I'd not visited the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool for decades. It is one of those strange traits that one tends to traipse around far flung galleries and museums yet ignore the culture on one's own doorstop. Barcelona, Milan, Crete, Poland, Paris, even Weimar, Germany (City of Culture 1999); I've been there. Therefore, in our Year of Culture, I thought a visit was a must. I intend to spend some time at as many of the 2008 events as I can, particularly when the new camera arrives (RIP and Stop The Clocks Olympus MJU 400).
At the moment, Ben Johnson is artist in residence and can be seen completing his epic cityscape work. There is a webcam link here and there are far better photos on the Gallery's Flickr site.
The painting is superbly detailed and 'photographic' was a description heard more than once whilst viewing. However, as Ben Johnson points out, it is more than that:
My brief was to create a panoramic portrait of the city of Liverpool to act as an icon in the year 2008. It would also be an historic document celebrating Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture. Liverpool’s existing buildings were to be portrayed together with the buildings that have been designed and will be completed within this period, or landmark buildings upon which work had started.
I also took some snaps (borrowed Nikon L11) of works by Freud, Epstein and John Gibson. More information can be found on the main site here.
All in all, well worth a trip. And it's free!
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