Lady Lever

This weekend I had free time to re visit the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight after my first visit with my History of Art group the other week. My first visit was brief but the gallery was so lovely that I knew I’d go back soon, specifically to see the upper balconies and acknowledge some of the paintings we had already visited.

My favourite piece by far both times was ‘The Judgement of Paris’ by William Etty, a history painting that really entranced me with its accurate anatomical human figures inlining with mythical Goddesses. The three goddesses (Athena, Aphrodite and  Hera) are hairless and slim in a contrapposto stance, relaxed and elegant, proving Etty’s skill and knowledge of human anatomy. The use of contrapposto from three different angles also contorts the figures and shows each woman’s soft and delicate features. These features are emphasised by his use of colour; the Goddesses pale skin against their bold coloured, draped clothing, highlighted by the dark, building clouds contrasting in the background. The painting was so mesmerising that I sat in front of it and completely re-evaluated it for a long time.

Similarly, being able to see Hunt’s ‘The Scapegoat’ in the flesh was a transformation in itself. Having seen it on a powerpoint at a previous lecture I was not a fan as it looked plain on a 2D image, whereas as soon as I walked into the gallery (both times) I caught sight of ‘The Scapegoat’ and changed my mind completely. The painting itself is bold and eye catching with the rich violet colours of the mountains reflected in the Dead Sea, allowing the goat to stand out in the painting, despite being impure with peoples’ sins.

This time round I also had a proper look at the work done for Lever himself. I really enjoyed looking at the embroidery using gold threads to create something beautiful, but my clear favourite was the portrait of Lever himself. He was a powerful, and rich man and this portrait managed to humanise him into a weak, depressed, woeful man. This for him was a humiliation, and you can see on the actual canvas that he has slashed the canvas diagonally right through his own face in disgrace. It’s beautifully tragic. A painstaking acceptance of himself.

I would recommend the Lady Lever Art gallery to anyone who enjoys Pre-Raphaelite art or can appreciate beautifully painted scenarios. It’s personal preference but for myself, pieces like that of William Etty and Holman Hunt’s ‘The Scapegoat’ are right up my street. I also had a better chance to walk around the sculpture sections at either end of the gallery which was new for me, as I have rarely had a chance to properly view such old sculptures up close and see the detail.

(SIDENOTE: Even if you don’t enjoy art or aren’t too interested in the Pre-Raphaelite, I’d just go for the features of the building, it’s beautiful)