Two hundred years ago, works great poet and artist exhibited at London's Soho, but popular does not enjoy. Tate Britain curators have decided to restore historic justice

The great English poet and artist William Blake (William Blake), certainly applies to those authors, the true value of art where people understand only after many years from the date of their death. Now the influence of poetry, painting and graphics Blake had on modern pop culture, devoted a large article in the «Wikipedia». In the love of his work recognized by many workers, without which modern culture is very different - from the artists prerafaelitov to the creators of graphic novels, from writers Allen Ginzberga (Allen Ginsberg) and Alasdera Gray (Alasdair Gray) to the musicians Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan ), and Mark J. Smith (Mark E. Smith). It is hard to believe that in 1809, when London's Soho has been designed first and only solo exhibition прижизненная Blake, it is not Polenov write only one critic. Yes, and it is slang.

«Everyone in spots in the blot, and is drawn very badly - spew fire columnist Examiner. - This miserable imagine himself a great master, although written only a couple of poor pictures». The catalog for the exhibition, the artist who wrote himself a furious critic is not spared: «Silly, strange, grossly conceited medley, wild product of brain inflammation».

Recently curators Tate Britain gallery in London have decided to restore historic justice. They decided to put in the museum of the same product as on the ill-fated exhibition in 1809 - and let the critics sing ody artist, and visitors shaft valyat look at the under-appreciated by the masterpieces. Two hundred years ago at an exhibition displayed 16 works, of which 11 survived at least nine of which will soon decorate walls of Tate Britain. In addition, the original directory will be published by Blake in which the artist criticizes the vanity and venality of representatives of then-art-Bohemian.

According to the curator of Tate Mayrona Martin (Martin Myrone), the previous exhibition of works by Blake focused primarily on his illustrated books, and a new exhibition, which opens in April next year, will introduce an entirely new reading of creativity Blake. The famous artist was much more ambitious than previously thought: he wanted to create huge paintings on historical and religious themes. The two paintings - «Spiritual Form of Nelson, sending Leviathan» and «Spiritual Form Pitt directing hippopotamus» - depicts national heroes Britain's Admiral Horatio Nelson (Horatio Nelson), and Prime Minister William Pitt (William Pitt). Blake wanted to re-write these pictures, but the height of 30 meters (!). Martin Mayron said that he wanted to become an artist of the same magnitude as Rafael (Raphael) and Michelangelo (Michelangelo). He wanted to decorate the giant wall paintings House of Parliament in London.

One of the works that visitors will not be able to see the exhibition - the canvas «Ancient Briton», lost in the 1860-ies. By the standards of Blake, it was huge - three to four meters. All are accustomed to think about the artist as an outsider, but Martin Mayron said that the picture could prove that it is not so: painting Blake was quite in the spirit of the time when the tone of the English paintings Fyuzeli asked Henry (Henry Fuseli), James Barry (James Barry), and Benjamin West (Benjamin West).

The nine paintings, which can be seen in the exhibition come from the collections of various museums in Britain. Perhaps, from Scotland to be brought and the tenth work - «Choser and twenty-nine pilgrims».

is not the first time famous museum exhibitions recreate the past in the past. For example, in 1991, the curators of the District Art Museum of Los Angeles (LACMA), organized the exhibition «Degenerative Art: the fate of the avant-garde in Nazi Germany». It includes works that are in the late 1930's on display at the exhibition Entartete Kunst, organized by associates of Hitler in order to rebuke artists modernists. It could be seen painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner), Max Bekmanna (Max Beckmann), and other avant-garde. Organizers are not simply collected 180 first-class works, they also worked on the exhibition design - in particular, added a shocking slogans, which could see the visitors of the exhibition Entartete Kunst in those dark times. «Denouncement essentially Jewish race», «The ideal - cretin and whore» - behold such signatures supplied masterpieces modernists Nazi criminals. Many of those who managed to get to the exhibition in LACMA, said that there were only really felt, through a monstrous horror had to take the European intelligentsia.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova

Sources: guardian.co.uk , artinvestment.ru