity to celebrate Kyffin’s words and images in an extremely ?effective manner on the walls of the National Library’s iconic Gregynog ?Gallery.
Morfudd Bevan, Art Curator, National Library of Wales
Over the next four weeks Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws will introduce her favourite art works from the Library’s collection as part of the #LoveArt Campaign.
She has chosen Gwilym Pritchard by Claudia Williams as her fourth choice.
Gwilym Pritchard by Claudia Williams
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Honesty and love
This week I have chosen an honest and loving portrait by Claudia Williams of her husband, Gwilym Pritchard. In the portrait we see a handsome gentleman, with striking white hair sitting behind his easel. Claudia has created many portraits of him since the early 60s and it’s interesting that there is one constant thread, which is her unequivocal love and respect for him.
Of course, Claudia is most renowned for her portraits of family or friends, mostly women, in day-to-day situations – the dining table, play ground, seaside, bedroom and more recently, hair salon.
Over the next four weeks Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws will introduce her favourite art works from the Library’s collection as part of the #LoveArt Campaign.
She has chosen ‘Porthgain’ by Gwilym Pritchard as her third choice.
Porthgain - Gwilym Pritchard
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The Beauty of Porthgain
I was truly privileged to have the opportunity to browse through Gwilym Pritchard’s sketch book. It felt so personal and showed his detailed and intricate preparation before displaying finished work. I felt that I had an insight into the method in which one of Wales’ most prominent artists worked.
The piece that I chose was a simple watercolour piece. But what was remarkable and shows Gwilym Pritchard’s unique talent is that the romance of Porthgain was portrayed through this uncomplicated piece. Porthgain holds a special place in my heart as I spent my teenage years in a nearby village – there is a unique combination of history, beauty and determination there and although this is a sketch, it conveys all these elements to me.
Over the next four weeks Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws will introduce her favourite art works from the Library’s collection as part of the #LoveArt Campaign.
She has chosen At Work by Will Roberts as her second choice.
'At Work' gan Will Roberts (ca.1970)
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The strength of the people
Whether a man or a woman, this picture portrays the people that I was bought up amongst, with the person at one with nature and the land beyond.
When you look at the painting, it is hard to identify unique features, the hair and eyes are colourless but it does portray the enormity of the worker. The colours of the agricultural landscape are apparent, which once again reminds me of my upbringing in Aberteifi and on a personal level, I can see elements of my brother in the painting.
It represents the people that work on the land and belong to the land.
Over the next four weeks Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws will introduce her favourite art works from the Library’s collection as part of the #LoveArt Campaign.
She has chosen Cardiganshire Landscape by John Elwyn as her first choice.
Cardiganshire Landscape - John Elwyn
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“Paintings convey so much: memories, images, people, colours, the shape of buildings and a hundred thousand and other things. But the paintings by John Elwyn, especially those of the landscapes of south west Wales, convey my childhood. The sun is out, the grass is green and the farm buildings shine white in the heat. The smell of the grass that has been cut is mixed with the diesel of the tractor and if I’m lucky I would sit on top of the bales as we go back to the hay shed. The summer holidays last forever and no one is worried that I’m in the sun from the beginning of the day until the sun goes down (though I’m sure they all know exactly where the little girl is).
John Elwyn’s paintings belong to the period of childhood innocence – no rain and no pain! Seeing the “Cardiganshire Landscape” painting gives me goosebumps.
“It is ironic that I am the most loved & most honoured Welsh artist of all time & yet I am hated by the art world.” – Kyffin Williams (diary) 16th October 1993.
We are delighted to reveal plans to hold an extensive exhibition which will launch in February 2018 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the defining Welsh artists of the 20th century – Sir Kyffin Williams.
The relationship between the Library and the artist first began in 1949 at the start of Kyffin’s career when we first purchased one of his paintings. From this point onwards this relationship was cultivated through consistent purchases, donations and exhibitions until his death in September 2006 when the Library was bequeathed a generous part of his estate. The Library’s existing collection together with the bequest, forms the largest most comprehensive collection of material relating to Kyffin Williams in existence.
So what has the Library been doing with this generous gift until now? Organising and presenting a comprehensive exhibition of his work is a product of several years of sorting, cataloguing, conservation and study, although this is still on-going and there is much to do. We have been making his collections accessible to the public both on-line, through exhibitions and our loans programme, particularly with our partner Oriel Kyffin / Oriel Ynys Môn. In fact our relationship with Oriel Kyffin is a great legacy of Kyffin’s bequest, where hugs now replace handshakes at meetings! The Library and Oriel Kyffin will be teaming up to share collections during the centenary year along with working together on a rich programme of outreach activities.
The iconic style and subject matter of Kyffin’s work is appealing as it has become synonymous with the vision of Wales and Welshness, an essential aspect of our understanding of who we are. But who was he?
Photograph of Kyffin Williams with some of his paintings
Logo to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Kyffin Williams' birth
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“I am the greatest living expert on myself” – Kyffin Williams (diary), 29th January 1993
How do we represent such an iconic artist who has been written and talked about by so many? We felt the best way of doing this was to draw upon the artists own words – from his own diaries and letters – to interpret his creations. We will look ‘behind the frame’ to learn about his technique, what inspired him and how his personality and complexity of his character and health influenced his life and work.
Our patronage of this artist over the years has culminated in this exhibition and a whole host of events and outreach activities during the centenary year. It is particularly pertinent that – as we come to a close in the year of legends – we launch a celebration of this unique and legendary individual.
A blog about the work and collections of the National Library of Wales.
Due to the more personal nature of blogs it is the Library's policy to publish postings in the original language only. An equal number of blog posts are published in both Welsh and English, but they are not the same postings. For a translation of the blog readers may wish to try facilities such as Google Translate.
!['Bellringer of Caernarvon in costume of trade', [187-] gan John Cambrian Rowland](https://blog.library.wales/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/gcf07230.jpg "'Bellringer of Caernarvon in costume of trade', [187-] gan John Cambrian Rowland")