Re-turning to the Imagination – Blake, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites at Tate Britain, Saturday 7th October 2023, 10am – 2pm

Tate Britain is home to British artists and artists who spent most of their careers / lives in Britain. During this half day visit, we will explore the re-turning to the imagination in art where artists learned to not only paint what they saw mimetically, but paint what they saw through their imagination.  From the beginnings of the industrial revolution when Britain was in the midst of pivotal changes which altered life and landscape forever, artists emerged who sought to show those changes in different ways; some embracing them, others trying to return to the past, but all united in their exploration of and return to the imagination proper and its visionary qualities – something very different to fantasy.  The works that we see each have their own unique quality;  dazzling; beautiful; mystical; dark; sorrowful; but never fail to move us, remind us of how we are part of this not so distant history and the value of the imagination as a means with which to bring inspiration to life.

We will explore the works of William Blake, JMW Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites.

We will meet in the main entrance on Millbank at 10am. This half day visit will take place on Saturday 7th October 2023 and will run from 10.15 am-1pm. At 1pm we will have lunch and discuss any observations and questions you might have.

Numbers will be limited. £40 per person. Lunch is not included.